Ivymount Community Outreach & Services

Ivymount’s Community Outreach and Services brings the expertise of Ivymount School, The Maddux School and Ivymount Endeavors together to meet the needs of our community through educational and recreational programs, special events, workshops, and community connections. 

Community Resources & Events

Providing a community for families, professionals and partners to learn and collaborate together.

Programs & Services

Recreational, educational, and therapeutic programs for children, young adults, and their families.

Funding Opportunities

Maryland residents can apply for up to $2000 annually through DDA Low Intensity Support Services. LISS funds can be used to pay for our outreach programs. Click HERE for more information on the random selection process. 

Our Self Advocacy Program is approved by DORS for Pre-ETS funding.  Speak to your DORS Counselor to apply. Click on the links below to download more information on the DORS Pre-Employment Transition Services.

DORS Pre-ETS Facts Sheet 

DORS Pre-ETS Application 

Community Resources and Events

Fostering Community and Collaboration

Community Outreach & Services provides a neurodiverse community hub where individuals, families, professionals and partners learn and collaborate together.

Read our 2024 Resource Guide!

Connecting you with 70+ organizations that provide specialized services to families in the DC region. The Guide pairs with our Annual Resource Fair.

Listen, Network & Learn

Providing workshops, a collaborative space “meeting house,” complimentary lectures and summer institute for professionals.

Join our Special Events

Proud partners with many community organizations including Only Make Believe, Music for Autism, ZamDance and XMinds.

Use Ivymount-Shared Resources

Innovative resources and workshops to help children and young adults with conversation, social skills, self-advocacy, and transition to adult life.

Programs & Services

We’re here to help beyond the classroom.   

Ivymount’s Community Outreach & Services offers opportunities for children and young adults to participate in educational, therapeutic and recreational programs with our expert teachers and therapists.

Educational & Therapeutic Programs

Recreational Programs

Educational and Therapeutic Programs

Our individual and group programs are designed for Neurodivergent individuals and their families and are provided by our expert teachers and therapists. With defined goals and objectives, we feature Ivymount-developed and nationally-recognized programs that nurture development in the areas of Executive Function and Social Emotional Learning (SEL), as well as Self-Advocacy for transition-age students (age 14-18).

Unstuck and On Target!

Intensive executive function and social intervention learning experiences for the entire family.

Applied Unstuck

Parents and students generalize skills learned in Unstuck and OnTarget! By practicing how to be flexible and make plans.

Self Advocacy

Interactive program to identify career strengths and practice goal setting and problem solving.

Friendship and Conversation Programs

Students learn verbal and non-verbal conversation skills and the rules of good conversation as well as how to make and maintain friends.

Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy & Tutoring

Ivymount experts provide 1:1 therapeutic and tutoring support.

Executive Functioning Programs

We offer a unique blend of parent and student interventions in the nationally published, research-based Unstuck and On Target! program. Developed and piloted at Ivymount, Unstuck targets flexibility and problem solving. Applied Unstuck is offered as a follow-up program to participants who have completed the Unstuck and On Target! program.

Unstuck and On Target!

Developed and led by a trained team of highly experienced professionals who also teach the curriculum at Ivymount School, this Saturday program is an intensive executive function and social intervention learning experience for the entire family. It’s perfect for children (ages 7-14) who struggle to understand:

  • Self advocacy, compromise, how to be a friend, flexibility, 
  • Differentiating between “Choice” and “No Choice” situations,
  • Emotional self-identification, executive functioning skills, 
  • Verbal and non-verbal social cues 
  • How to be a successful member of a group 


Educational groups teach parents how to embed the Unstuck strategies in dozens of everyday scenarios, from morning routines to getting homework done. Parents learn the skills they need to help their children successfully navigate each day, reach their goals, and succeed both inside and outside the classroom.

Student Profile: Able to access learning through a verbal based instructional format.  Language skills and cognition should be within the normative range. Generally, students are able to be in grade level curriculum at school, although they may have disparities.

