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What's Happening in Private Special Education! Advanced Education Services, Colton, California Advanced Education Services, a non-public, non-profit corporation, operates 12 schools throughout California. Student disabilities range from deaf infants and pre-school children to severely emotionally disturbed and learning disabled teenagers. The schools are recognized for outstanding administrative procedures and progressive educational techniques. Now, AES is setting trends for disabled students to successfully join the workforce.
Along with core classes to prepare for graduation, the students enrolled in AES High Schools are completing apprenticeship programs on campus and working paid jobs in the community. Two schools have opened on-campus businesses to provide hands-on training and promote the expansion of their vocational programs. Students requiring more intensive job training participate in JTPA programs, also offered on campus. The following provides a glimpse into two of Advanced Education Services' High School programs where students are successfully paving a path to work.
Rio Rancho Jr./Sr. High School, a division of AES, offers vocational programs in culinary arts, printing, and landscaping/maintenance. The print shop is divided into two sections, and students must pass a competency exam before advancing to the second course. Local businesses support the hands-on programs by placing print orders that students complete. Plans for expansion include a graphics art division and silk screening. All three programs are offered year round, but culinary arts and landscaping also function as JTPA job sites during the summer. This past summer, students planted a vegetable garden as part of a landscaping project, and the culinary class was able to use the produce. Students wishing to pursue a career in culinary arts are encouraged to attend the Riverside County Culinary Program after graduation.
Whitewater Jr./Sr. High School, a division of AES, offers vocational programs in retail/business management and construction. Whitewater also has on-campus JTPA positions available to students year round. In the retail/business course, students must complete competency tests in various aspects of retail such as pricing, inventory, cash registers, and customer service before actually going to work in the Whitewater Student Store. The store is open Monday through Friday and is operated by students with continuous assistance and supervision from their retail instructor. The structured setting is the ideal place for these students to train for retail positions. Plans for expansion include more supplemental retail materials and student made gift items such as ceramics, woodworking products, and greeting cards to place in the store. The construction course is designed as a strict apprenticeship program, whereby students must complete safety and basic job skills before a hammer can even be held. This design enables the instructor to provide the top students or "Journeymen" with an opportunity for real-life experience. Last spring, all journeymen helped build a house in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity.
As a number of the High School age students served by AES come from disadvantaged backgrounds, the strong emphasis on vocational education provides them with alternatives otherwise unavailable. The enthusiasm with which students approach their vocational courses is testimony to the program's inherent value. Overall, students participation in a vocational program gives real meaning to their education and motivates them to plan for a future in the workforce.
Alternatives for Children, East Setauket, NY Alternatives for Children has become a leader in early childhood and special education for children under the age of six with disabilities and their typically developing peers by exploring, adopting and implementing creative approaches to learning. By keeping this mission in the forefront of everything it does, Alternatives for Children can now count itself among the very few educational and/or therapeutic programs on Long Island, and one of the only preschools, that are fortunate enough to be able to provide a dedicated sensory environment to its children.
Through a $20,000 grant received by Senator Kenneth LaValle, the School was able to design, build and furnish a Sensory Integration (SI) Room, which was recently opened for therapies in its East Setauket location. This grant also covered training for the staff on the specialized equipment installed.
There are many approaches to working with children with sensory issues. If it is deemed appropriate, the therapist might work with the child in a dedicated SI Room. An SI Room is a dedicated environment with little unintentional distraction, in which a focused isolation of the senses can be accomplished through the use of specialized lighting and lighting fixtures, aromatherapy, different sounds/music, swings, mats and mirrors. The goal of this focused isolation of the senses is to modify or control certain behaviors, ultimately resulting in improved attention, motor functioning, communication and an enhanced learning experience.
