Colm McCarry’s experience at The Little Red Playhouse

12 year old Colm McCarry had a wonderful experience at The Little Red Playhouse, which helped him deal with his autism.

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" I highly recommend the LRP team of professionals and experienced educators who provide an optimal learning environment along with lots of support for every child’s individual needs.

Thanks to their dedication, knowledge, care and love, my son is now able to express himself and our family has received the support to help him meet his developmental challenges."

Lina López

" I hadn’t intended to send my son (who is “neuro-typical,” as they say) to the Little Red Playhouse but I was immediately impressed with the positive vibe at the school. It is a sunny little house that feels naturally cosy and homey, but it is really the staff who sealed the deal. They are impressively patient, creative, and energetic and the whole atmosphere feels like such fun! I was almost overwhelmed with admiration for the services the school provides to kids with special needs. It did cross my mind to wonder if my well-adjusted, chatty, but soft-hearted little boy might get overlooked by the staff in their need to provide more intensive attention to the other children, but the staff immediately “got” him and his own unique set of strengths and weaknesses. It is a terrific thing to send my son to a preschool where he is exposed to such diversity and he is hopefully developing into a patient, non-judgmental, and accepting person. I feel like we are part of something important. "

Dr. Natalie Phillips

" We were looking for a place where our son would receive not only the proper care from qualified people in the field of autism but also who know how to discover and promote their full potential. We were fortunate to find it at LRP! Our son's experience was clearly positive from his first day. The therapists, the educators, the support staff together with their director implemented diverse strategies that included solid theoretical knowledge, as well as invaluable practical knowledge to help our son in the development of his abilities as well as in his adaptation. We will always appreciate the joint effort of all the team that integrated our opinions and that supported us as parents and as a family. Moreover, the support is extended thanks to the network of parents and other professionals in the field of autism that we have had the opportunity of knowing through LRP. "

Maria and Roberto

" Two of our, drive-you-crazy, adorable, NT (neuro-typical) sons have attended Little Red Playhouse. Over the years we have sometimes been asked why we chose to send our kids to this special place where children with special needs are integrated in regular groups rather than to other "regular" preschools. Firstly, because it's FUN! Our kids love it! The activities and learning are always presented in a wonderful way. Special attention is given to every child to foster their blooming abilities. My boys have learned so much there! As for the special vocation of the school, we believe that kids should be allowed their full potential. By attending LRP, our kids are helping other children as well as gaining an extra dose of socialization. LRP has taught my kids that a friend is a friend, no matter what. So what if some of the kids react a bit differently than they do, they can all learn together and from each other. It is such a simple lesson, but one that takes some people their whole lives to understand! We think LRP has helped our kids grow up to embrace diversity and have strong morals. In this age of school bullying, I think more kids should be exposed to differences earlier on. Not only will they be less likely to become bullies themselves, they will be better equipped to stand up to a bully if the situation ever arises. Something all parents should hope for. "

Christine & Stéphane

" We completed the testing with a psychologist for our daughter’s early admissions application and would love to report that it went extremely well (99.9th percentile). She is in the superior range, and in a majority of the sections was at par with other 7 year olds. We believe that LRP has played a large part in this as the program and methodology is obviously well thought out and very effective for preparing children for school. She loved attending your program and we have been extremely pleased with the progress she has made under your guidance. Our daughter’s enthusiasm for learning is tremendous and LRP has helped her achieve a great foundation to build her academic career on. Thank you for your hard work and dedication, it has been wonderful to be a part of your school! "

Sarina and Alex

" Our daughter and now our son have been enjoying the wonderful benefits of LRP. The ambiance of the school is warm, fun, and full of excitement. Our children have been absolutely thrilled to go to school every day and are always very keen on telling us all the great things they did at the end of the day. Each teacher has different talents which, as a whole, is a tremendous variety for the children. Apart from the excellent programs the school offers, the one thing that sticks out the most for us is the diversity. The fact that there is a combination of children on the spectrum and NT children simply teaches them that people come in different packages and everyone is unique in their own way. Our children have never been concerned about the differences between the two groups, they have just been happy to see their friends every day. LRP is a terrific school and we would recommend it to anyone – it is a perfect blend between learning and fun! "

Joanne and Rob

" At age 2, our daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy and since then we have been on a journey of understanding what implications the epilepsy has on her physical and mental development. At age 4 she was assessed by her therapist as being developmentally equivalent to a 2 year old. While initially startled by the news we quickly explored what we could do as her parents to give her the best chance in life. It was at this point our paths crossed with the Little Red Playhouse – like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds!

Interactions with the teaching staff when we dropped her off for school or picked her up was always an uplifting experience as a parent, it’s no wonder she was always excited to go to school. We are eternally thankful to the entire LRP team who embraces differences, supports the children, share the challenges with other kids and parents and support the building of a stronger community. The constant encouragement, positive reinforcement and modelling of behaviours has been a great success for her and she has now been accepted into a great private school where she will join her natural age group with no in-class assistance. LRP has given us the greatest gift we could ever ask for. They have given us confidence that our daughter will make it through life successfully while adding her own touch of colour along the way! "

Zoe and Jason

" Our son was diagnosed with ASD and had numerous difficulties with social integration. We enrolled him at LRP to prepare him for integration in a regular classroom setting and the results were immediate and noticeable. His social skills, interactions, and communicative abilities increased dramatically. Moreover, when he started elementary school, we realised that the curriculum at LRP was vastly superior to the school’s own preschool program. Thus, our son started at a more advanced academic level than his peers. It is clear that LRP’s low staff to student ratios coupled with their techniques to enhance social and educational development, whether or not the child has special needs, yields irrefutable results. "

Jeff and Randi