Parent Groups: Yes, weekly

Program Length: 12 weeks

Dates: Saturday mornings 2/3/24 – 5/11/24

Times: Participants will be assigned a one-hour time block depending on the age and maturity level of the participants enrolled.

Tuition: $2500 plus $50 application fee

Applied Unstuck

This group offers students who have gone through the basic Unstuck and On Target program opportunities to try out their new skills. Parents and students will work together to generalize the skills by practicing together how to be flexible and make plans.

Student Profile: Students who are able to access learning through a verbal based instructional format. Language skills and cognition should be within the average range. Generally students are able to be in grade level curriculum at school, although they may have some disparities.

Prerequisites: Unstuck and On Target!

Program Length: 12 weeks

Parent Groups: Parents will be provided with a weekly home connection and they will be invited to three workshops.

Dates: Saturday mornings 2/3/24 – 5/11/24

Tuition: $2000

Staying Unstuck

Staying Unstuck is a new extension of the concepts from Unstuck & On Target! A follow up course to Applied Unstuck, Staying Unstuck is an activity-based curriculum that challenges students to be flexible, make compromises, and consider the “unexpected” as they collaborate to set goals and make plans to achieve those goals as a group. Throughout the course, teachers will capitalize on incidental teaching opportunities through naturally occurring events to process thoughts, feelings and actions through the Feelings Chain. Debriefs will occur at the conclusion of each activity to aid in the development of self-regulation and self-monitoring skills.

Student Profile: Participants should have completed Unstuck and OnTarget! and Applied Unstuck before registering for this class.

Prerequisites: Unstuck and On Target! and Applied Unstuck

Program Length: 12 weeks

Parent Groups: No

Dates: Saturday mornings 2/3/24-5/11/24

Times: Participants will be assigned a one-hour time block between 9am-12pm.

Tuition: $1500

Social Learning Programs

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a key part of human development that refers to how we learn to navigate our social worlds. SEL helps us understand and manage our emotions, engage in perspective taking, show empathy, advocate for ourselves and others, set goals, and build and sustain meaningful relationships with friends and family.

Our social learning programs target friendship, conversation skills, and social self advocacy.

Conversation Street

Conversation Street focuses on scripts and strategies to navigate a successful conversation through a whimsical comparison to driving a vehicle. Like driving a vehicle, conversations involve other people and have expectations. Each week, students will participate in fun and engaging activities to learn about the “rules” or expectations of conversations. Additionally, they will be provided beneficial scripts and strategies, paired with practice opportunities in a small group setting. Targeted skills include: active listening, gaining attention, asking questions and making comments, flexibility in conversation, and how to exit a conversation appropriately.

Student Profile: Upper elementary to middle school aged students who are able to access learning through a verbal based instructional format. Language skills and cognition should be within the normative range. Generally, students are able to be in grade level curriculum at school, although they may have disparities.

Parent Groups:No. Parents will be provided with resources to facilitate a home connection.

Program Length: 12 weeks

Dates: 3/12/24-6/4/24

Times: Tuesday afternoons 4:30-5:30

Tuition: $1500

Social Club

Introducing a new social club with a focus on friendship and self-advocacy developed and led by a trained team of highly experienced Ivymount professionals, including Speech Language Pathologists. This program is an opportunity for adolescents to explore their social preferences, social interests, and friendship goals in a neurodiversity affirming environment. It’s perfect for teens (ages 14-18) who want to connect socially with peers and explore topics such as: 

  • Identifying and Advocating for Your Social Interests & Preferences 
  • Sharing Your Special Interests  
  • Identifying Your Social Strengths & Friendship Goals 
  • Choosing a Good Friend 
  • Finding Common Interests 
  • Being a Good Friend/Inclusion 
  • Making Social Plans 
  • Circles of relationships 
  • Digital Communication & Friendship

This group promotes learning through a combination of explicit instruction, hands on activities, and peer interaction with other group members. Instruction is modified based on the language support needs of group members.  

