2021 GNFCC Nonprofit Award Winners: Holly York, North Fulton Community Charities and Amy O’Dell, Jacob’s Ladder

Jacob’s Ladder is a non-profit SAIS-SACS accredited private school serving pre-k through 12th-grade students, as well as a therapy center serving infant through young adult students.

Our campuses throughout Metro Atlanta offer full-time and part-time enrollment options in a variety of learning environments, with levels of support ranging from a 1:1 to a 6:1 student-teacher ratio.

We also offer various full-time and part-time remote enrollment options, facilitated either in-home or virtually, serving students and their families locally, nationally, and internationally.

In addition to serving students and their families directly, Jacob’s Ladder is committed to encouraging and empowering the global special needs community through research, training, certification, and licensure.

• those who have struggled with social cues begin establishing eye contact and engaging with the world around them in a meaningful way,

• those who have struggled to grasp language begin communicating not only their wants and needs but also their original thoughts and feelings in ways that ensure that they know they are heard and understood by those around them,

• those who have struggled relationally due to anxiety or frustration begin managing their emotions and thriving in a group setting, 

• those who have struggled with intrinsic motivation begin to discern their unique passion and purpose, and to embrace that each day is a beautiful opportunity to work towards that which they personally care about, and

• those who have struggled to learn in previous educational settings take steps towards unprecedented academic achievement.

Our Interpersonal Whole-Brain Model of Care has transformed the lives of thousands of families and counting because it is grounded in science and guided by love.

Ms. Amy O’Dell is the founder of Jacob’s Ladder, designated as a 501(3) in 1999. The model, now trademarked and recognized nationally and internationally, was developed in response to critical developmental challenges faced by her own son, Jacob.

Ms. O’Dell holds a degree in Activity Therapy and a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Clemson University. She is a licensed Professional Counselor with extensive training on the Neurodevelopmental process and is certified as a Neurodevelopmental consultant. She has worked in a wide variety of clinical settings, including Shepherd Spinal Center in Atlanta, and later at Woodridge Psychiatric Hospital in Clayton, Georgia, where she held the positions of Director of Activity Therapy and the Director of Adolescent Psychiatric Services. She is a recognized national leader in the field of autism and neurodevelopmental disorders, and a sought-after speaker at national and international forums.

Governor Nathan Deal appointed Ms. O’Dell to serve on the Board of Directors of Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency as the expert in the field of Autism where she served a 3-year term. Ms. O’Dell currently serves on the Zac Brown Camp Southern Ground Board of Advisors for the Autism focus and the Board of Directors for HINRI.

Website  | Amy O’Dell LinkedIn​