Always-On Expertise: Why Summit School’s Clinical Team Sets an Elevated Standard for Neurodiverse Education

At Summit School, specialists aren’t guests—they’re teammates. Every day, students learn in an ecosystem where speech-language pathologists, occupational and physiotherapists, psychologists, behavior technicians, social workers, and nursing staff work shoulder-to-shoulder with teachers. That constant, team-based presence is the point—not an add-on.

Across Quebec, many schools rely on itinerant specialists who rotate in once or twice a week. At Summit, the model is different by design: our professionals are on site, every day, embedded in classrooms and planning meetings, co-building strategies that carry across subjects, therapies, and home. That continuity helps students generalize skills—communication, regulation, mobility, executive function—because the same team is present at the moments that matter most.

Investing in Students—Even When Budgets Shrink

Quebec’s education network is under intense pressure. In June 2025, school boards and service centres were told to absorb hundreds of millions in reductions—reports ranged from about $510–$570 million—prompting a province-wide coalition of parents, administrators, and unions warning that services to students would inevitably be hit. Petitions swelled; leaders across the English and French systems sounded the alarm.

Summit is choosing a different path: investing. This spring, we officially opened a $15-million Creative Arts & Physical Education Centre—a space purpose-built for neurodiverse learners to thrive through movement, music, and making. It’s a signal that, even in lean times, we will not compromise on what students need to grow.

The Summit Way: Integrated, Daily, Consistent

Integrated care. 

Specialists collaborate with teachers to map goals from IEPs directly onto daily instruction—so a speech goal practiced in therapy appears again in literacy, art, or cooking class.

Daily continuity. 

Because clinicians are in the building, adjustments happen in real time. If a new sensory strategy works in OT at 10:00 a.m., it’s in the classroom by 10:30.

Consistent relationships. 

Students see the same trusted adults—every day. That stability reduces anxiety, builds rapport, and accelerates progress. Summit’s model serves learners from ages 4–21 with a wide range of neurodevelopmental conditions; the through-line is continuity.

Why It Matters Now

When systems cut, the first things to disappear are often the hardest to rebuild: time, staffing, and specialized support. Families across Montreal have been clear about what those losses mean for kids who rely on therapy, counseling, and timely evaluation. Summit’s always-on team ensures those supports are not optional—they’re foundational.

See It In Action

Watch our Occupational Therapists in action—coaching regulation strategies, adapting tools, and collaborating with teachers right inside the classroom. It’s a window into an ordinary day at Summit, and a reminder that ordinary days—rich with expert support—are what make extraordinary progress possible.

About Summit SchoolSummit is Montreal’s largest school for students with autism and other neurodiversities, recognized and subsidized in the public interest by Quebec’s Ministry of Education. Programs span early childhood to young adulthood and include robust clinical supports in speech, OT, PT, psychology, social work, and nursing.

This is the Summit way: invest in students, protect services, and keep expertise where it belongs—by their side, every day.