Before becoming parents, we never expected that we would need to send our child away for help, but the day came when we knew in our hearts that keeping our child at home and continuing to search for the solution in our local area wasn’t working. Through our educational consultant, we were introduced to the team at Black Mountain. It was imperative to us that wherever our son went, he was going to be surrounded by people who really cared for him. That is the feeling you get at Black Mountain...when you meet their staff, everyone from their residential coaches, to their therapist, to their teachers, you know that their passion is working with students. The school feels like a big family and the small nature of the school was such a positive. At the time when our son enrolled, we didn’t know if he would find success, but we knew he was going to be loved and exposed to things we couldn’t provide for him at home. In the end, the biggest surprise was how much our entire family got out of Black Mountain. From the quarterly family workshops, the Mom’s Retreat (which truly was life changing for me as a mother), to the weekly family therapy...our entire family changed for the better.

The first time I stepped onto the campus at Black Mountain, I immediately felt welcomed and seen for the first time. I think this was true also for my son. It was the first time in my child’s life that I wasn’t holding my breath expecting the phone call informing me of yet another struggle. The staff at Black Mountain worked to rebuild my child’s self-esteem and to create experiences for him and for our family that allowed him to experience success. That process of trying new things and succeeding produced this confident, strong, and independent child that was able to launch after graduation. Today, my son is enrolled in college where he is living independently. Although he still experiences bumps in the road, I am confident that he has the skills to navigate whatever comes next. Black Mountain was the hardest decision that I ever had to make as a parent, but I can not put words to my gratitude for what they have done for my child (and for me!).

We have been so impressed with the Black Mountain Academy staff across the board. Success starts at the top and the school’s outstanding leadership is reflected down the line. The therapists are fantastic, and the weekly family calls and the quarterly family workshops have been a wonderful educational experience for us all. Not only have we witnessed a more mature and interactive son, we have grown as parents, too.

There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of BMA with a grateful heart. After leaving BMA, our son graduated high school on time with the rest of his class, got his driver’s license, and is slowly but surely making his way through his freshman year at a college close to home with a 3.0 GPA. He thinks he might be interested in engineering and wants to transfer to a four-year university eventually. He has enjoyed keeping up with a few friends from BMA, which I think is really special for him.

Our journey toward the selection of Black Mountain Academy for our son and now as a member of the BMA family was and is truly a blessing for us.  It may be our son’s school but it is also teaching his extended family so much about how to navigate life caring for a loved one with autism.  BMA works to directly improve the whole young man and indirectly his support system through its core values beyond academic success to also include life & social skills, community involvement, health & fitness, and mindfulness to name a few.  We rest easy at night knowing our son is in the most capable and caring hands at BMA.

We are so grateful for BMA’s nurturing and transformative program. After touring countless schools, we can finally take a steady breath. Our BMA experience is life-changing for our son and our family. In a remarkably short time, we’ve seen him make progress socially, emotionally, and academically. The caring, insightful, and patient leadership team and staff deeply understand the needs of our child. BMA gives our family tools to communicate and connect while supporting our son’s journey toward independence.