History

Helping Troubled Boys Over the Past 35 years

Since 1973, Eagleton School has continually evolved its orientation, philosophy, and services to meet the needs of its clients and students. Initially, the primary student diagnosis the school addressed was “emotional and social maladjustment with delinquency”. The program focused on high-school level skills, career, and job programming. The goal for this population was to have students return to their families and communities as adults with employment, living, and social skills. The average stay was five years.

Working with More Specialized Populations

 In 1993, the population changed, and the Intensive Program was developed. This program included the previous population with the addition of a group of cognitively impaired young men ages 16 through 21. The program continued to include a vocational and high school academic curriculum, along with life skills and independent living components. With a more long-term disabled population added to the mix, the goal was to prepare one third of the residents for sheltered workshops and group homes. Eagleton’s services more than kept pace. The average stay was reduced to three years with more intensive programming.

Meeting the needs of Students with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome

 In 2002/03 with the approval of the Department of Education and Operational Services Division, Eagleton School reconstructed its entire program to serve a significantly different population. Today, the average age of the Eagleton School resident is 13.5 years. We currently accept children as young as nine years of age. Children admitted to Eagleton School have multiple complex disabilities with cognitive, behavioral, and clinical components. As more and more children are being diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), our program has refined its techniques to work with this ever-increasing population. Referrals come from the Department of Social Services, psychiatric hospitals, and local school districts. They are emotionally, socially, and educationally functioning at an average of six years below chronological age. Current admissions average approximately a twelve to eighteen-month length of stay.