Jayden Finds His Place at High Road School of East York

A School He Loves

During school breaks, 16-year-old Jayden Sparano brings his backpack to his parents or packs his lunch bag the night before because he expects to return to High Road School of East York the next morning. Now in 11th grade, Jayden misses his teachers and the familiar routine of his school day when he’s away.

“He loves school,” his father, Mike Sparano, said. “On the way there, he’s happy, smiling and laughing.”

Finding the Right Fit

That wasn’t always the case. After the Sparano family moved to Pennsylvania nearly six years ago, Jayden attended another autism support program that ultimately wasn’t the right fit for him. He struggled with the environment and frequently had difficulty making it through a full school day. When contacts at his school district suggested High Road during Jayden’s sixth-grade year, Sparano and his wife toured the school and quickly saw a setting that better matched what their son needed.

“I thought, ‘This is what he needs,’” he said. Jayden has been at High Road ever since.

Building Skills for Greater Independence

Sparano credits the school’s staff, structure, and individualized attention with helping Jayden feel comfortable and supported. He also appreciates that Jayden’s education extends beyond academics. In the school’s life skills room, students practice everyday tasks such as cooking, cleaning and doing laundry – areas that are particularly relevant to Jayden, who has an enthusiasm for vacuums and already helps Swiffer his bedroom at home.

Those skills are an important part of what Sparano hopes Jayden continues to build in the years ahead. His goals include helping his son become more comfortable navigating stores and other community settings, managing loud noises and developing the everyday skills that will give him greater independence.

A Strong School-Family Connection

The school and family work closely together toward those goals. Sparano pointed to the regular communication he has with Jayden’s teachers through the ClassDojo app as one example. He can let the school know before the day begins if Jayden had a difficult night, and by the time the family heads home in the afternoon, Sparano already knows how his son’s day went.

For a parent of a non-verbal child, that connection matters. “You’re not just wondering how your kid’s day was. You know,” Sparano said.

Trust, Community, and Stability

The relationship goes both ways. Sparano and his wife have become active members of the High Road community, helping at events whenever they can. Sparano joked that he would happily serve as a class parent if given the opportunity. His enthusiasm reflects the trust the family has developed with the people who spend each school day with Jayden.

That trust has become especially important as Jayden has faced challenges outside the classroom. Through those changes, school has remained a source of stability and a place he genuinely wants to be.

Sparano expects Jayden to remain at High Road through age 22, giving him more time to develop life skills, strengthen his ability to regulate his emotions and continue learning alongside teachers and peers he knows well. For other parents considering High Road, he encourages them to see the school for themselves: tour the building, meet the team and watch a classroom in action. He also offers advice rooted in what his own family has experienced.

“Your child has plenty of obstacles in life, but school shouldn’t be one of them,” Sparano said.

“They deserve a place where the entire staff loves and cares for them like their own. As a parent, you deserve the peace of mind that comes from knowing your child is safe and cared for, as if you were dropping them off at a loved one’s house.”

For the Sparano family, that sense of relief may be the clearest measure of what they found at High Road. Nearly six years after Jayden first walked through its doors, school has become a place he genuinely looks forward to going each day.