Alternatives for Children, established in 1988 as the St. Charles Educational and Therapeutic Center, is a not-for-profit, private school that provides early intervention, day care and therapeutic preschool programs for developmentally delayed and typically developing children ages 6 weeks to six years across Long Island. Taught by NYS certified special education teachers, the School's Preschool programs include self-contained classes for children with extensive developmental delays, physical disabilities, and those with Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders, as well as integrated classes for typically developing children and those with less extensive developmental delays. Therapeutic services offered include speech, occupational, physical therapies, vision services, computer/technology enrichment, and play, music and dance therapies. With locations in East Setauket (which serves as the School's main campus), Melville, Aquebogue and Southampton, Alternatives for Children provides services to over 600 children every day.
The Arrow Center for Education, Baltimore, MD Tavon K. has been a student at Arrow for three years. He has made outstanding progress with us during that time, but most notable are his achievements this past year. He was most recently voted Student of the Month by the staff based on his behavioral and academic progress. He is a member of the varsity basketball team, as well as a mentor for the students on the JV team. Tavon earned B Honor Roll for 2nd quarter, and he is well on the way to graduating! In November, he was hired at Casual Male Big and Tall, and he maintained his position through the bustle of the holiday season. Tavon is a true Arrow warrior!
Nick M. has been a student with us for five
years. He started with Arrow when he was in middle school. Nick always
displayed a passion for nature and animals. He was able to use this
interest to motivate him through the program at Arrow. During the 2nd
quarter, Nick was able to take one class at his home school, as a
gradual transition. Starting this quarter, Nick is a full time student
at his home school. We wish him the best of luck in his new endeavors!
Bancroft Neurohealth, Haddonfield, New Jersey Bancroft's cognitive remediation treatment programs using Reitan Evaluation of Hemispheric Abilities and Brain Improvement Training (REHABIT) materials with individuals with long-standing disorders have yielded positive results in the areas of reasoning, abstraction planning abilities, judgment, and ability to communicate thoughts and feelings. Bancroft hopes to expand its work with individuals to students in the classroom. Individuals with chronic, long-standing impairments such as mental retardation, autistic-like behaviors, and severe learning disabilities often make limited academic progress. They exhibit severe maladaptive behaviors which prohibit them from participating in less restrictive programs in their home, school, and community. As a result, they are prohibited from leading fulfilling lives, either with their families or independently in the community. Effective educational strategies must be developed to improve the cognitive skills of these individuals that can improve their adaptive behavior and allow them to live and work more independently.
Prior to beginning the classroom, a student's current status will be evaluated to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas of impaired or deficient neuropsychological functions. This evaluation produces the basis for the development of individually prescribed instruction on an individual and group basis. This procedure makes it possible to tailor the cognitive remediation program to the individual student's specific needs.
The evaluation procedures used in the program include: Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery - this widely used instrument for assessment of brain-behavior relationships measures more highly specific functions and identifies deficits attributable to cerebral damage.
Cognitive Assessment System (CAS) - assesses four basic processes involved in cognition: planning, arousal-attention, simultaneous and successive information processing.
California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) - this test measures components of memory: encoding, storage, and retrieval processes; vulnerability to proactive and retroactive interferences; use of effective or ineffective learning strategies.
AAMR Adaptive Behavior Scales (ABS) - assesses the level to which a student has acquired or gained real world skills needed in everyday living: grooming, dressing, basic health care, writing, arithmetic, self-direction, responsibility, socialization, and communication.
Woodcock-Johnson Achievement Battery (WJ-R) - this battery assesses academic achievement in areas of letter work identification, passage comprehension, calculation, applied math problems and dictation.
After the individual's strengths and weaknesses are identified, he/she will receive cognitive remediation through REHABIT. Traditionally, REHABIT training involves working with a therapist using materials designed to improve cognitive abilities such as reasoning, organization, planning, and abstraction skills. This project will bring REHABIT materials and training procedures into the classroom. The curriculum will involve individual, small group, and classroom activities that develop cognitive abilities in areas of verbal comprehension, organization, planning and reasoning skills, and visual-spatial and manipulatory abilities.
