Lerner School for Autism at Cleveland Clinic: Ages Served, the Early Childhood and School-Age Programs, Staff, and How Cleveland Families Get In

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <meta name="description" content="What the Cleveland Clinic Lerner School for Autism actually is: a chartered non-public school inside the Children's Center for Autism, its early childhood and school-age programs, the 100-plus staff, and what the school does not publish."> <title>Lerner School for Autism at Cleveland Clinic: Ages Served, the Early Childhood and School-Age Programs, Staff, and How Cleveland Families Get In | Achieving Stars Therapy</title> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com"> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin> <link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=DM+Sans:wght@400;500;600&family=Fraunces:opsz,wght@9..144,500;9..144,600&display=swap" rel="stylesheet"> <style>:root { --white: #FFFFFF; --off-white: #F9FAFB; --gold: #F5A623; --gold-light: #FEF7E8; --navy: #1A2B4A; --navy-soft: #2D3E5F; 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overflow-wrap: anywhere; min-width: 0; } .cta-item-value a { color: var(--white); text-decoration: none; word-break: break-word; overflow-wrap: anywhere; } .cta-item-value a:hover { color: var(--gold); } @media (max-width: 600px) { .quick-info { margin: -24px 16px 24px; grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr); } .cta-grid { grid-template-columns: 1fr; } table { font-size: 13px; } th, td { padding: 6px 8px; } } .hero,.ash-hero,.ash-loc-page .ash-hero{padding-top:130px !important}</style> </head> <body> <div class="hero"><div class="hero-inner"><span class="location-badge">Cleveland Clinic</span><h1>The Lerner School for Autism at Cleveland Clinic</h1><p>A chartered non-public school that sits inside a hospital's autism center, with over 100 staff and therapy folded into the school day. Here's what Cleveland Clinic publishes about it, and the details you'll only get by calling.</p></div></div> <div class="quick-info"><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">Type</div><div class="info-value">Chartered non-public</div></div><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">Programs</div><div class="info-value">2 full-day</div></div><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">Staff</div><div class="info-value">100+</div></div><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">Setting</div><div class="info-value">Day school</div></div></div> <div class="content"> <section><p>The Lerner School for Autism is a chartered non-public school certified by the Ohio Department of Education, and it operates inside the Cleveland Clinic Children's Center for Autism. That combination is unusual, and it's the whole reason families look at it.</p> <p>It's on the Hospital for Rehabilitation campus, in the Debra Ann November Wing, at 2801 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. in Cleveland. It's a day school. The number for information is 216.448.6440, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.</p></section> <section><h2>Two programs, both full-day and year-round</h2> <p>The school splits into an early childhood track and a school-age track, and they don't do the same job.</p> <p>The <strong>Early Childhood Program</strong> covers ages 1 to 5. It's center-based and full-day, and the targets are language and communication, socialization, play, adaptive behavior and toilet training. Starting that young is rare in Cleveland, which is why the program comes up so often for families leaving early intervention.</p> <p>The <strong>School-Age Program</strong> carries communication, socialization, academics and adaptive behavior forward, then adds vocational preparation and transitional services for older students.</p></section> <section><h2>Who actually works there</h2> <p>Over 100 staff, and the mix matters more than the number.</p> <p>Psychologists, board certified behavior analysts, teachers, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists and classroom behavioral therapists all work on site. Cleveland Clinic says its licensed special educators, behavior analysts, speech and language pathologists and classroom behavior therapists have intensive training and experience in applied behavior analysis.</p> <p>The practical difference for a child with significant communication needs is that a speech-language pathologist is in the building rather than a bus ride away.</p></section> <section><h2>The age range question, answered honestly</h2> <p>Cleveland Clinic's website states the age range three different ways on three different pages.</p>