Student Profile: Participants in this group should be able to access learning through 30-45 minutes of supported verbal group instruction. Attendees should have a desire to make friends,  be motivated to interact with peers and be able to engage in short conversations using at least 1-2 sentences at a time.

Parent Groups: No parent group. Regular communication with the parents will be provided.

Program Length: 12 weeks

Dates: 3/12/24-6/4/24

Times: Tuesdays 4:30-5:30

Tuition: $1500

Self-Advocacy Program

Transition age students (ages 14 – 21) benefit from a course devoted to exploring their individual strengths and challenges and developing essential self-advocacy tools. By the end of the program, students will have identified their interests, strengths and hurdles. Students will gain a better understanding of their disability, practice goal setting, and develop strategies and resources for problem solving. The course is interactive and students will be given opportunities to practice “telling their story” to others, including employers. Students will plan a culminating event to showcase the skills they have developed.

The Self-Advocacy program is approved by DORS for Pre-ETS funding.  Speak to your DORS Counselor to apply. Private pay participants are also accepted.

DORS Pre-ETS Facts Sheet 

DORS Pre-ETS Application

Student Profile: 14-21 year-old students. Ability to communicate verbally, but may have cognitive or language challenges. Ability to work in a group environment.

Prerequisites: None

Length: 12 weeks

Parent Group: No parent group.

Time: Thursdays 4 pm to 5:30 pm

Dates: 2/15/24-5/9/24

Tuition: $2280

This Is Me

Featured in Autism Spectrum News, this personalized, electronic transition tool developed by Ivymount experts supports self-advocacy in transition-aged young adults. For more information or to schedule a training or consultation, contact Ivymount Outreach at outreach@ivymount.org.

Other Educational and Therapeutic Services

  • Tutoring in content areas
  • Schoolwork Support
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Physical Therapy


To inquire about services,
contact Ivymount Outreach at outreach@ivymount.org.

Recreational Programs

After school clubs and weekend group programs with an emphasis on fun!

Programs are for participants school aged to young adult. Staffed by Ivymount Organization program staff who develop and implement activities that are lively, engaging, and meaningful.

Camp Live Out Loud (LOL)

A Saturday morning program serving youth and young adults of all ability levels. Designed and led by a team of Ivymount trained educators, participants engage in a variety of activities focusing on music, movement, sports, games, socialization, cooking, and the arts.

After-School Clubs

Extracurricular activity programs for students of all abilities, ages 6 to young adult. Designed and led by Ivymount’s Adapted PE teachers, Art teacher, and other highly-trained Ivymount staff. Participants participate in the activity of their choice. 

Email outreach@ivymount.org to be added to our email list for updates on future sessions.

Ready to Apply to an Outreach Program?

We’ll review the details in your application and work with you to find the right program for your child’s needs. New applicants to educational and therapeutic programs will be charged a $50 non-refundable processing fee after the application is received.  *Application fee does not apply to the Self-Advocacy Program or Recreational Programs.

Application FAQs

  • Fill out the New Participant or Returning Participant application.
  • Ivymount Outreach staff will be in touch within three business days. 
  • New applicants to educational/therapeutic programs should plan to attend one “meet and greet.” New applicants to Camp LOL will be invited to a “meet and greet” as needed. 
  • Ivymount Outreach staff will then contact you regarding participant acceptance. 
  • For educational/therapeutic programs, the week before the start of the program, the participant will be placed with the appropriate group and you will be assigned a time slot.   

Reach out to us at Outreach@ivymount.org and we are happy to discuss which program will be the best fit for your child.

Yes!  We are happy to provide you with the documentation required (e.g. invoice, W-9); however, you need to apply for the funds yourself.  For more information about LISS, click here.  These funds are for Maryland residents and there are specific deadlines to apply.

An initial payment is due before the start of the program.  If you are unable to pay the full tuition before the start of the season, please contact us at Outreach@ivymount.org to set up a payment plan. 

Our group programs are not eligible for insurance reimbursement in most cases.  Ivymount will  provide a receipt verifying payment and participation. If you have out-of-network benefits that cover one of our programs, we can provide a receipt to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.