Arbor School of Central Florida

by Susan Shalhoub 

Arbor School of Central Florida is steeped in a decades-long tradition of serving students with learning disabilities in a structured, supportive environment. Featuring sensory-based classrooms, the school is ideal for children with high-functioning autism, dyslexia, Down syndrome, and other learning disabilities.

Wendy Cox Blair, who started at Arbor School in 2005 as a teacher, is now its executive director and a champion of the type of customized, therapeutic education the school provides.

“Instead of trying to teach the kids how to cope with the issues that bother them, we adapt to meet their needs,” says Wendy. “For example, we don’t require students to sit at desks for long periods or wear uniforms. These sorts of things can become overwhelming for them.”

Adds Wendy, “And as they become older, the children learn to advocate for themselves politely.”

Without sensory-based learning, she says, children are more likely to have meltdowns. Arbor School’s educational approach helps students concentrate, stay calm, and absorb key information.

The school accomplishes those goals and much more for its 170 students through occupational, speech, and music therapy; STEAM and project-based learning; and small student-to-teacher ratios. Arbor School also offers a transitions program for work/college that includes career exploration, job coaching, and soft skills training.

This year, Arbor School will grow beyond its existing campuses in Winter Springs and Lake Mary. It is opening a K-5 campus in Wekiva Springs this August, with plans to add middle-and high-school programming there in three to five years. 

At all Arbor School locations, says Wendy, the dedicated teachers have a passion for what they do and celebrate victories both big and small for their students. 

“There is a lot of emotion connected to what we do when you see these incremental successes,” says Wendy. “Our work is so meaningful, and it is individualized for each student.”