What is Autism?


Does my child need to be diagnosed with autism to access your services?

Yes. Children diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD-NOS), Autism, High Functioning Autism, and Asperger’s are welcome to attend!

What are the requirements, besides an autism diagnosis?

1. Be able to participate in a small group setting.

2. Cannot demonstrate verbally or physically aggressive behavior.

3. Be able to communicate basic wants and needs.

4. Potty trained.

While these are our primary components of our enrollment requirements, final decisions are made after consultation appointments.

Do you provide 1-on-1 services?

Not typically.  While at times we do work with children individually, our goal is for our children to participate in a small group.

Are you a daycare?

OASIS NC is a support and educational center, not a day care.  Our programs were created to teach social, academic, behavioral, and communication skills.

I would like my child to begin receiving OASIS NC services. What are the next steps?

Visit our How To Apply page or download our Application_Process here.

What are the goals of OASIS NC services?

We want to offer ongoing experiences for children and teens with autism that will enrich their lives through making friends, exploring and developing a variety of interests, and learning and using strategies that promote positive communication and social interactions.  We are a family-focused organization and understand the impact autism can have on the entire family (siblings, spouses, grandparents, etc.) and hopefully our services reflect this understanding!

What is the success rate for children who attend OASIS NC?

Children and individuals require ongoing, consistent instruction, and accommodations throughout their lifespan.  Each program and each child comes with a variety of goals and therefore a variety of definitions of success. If your child receives services from OASIS NC, your child’s progress on his/her goals will be made readily available to you.

What is the range in age of children who attend the school?

We provide services for children 5-18 years old.  As we expand, we look forward to providing services to adults with autism as well.

What is the cost to attend?

This ranges depending upon the program you decide best fits your child’s needs. You can find most of our fee information under Our Programs pages.

Are any of your services covered by insurance?

Unfortunately our services are not covered by insurance.

Do you provide scholarships?

Yes!  There is a state scholarship program available for tuition reimbursement and we provide additional scholarships from funding we receive from a variety of resources including fees, fundraisers, and grants.  Providing services to as many children as possible is one of our main goals and are constantly looking for new ways to help our families.  Please visit our How To Apply page for a financial aid application and our Financial Assistance page for the most up to date financial aid opportunities.  Additionally, if you would like to plan a fundraiser, 10% of the money raised will go towards your child’s fees!

What are the qualifications for the staff?

Lead Teacher:

  1. Four-year degree from a college or university
  2. Two years working as an instructor with a minimum of three different children.
  3. Demonstrates superior intervention and support skills with children across the autism spectrum.
  4. Exceptional organizational skills
  5. Recognizes issues/questions to bring to the director’s attention
  6. Ability to use curriculum, strategies, and methodologies to teach quickly and accurately
  7. Demonstrates a professional physical appearance according to guidelines developed by the executive director
  8. Must be fun, upbeat, energetic and creative


  1. Four-year college degree, ideally in a human services field
  2. Pass a criminal background check
  3. Must be fun, upbeat, energetic and creative


  1. High school degree, ideally some college in a human services field
  2. Pass a criminal background check
  3. Must be fun, upbeat, energetic and creative

Does the school follow the traditional school schedule?

Please see our Calendar for questions on specific dates.

What are the enrollment options for my child?

We offer multiple programs to serve a wide variety of needs. Please see Our Programs pages for a detailed description of each one.

If my child is accepted into one of your programs, what do you expect from me?

First and foremost, there must be good communication, between you and our staff. We need to know as much as we can about your child, including information about any medical conditions he or she may have, food sensitivities, and what motivates your child. The more you can share, the better.

Second, we ask that you follow through at home with any social, communication, and/or behavioral procedures we are using with your child at OASIS NC. Consistency is SO important.  If for some reason you do not feel you can, or don’t want to, please let us know and we will try to come up with an intervention you feel more comfortable implementing across environments, people, and situations.

 Your school is just for students with autism, what about inclusion?

Inclusion is a wonderful thing, when it is done correctly.  This takes a great deal planning and strategic implementation that is seldom done in other settings.  As a result, students with autism are actually MORE likely to experience bullying and rejection (especially after 3rd grade).  We have found that not only do our students enjoy other students with autism, they prefer them.  This may be because they are more likely to have similar interests and more accepting of “quirks” than their typically developing peers.  Oasis Day School does strive to provide safe, positive inclusion opportunities as evidenced by our partnership with Waterview Learning Academy.