Bancroft's Education Department School Program, will provide the basis for project operations. This program has extensive experience in providing comprehensive evaluation, education, and vocational training for children and adolescents with developmental disabilities, neurological impairments, autism, and severe learning, emotional, and/or behavioral disabilities. The school program has three Ph.D. level psychologists, school psychologists, occupational, physical, speech, and language therapists, and social workers. Bancroft has well-qualified individuals and an operating unit to provide a supportive base for this proposed project, including twelve Ph.D. level staff who have collectively published over 150 articles, books, and book chapters and have presented over 500 papers and workshops.
The school's Professional Advisory Board, which includes individuals from Harvard Medical School, Duke University, Temple University, Yale University, and Brown University, can provide other support for this project.
This project will conduct a comparative study between an intensive mediated cognitive remediation, treatment classes, and current educational practices control classes. Forty-eight students will participate in the study. Based on matched random pairs, twenty-four will be assigned to three treatment classrooms, and twenty-four will be assigned to three control classrooms. Scientific research strategies will be employed to document and verify improvement. An empirical evaluation of the comparative effects of cognitive remediation will include pre and post-treatment measures on adaptive behavior, academic achievement, cognitive processes, and memory. Assessments will measure the differential effects between these two groups with the pre and post tests outlined above.
Dr. Ruthanne Jepsen will supervise the project. The curriculum will be developed and carried out by Dr. Jepsen, who is a post-doctoral level neuropsychologist, three certified special education teachers, three teacher aides, and a teacher supervisor. Dr. Gregory Alberts, who has extensive experience in REHABIT, will provide support and consultation to the project. Clinicians assigned to students in the medicated cognitive remediation groups will receive training methods to incorporate mediated teaching and REHABIT materials into their disciplines to insure continuity of treatment methodology.
Chapel Haven is a private agency for cognitively disabled adults dedicated to the mission of helping individuals achieve their fullest potential. As part of its ongoing efforts to enhance the well being of its clients, Chapel Haven has welcomed to its team of professionals a nutritional therapist. The nutritional therapist will work with clients and other professionals to insure healthy eating and well-balanced food preparation.
The nutritional therapist spends many hours working with both the clients and the life skills counselors in the residence and in the community. In the residence, the nutritional therapist observes planning sessions and reviews Chapel Haven's present system for creating weekly menus and shopping lists. In the community, the nutritional therapist meets with Chapel Haven's community counselors to identify questions and problems that seem to be consistent among clients. Adjustments are recommended, and a paradigm for community life skills counselors are developed. A manual that provides instruction on a process and lays a foundation for a consistent approach to nutrition is currently being developed. This manual will become a part of each client's comprehensive life skills package.
Nutrition classes that might be conducted as part of the overall curriculum are also being developed. These classes will be available for both private group and individual sessions. Healthy eating begins with knowledge. Just as with life skills and academics, it is the responsibility and mission of Chapel Haven to offer those skills that will permit each individual to achieve his or her potential for independent living. The nutritional program adds one more layer of foundation for sound and healthy independent living.
The Children's Guild, Baltimore, MD The Children's Guild, a non-profit school, operates 3 schools in Maryland (Baltimore, Annapolis, and Chillum). The preponderance of the several hundred children served are emotional disturbed ranging in age from pre-school to eighth grade. During the past year, The Guild begun serving teens with limited intellectual ability in a school-to-work program. In addition to a functional learning curriculum, all students in the school-to- work program are provided a job coach to assist them at their place of employment for as long as they need support to work successfully in the community.
The Guild utilizes state of the art approaches to create a culture that motivates the desire to learn in challenging children. It has also designed the physical environment of its schools and classrooms to foster change and growth, holistic thinking, and character development in its students. A great deal of emphasis is placed on academic performance, parent involvement, and the arts.
All of The Guild schools are staffed with a board certified child psychiatrist, registered nurses, certified special education teachers, speech and language therapists, and licensed clinical staff. Occupational therapy after school and summer school programs are available on an as needed basis.
