PARENTS’ PERSPECTIVE

As you explore options for school placement for your child, there are many issues to consider. If you are interested in looking at HMS School, whether your child is a potential day student, residential student or Extended School Year student, the best place to start is with a call to our social worker.

The social worker can help ascertain your child’s needs and review HMS’s educational and therapy components. You may be invited to tour HMS to observe our team as they work toward therapeutic and educational goals. The social worker can also connect you with parents of current HMS students, since parent-to-parent conversations are often a great source of information. Finally, your child may be invited to spend a day at HMS, where our team will have the opportunity to get to know the unique needs and special qualities your child will bring to our school if enrollment is appropriate.

It is also important to connect with your school district’s Special Education professional about HMS’s services. He/she may not be aware of the programs HMS School offers and will be an essential part of your team as you move through the admissions process.

Read a parent’s personal story:
By Kerri Hanlon, mother of Sean Hanlon, HMS day student
Finding the best placement for your child can be an enormous undertaking. With case managers, social workers, pediatricians and therapists all weighing in: words like “least restrictive environment” and more acronyms than you can count, parents are often confused, overwhelmed and frustrated. As a parent who went through this process, I can attest to the challenges of finding the best school placement for my child, all the while maintaining our “normal” routine of caring for Sean.