<p>The dedicated Lerner School section says students are served from the age of first diagnosis to 22 years old. The main Center for Autism landing page says ages 5 to 22 in one bullet, then says from earliest diagnosis through age 21 further down the same page.</p> <div class="highlight-box"><p><strong>Don't plan around a number you read anywhere, including here.</strong> Call 216.448.6440 and ask what the current range is for the program your child would enter. This is exactly the kind of detail that changes between school years.</p></div></section> <section><h2>What Cleveland Clinic doesn't publish</h2> <p>Three things are simply absent from their site, and pretending otherwise would waste your time.</p> <ul> <li><strong>Tuition.</strong> No figure appears anywhere.</li> <li><strong>Funding routes.</strong> The Autism Scholarship, Jon Peterson and district-funded placement all go unmentioned. That's not the same as saying they don't apply, only that the school doesn't say.</li> <li><strong>Admissions.</strong> No process, no forms, no referral requirement stated. Just the phone number.</li> </ul> <p>Since funding usually decides the shortlist, read <a href="/guide/ohio-autism-scholarship-cleveland">how the Ohio Autism Scholarship works</a> before that call so you know which questions to ask. If you're comparing against the other well-known campus, there's a separate guide to <a href="/guide/monarch-center-for-autism">Monarch Center for Autism</a>.</p></section> <section><h2>How Lerner compares to the other Cleveland options</h2> <p>Against Monarch, the clearest differences are setting and range. Lerner is hospital-based and day-only. Monarch runs a residential program alongside its day school, plus high school and transition education for ages 14 through 21.</p> <p>Against a district placement, the trade is depth for proximity. District programs are free and keep your child near home. A specialized school folds therapy into the day but often means a commute. Neither is automatically right.</p> <p>Sit in on a class at each. Watch how staff handle one rough moment. That tells you more than any brochure. The wider comparison lives on <a href="/guide/autism-schools-cleveland-oh">autism schools in Cleveland</a>, and for younger children start with <a href="/guide/autism-preschool-cleveland">autism preschool in Cleveland</a>.</p></section> <section><h2>Where in-home autism services fit around the school day</h2> <p>School and clinical therapy come out of different pots and cover different ground, so plenty of Cleveland families run both.</p> <p>The school handles academics, classroom behavior and peer time. Applied behavior analysis at home handles what shows up after the bus leaves. Communication, meltdowns at bedtime, following directions, getting dressed without a fight.</p> <p>Achieving Stars Therapy has run BCBA-led programs in the family home since 2015 and now works with <a href="/location/city/aba-therapy-cleveland-oh">Cleveland families in their own homes</a>. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst writes the plan, a Registered Behavior Technician runs the sessions, and parents pick up the strategies along the way. Hours run 8am to 8pm so nothing collides with the school day.</p> <p>Funding is separate too. Achieving Stars bills Ohio Medicaid and most commercial plans rather than the scholarship, and it isn't a registered Autism Scholarship provider. Benefits get checked free before anything is signed, across <a href="/location/states/aba-therapy-ohio">Ohio</a>.</p></section><section><h2>Common questions from Cleveland parents</h2><div class="faq-item"><h3>What ages does the Lerner School for Autism serve?</h3><p>Cleveland Clinic's most detailed page says the school serves students from the age of first diagnosis to 22 years old. Other spots on their site say ages 5 to 22, and elsewhere from earliest diagnosis through age 21. Because their own pages differ, confirm the current range on 216.448.6440 rather than relying on any published number.</p></div><div class="faq-item"><h3>Is the Lerner School a boarding school?</h3><p>No. It's a day school. Nothing on Cleveland Clinic's site describes a residential or boarding option. Families looking for residential autism programs in Cleveland usually look at Monarch Boarding Academy instead.</p></div><div class="faq-item"><h3>What does the Lerner School cost?</h3><p>Cleveland Clinic doesn't publish a tuition figure anywhere, and it doesn't name the Autism Scholarship, Jon Peterson or district-funded placement on its site either. The cost and funding conversation happens directly with the school.</p></div><div class="faq-item"><h3>How do you apply to the Lerner School?</h3><p>Cleveland Clinic doesn't publish an admissions process. The only instruction given is to call 216.448.6440 for more information about the school. Whether a district referral is needed isn't stated publicly, so ask when you call.</p></div><div class="faq-item"><h3>Does the Lerner School use ABA?</h3><p>Cleveland Clinic states that its licensed special educators, behavior analysts, speech and language pathologists and classroom behavior therapists have intensive training and experience in applied behavior analysis.</p></div></section> <p class="disclaimer">Details come from Cleveland Clinic's published pages, read 2026-08-24. Cleveland Clinic's own site states the age range three different ways, so confirm current ages, admissions and cost with the school on 216.448.6440 before you act. Achieving Stars Therapy is not affiliated with the Lerner School.</p> <div class="cta-section"> <h2>In-Home Support Around the School Day</h2> <p>Free benefits check. BCBA-led, in-home, flexible day and evening scheduling.</p> <a href="https://www.achievingstarstherapy.com/contact" class="cta-button">Get a Free Benefits Check</a> <div class="cta-grid"> <div class="cta-item"><div class="cta-item-label">Call</div><div class="cta-item-value"><a href="tel:8336663115">(833) 666-3115</a></div></div> <div class="cta-item"><div class="cta-item-label">Email</div><div class="cta-item-value"><a href="mailto:info@achievingstarstherapy.com">info@achievingstarstherapy.com</a></div></div> <div class="cta-item"><div class="cta-item-label">Ages</div><div class="cta-item-value">18 months to 15 years</div></div> </div> </div>

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