The Cotting School, Lexington, MA The Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center Research Administrative Office has had the assistance of Project Bridges intern David Ellis during the school year. A program of the Cotting School in Lexington, Project Bridges utilizes internships to expose students to the kinds of subtle social instruction that classroom vocational training cannot. Since 1893, the Cotting School’s mission has been to help students who have a variety of learning, physical and medical challenges achieve their greatest level of personal independence. Under the guidance of Research Administration staff Mary Oster, Lisa Costa, Marie Bifolck and Christen Coen, David helped set up databases for several projects.
"As I understand it, the purpose of Project Bridges is to enhance the abilities and job skills of the interns," Lisa Costa says. "David now uses a more advanced program than when he began and his work is excellent. He is very focused." Ms. Costa also notes that David is a trivia buff with a great sense of humor. "We are looking forward to him returning this summer. He’s great to work with."
In addition to the above example of a Cotting vocational training program, the school works with some 25 businesses and nonprofit agencies throughout the community providing internship and paid work experiences.
Cotting School has a long history of partnership with various entities. Among those presently enjoyed are the following:
Family Outreach: The Cotting model is designed to serve as a bridge between the families of children with special needs and the community. The school provides support and training for families in identifying community resources and developing self-advocacy skills. Through personal conferences, group sessions, and a range of materials and resources, the school seeks to aid families in defining and resolving some of the social, economic, medical and developmental issues critical to children with special needs. The school assists students and their families in coping with issues related to independence such as: personal assistance, accessibility concerns, transportation and health care, adaptive equipment, housing, and transition to different settings. Bridges are built between families and community resources.
CPC Behavioral Healthcare - High Point School, Morganville, NJ All of the students at High Point Adolescent School are involved in pre-vocational programs to prepare them for a productive life as adults. Many classrooms run small businesses, which function on a profit sharing basis. One class sells snacks at lunchtime, another ice cream, and a third supplies candy for various holidays. The students market and sell their products, maintain inventory records, and use their profits to go out to lunch twice a year.
As students demonstrate an ability to work with different peers and job supervisors, they may apply for High Point School jobs in several different areas. The application process includes completing a job application form and a personal interview with their prospective job supervisor. Many students work in the JOBS program which is run by the pre-vocational teacher. The JOBS program offers a variety of job experiences including food service (selling bagels and preparing student "scholarship" lunches), production and assembly of craft items for sale to staff and students, and office skills (making and collating educational reinforcement materials, labeling, and laminating). Some of their proudest accomplishments have been designing and constructing bids, corsages, and boutonnieres for the school prom.
The Building Trades teacher offers experiences in carpentry, furniture repair, horticulture, and vehicle maintenance. Students complete personal projects or work on repair projects. They may also clean and perform simple, but vital, maintenance on the fleet of school vans such as checking documents, tire pressure, lights, horn, wipers, brakes, etc. High Point Adolescent School has a small greenhouse, and (in summer) a large vegetable garden where students learn the basic principles of plant growth management. Produce from the summer garden is sometimes incorporated into the menus planned by the High Point Inn during the extended school year program.
The High Point Inn is a small, commercially equipped, take-out restaurant managed by our home economics teacher. It is staffed by students who prepare, package and sell between 50-70 lunches daily. Customers include students, school staff, visitors and our agency's administrative staff. Skills taught include those needed to operate a small restaurant-menu planning, hot and cold food preparation, food and kitchen safety, marketing, sales, and clean up.
On many occasions, the High Point Inn staff have been asked to cater lunches and refreshments for executive level meetings attended by both CPC staff and staff from other agencies. Our school year culminates with a graduation held at a local church for which the High Point Inn plans, prepares, and serves the refreshments for graduates, their families, school staff, and peers.
All of the students who work in programs where they are supplying a product or service are paid for their work. They complete time cards, receive pay envelops weekly, are evaluated on a regular basis, and are promoted (or fired) as they would be in a community job. All of the above is undertaken with sufficient staff support and program flexibility to ensure success as the students learn the skills needed to compete in the job market after graduation.
