Empowering Children with Autism

The first step is to email us your child’s details to admin@neuronexusnamibia.com. We will then send you an application form which will give us more information about your child. After reviewing the child’s application form and report from the therapist, you and your child will be invited for an interview. Once a child is accepted into the school, a month- long observation and testing period will ensue, after which we will meet with both the parents and the child’s therapists to discuss a learning plan that will best suit the child. 

NeuroNexus is a progressive school that respects and views each child as an individual who deserves the best chance that life can give them to fulfill their potential, be happy, feel safe and be valued.
We create a supportive environment where children can develop key life and social skills, communication skills, fine and gross motor development. We also create opportunities for children to follow their own interests and passions and to be gently and safely challenged to expand their repertoire of skills and academic development, should that be within their capabilities. 

Children are treated as individuals and individual learning plans ensure that children can perform to their highest potential. 

Parents, therapists, and teachers collaborate to make sure that each child gets the best care and tailor-made learning plan possible. 

Furthermore, as a school, we aim to be a center of information and education on Autism  and to provide community involvement to promote inclusivity and understanding of these special individuals in our society. 

The preschool focus's on early intervention in areas that are crucial for development, such as communication skills, life skills, sensorial development, gross and fine motor skills, foundational academic stimulation, etc. 

In the Primary School, children will be in one of two streams; 

The first stream is for children who are capable of following an academic curriculum. Here we design individualized learning plans. We are using online, internationally accredited curriculums. These learning platforms also have special needs curriculums for those who cannot manage on the standard levels. 

The classroom will be set up with stations that will engage the children in essential skills building and expose them to engaging themes that relate both to what they are covering in their curriculum and that the children are passionate about. 

The second stream is for children who are not able to follow an academic curriculum. These children will be moving between enriching stations in their classroom set-up that are designed to develop specific skills such as communication, fine motor development, life skills, cognitive skills development, technical skills, and activities that foster creativity, all grounded in themes that cater to individual passions and expose them to the natural and man- made world and general knowledge explorations. 

Basic reading, writing and mathematics will still be included in this stream. 

Our timelines for these children’s development will also differ in the sense that we are giving them more time per Grade should they require it. For example, laying foundational skills in Gr R- Gr 1 can be done over 3 years, should an individual child need it. 

At NeuroNexus, we implement several programs to help children with autism develop social skills and peer interactions. 

Our Social Skills Groups will provide structured environments where children can practice essential behaviours like sharing and turn-taking. We’ll also utilize Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) to reinforce positive social interactions, while Social Stories will guide children in understanding and responding to social situations. 

Through Peer-Mediated Interventions, we encourage typically developing peers to model and support social engagement, fostering natural opportunities for interaction. Our approach also includes floor time, which emphasises building social skills through play tailored to each child’s interests. 

Additionally, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) programs will be implemented to support non-verbal children in expressing themselves, enhancing their ability to connect with others. These initiatives provide a comprehensive framework for fostering social development. 

At NeuroNexus, we primarily utilize the TEACCH method, which stands for Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication-related Handicapped Children. 

This evidence-based approach is tailored to meet the distinct needs and characteristics of individuals with autism, who often benefit from structured environments and visual information processing. 

By applying structured settings, visual supports, and personalised strategies, TEACCH aims to foster independence, communication, and engagement. However, we remain flexible and integrate other methods, such as PECS, ABC and ABA, when appropriate. 

These methods have been thoroughly discussed with specialists and knowledgeable members of the autism community in Namibia, leading to a well-considered decision to adopt them. 

Our teachers are well-trained in all these methods, ensuring a holistic and adaptive education.

We are only employing teachers with teaching qualifications and experience in working with children with ASD. The therapists and psychologists that we are working with are all qualified, accredited and registered with the Namibian Health Professions Council. We are also insisting on continued professional development courses with regard to the most up-to-date information for teachers on ASD. 

The school has a therapy room. Therapists and Educational Psychologists can use this facility for free and see children at school throughout the school week as part of the service that we provide at school. Communication and collaboration between external therapists, parents and teachers is of utmost importance to us, as we believe that this is key to providing the best possible support for the individual child to ensure that we give them the best chance of success. Regular communication between the therapists, teachers and parents is a priority. 

We have seen the tremendous benefits of engaging extra-mural providers at school. We offer a wide variety of extra-murals, such as pottery, woodwork, chess, swimming, horse-riding, yoga, soccer, Judo, Kindermusik, guitar and piano classes, etc. 

We have had many meetings with various therapists and experts in the field to get input on ideal set-ups for the learning environments at school to best support our ASD children. 

Every classroom has a section that has low sensory stimulus, is private and is there to help children regulate if sensory overload occurs. These sections include equipment that is recommended by experts to help children self-soothe and regulate. The classroom design is supportive to these children in the sense that they will have both private, quiet areas for those who need them (e.g. cubicles for children who need privacy for concentration or regulation) as well as common areas where children can work at communal tables or in groups should they want to. Classroom stations will be rotated weekly to provide novelty and to cater to children’s interests and will be used as motivation and encouragement to help overcome emotional challenges.