Mariposa School For Children with Autism

Driving home today I thought about leaving a review. Before I did, I decided to read some others just out of curiosity and now wonder what “Mariposa” some of the other reviewers visited. Chris, Darcie and the teaching staff at Mariposa are exceptional. We have a 10 year old, with moderate to severe (nonverbal-ish) autism spectrum disorder. Let me get the one “negative” if you want to call it that out of the way. The facilities are not the greatest, at all. However, having had children who attended a newly built, state of the art school for the last 3 years, what I CAN say is that the attention, care, learning and unconditional love and support that exists in this building is unprecedented. The facilities are no indication of the level of care given in that building. When we toured the facility in January, I was immediately impressed with the Director, Chris. Anticipating someone in a suit and tie, it was refreshing to see a leader who is clearly a servant leader, dressed down a bit. What I saw beyond the facilities was a leader and a team that was truly invested in its learners. Fast forward to July and it’s difficult to put into words how much my daughter has grown, both in education and in her social-emotional and behavioral development. Her teachers, Lindsay and Jasmine are such quality individuals and it is evident that they are passionate about the work that they do. My daughter has struggled for the last 4-5 years in the public school system. Somehow, the staff at Mariposa has tapped into her intellectual capacity in a way that the public school system has been unable to do. So, if you can get past the fact that the facilities don’t scream 5 star, there is no better place in NC to support both children with autism and their families. I stand firm on that.

This group gladly took my $100 application fee back in 2018 and we never heard from them again. Pathetic service. Taking money from special needs families then leaving them in the lurch is unconscionable. Happily we found ASNC - The Autism Society of North Carolina - and they are as professional as it gets and offer outstanding services. If this is how Mariposa treated us, how might they treat you? Google reviews won't let me give zero stars, but that's what I'd give if I could.

We were looking for a school for both our Elementary aged children who have Autism. When we walked into the school we were kindly greeted by staff that reminded me of camp staff. That campy feel soon left once we began touring the facilities. I have never been in more of a disgusting school in my life. The environment is poorly kept up, falling apart, not clean, chaotic and reminds me of an insane asylum. My children were so stressed out by the time we left, due to the environment. Never would I recommend or send any child to this school. There are better alternatives and this school really needs to work on their facilities and provide a healthier environment for children and adults.

I made an appointment last week and got to speak with Chris today. He was an awesome guy. They are pretty busy and he gave me an hour of his time. The waiting list is long for a child to receive treatment. However, he gave me information about other resources which i found helpful.
Thanks a lot Chris. I hope the waiting list goes by quickly and i can send my child for therapy here.

Very experienced and well regarded staff and clearly seen as the place to take autistic kids.