Amazing K was founded by Ilse Kilian-Ross and Noel Ross in 2014. They were looking for a school for their autistic daughter, but instead decided to take on the mammoth task of building a school. The school grew from a handful of autistic learners to 80 children at the beginning of 2020.
We have had to pivot and evolve during the pandemic. We still have an academy for special needs learners (aged 2 to 7) with a 3:1, 4:1 OR 6:1 teacher/therapist to child ratio. Amazing K is a registered ECD & Partial Care Centre; We place tutors in homes and also offer online tutoring services for children with special needs; We now have a therapy centre available to enrolled students as well as outpatients. Here we offer everything from behaviour to speech therapies; We have also started offering online and smaller in-person workshops to help teachers, aupairs and parents understand how to deal with specific issues they face with autistic children.
We are proud that we have in past years “mainstreamed” students; that learners have shown progression across all development areas; and that we are in a position to help more children with a wider variety of intervention options.
Our learners receive the best of both the schooling and therapy world. We offer Individualized Education Programs, Speech- and Augmentive Alternative Communication (AAC) therapy as well as a full and adapted Academic Curriculum.
During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 we pivoted to include a broader range of services to learners, parents and teachers.
The Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) set out by the Department of Basic Education is our guideline and a child’s scores on standardises assessments relating to language, literacy, numeracy, social & emotional development, pen-man-ship and daily living skill remains the determining factor.
Department of Social Development REF NUMBER: B/P 1000820230. We are now registered as an ECD and Partial Care Facility.
Starting as a School for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Centre for Behaviour Intervention means that we have all the expertise to:
Increase language and communication skills for our children
Improve behaviour in general relating to tantrums and sensory integration difficulties
Develop the child’s social skills and emotional maturity
Integrate the child into a natural group setting where they can learn to share and be part of a group
Able to adapt to meet the needs of each unique learner
Accommodate one-on-one and/or group learning
Decrease problem behaviours
Increase self-help and like skills that are useful in everyday life
Nurture and develop the general motor planning of the child through our Physical Education program
Nurture and develop the artistic skills of the child through our art, music and movement program
Address Sensory Sensitivities and help give each child the coping skills they need to integrate into society
Improve numeracy and literacy development
In the Media
- Autism help for parents from Rotary Club – October 2020 Roodepoort Record
- Autism help for parents from Rotary Club – 29 September 2020 Parent24
- Suspended from school, at age 2 – 5 February 2020
- Puma Energy South Africa helping to raise awareness around autism – 23 January 2020
- How to help your autistic child with change – 2 October 2019
- Parents support the Amazing K school – 17 November 2016
- Autism: a lesson in Love – 5 August 2013
- A tragedy waiting to happen – 22 July 2013