ASUA’s Spring Fling brought Upper School students, families, and staff together for an evening of music, dancing, and celebration. With a Festival Fair theme, students helped design decorations and curate the playlist, making the event a true community effort. The night also featured a student DJ from the Transition Hub program and provided families with space to connect, share experiences, and explore supportive resources.

Rachel Honore, a parent of an ASUA student, writes about ASUA's summer programming from the perspective of a parent.

A Step Up Academy’s Summer Social Skills Series offers students ages 4–22 structured and supportive Friday morning sessions focused on building communication, independence, and peer interaction skills. Through engaging, hands-on activities tailored by age group, students will strengthen emotional regulation, problem-solving, self-advocacy, and real-world social skills in a fun and supportive environment.

A Step Up Academy’s Summer Social Skills Series offers students ages 4–22 structured and supportive Friday morning sessions focused on building communication, independence, and peer interaction skills. Through engaging, hands-on activities tailored by age group, students will strengthen emotional regulation, problem-solving, self-advocacy, and real-world social skills in a fun and supportive environment.

School & Community based Social Worker Kathryn McNamara writes about her experience as a parent deploying the strategy of co-regulation, which staff at ASUA also rely on. Learn more about what this is and how it can be used both at home and at school.

Head of Schools Brenna Murphy takes a moment to reflect on how the physical environment of ASUA supports the psychological safety of both students and staff.

Head of Human Resources Erin Malinao-Smith affirms her department's commitment to providing comprehensive support to employees throughout every stage of their employment journey.

In celebration of Black History Month, students across the lower, intermediate, and high school participated in a variety of creative and educational projects designed to highlight culture, history, and student voice. Students chose from four project options—presentations, teacher interviews, art, or music—allowing them to explore Black history in ways that matched their interests and strengths.

At ASUA, inclusion is not only something we strive to create for our students - it is something we actively build for our team. We recognize that every individual who walks through our doors brings more than their professional skills. They bring lived experiences, identities, responsibilities, strengths, and needs that shape how they show up each day. Honoring that reality is at the core of how we support our employees.

“Voices: Listeners in the Noise” is a short film style documentary following a handful of Autistic individuals through their daily movements and sound experiences. The general theme of the project was to center Autistic voices and give us space to discuss our sensory experiences around a city, mainly Philadelphia, with an emphasis on sound. It was created as a way to inform the general public of sound needs, and to open the opportunity to really think about if Autistic people

Whether it was day one or day one hundred, I would start my day with my students and staff the same way: holding each other accountable. Accountability starts from the top, and when we hold each other accountable, we can make every day more productive.

At ASUA, inclusion extends beyond the students and families we serve - it is embedded in how we work, grow, and lead together.

IEEs, IEPs, LEAs, SDIs – there are so many acronyms used in education, it can be hard to keep up with what they all mean. In this post, we focus on the difference between IEPs and IEEs. For reference; here are what each of those acronyms stand for Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) Individualized Education Program (IEP) Local Education Agency (LEA) Specially Designed Instruction (SDI). Both documents play important roles in special education. If you are a parent/guardia

Learn more about the Food Equity Program, an imitative that started when the SNAP benefit paused and we knew we needed to have resources of the community.

Learn more about Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs) and how we conduct and utilize them as an organization.

This summer, our Extended School Year (ESY) program is centered around the theme Growing Together - a celebration of each student’s unique strengths and the powerful connections we build as a community. Throughout the summer, students will explore who they are, how to care for their minds and bodies, how to work together, and how to show kindness and courage in everyday moments.