Crotched Mountain School & Rehabilitation Center, Greenfield, NH Located in southern New Hampshire, Crotched Mountain School specializes in providing educational services and therapies to children with developmental and physical disabilities. The campus includes a licensed children’s specialty hospital and a skilled nursing facility that provides health and residential services for medically involved children. Other housing includes on-campus residences and apartments for more independent living.
Established in 1953, the philosophy of Crotched Mountain is to work in partnership with families and local communities to achieve the highest degree of educational, physical, and social independence possible for every student.
The new Family Resource Center on the Crotched Mountain campus is a resource area where families and those with questions and concerns about disabilities can come to gain knowledge through a variety of sources.
The Family Resource Center operates a Lending Library using a computer with Internet access for informational sources as well as access to specific information through Internet subscriptions. Files contain extensive links to a variety of sources, including organizations, support groups, area agencies state and national supports and services.
The Family Resource Center also provides families with workshops, seminars, speakers, and opportunities for training as well as social purposes.
Based at Crotched Mountain, the Family Resource Center is expanding to include community networking. Services will be available to families at large, promoting the well being of the family.
Devereux Foundation - Kanner Center, West Chester, PA The Devereux New Jersey Center for Autism is presently working with the Vineland and Florence School Districts providing consultation; review of programming; training educational staff; behavioral support, and curriculum refinement. The New Jersey Center also serves as expert witnesses for the State in the area of autism.
The Devereux Kanner Center is involved in a partnership with its new Center Bases ABA Program and the Mission for the Education of Children with Autism (MECA), a parent organization. This is a non-profit group that is offering support to Devereux concentrating on program development, fund raising and public awareness. This partnership was formed to ensure that the school is a state-of-the-art and quality based program.
Dr. Gertrude A. Barber Center, Inc., Erie, PA The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program provides a comprehensive quality education that is individualized for the child and family to maximize the child's learning potential.
The program strives to enhance community awareness regarding the importance of early identification and education of the child who is deaf or hard of hearing. The program is a 5 day a week program for children 3-5 years old. The room is acoustically sound and features an FM Auditory Loop System. This system sends the teacher's voice from the microphone through a special under-carpet 3D Loop Mat to the student's hearing aid. This reduces the effects of background noise in the room by presenting the teacher's voice directly into the child's ear.
Although paddling has long been known to be therapeutic, developmentally disabled children are now being introduced to kayaking in a therapy program believed to be the first of its kind in the world. The Physical/Occupational Therapy Department and Dr. Joseph Barber, a pediatric neurologist, have developed a unique kayaking program for the students. Many of the children are exposed to the kayak throughout the school year. During the summer, a one-week kayak camp is offered to families. Potential paddlers beginning the program are evaluated by physical and occupational therapists to address each child's needs and capabilities to determine whether adaptive equipment will be necessary. After several sessions on land, students move into the Barber Center pool. Paddling is great for strengthening upper extremities and increasing range of motion, but it also improves coordination and balance. Another benefit is the promotion of a safe, economical recreational activity for the entire family, something not always readily available for families with a developmentally challenged child.
The Happy Hearts early childhood preschool program is another service of the Barber Center. Happy Hearts' goal is to foster the optimal development of the whole child through quality programming, delivered within a curriculum based on state of the art educational methods. Educational experiences are offered throughout a child's day which emphasize
The Durand Academy, was the first school (either public or private) to provide appropriate educational programs for children with autism in southern New Jersey. The Durand Academy also serves students classified as having multiple disabilities. During Durand's twenty-six year history, it has seen the role of the private school change in order to meet the diverse needs of both students requiring specialized educational programs and referring public school districts. In response to newly identified needs of children and districts, Durand entered into innovative and cost efficient partnerships with the Woodbury and Deptford School Districts in New Jersey.
The Durand Academy - Woodbury Public School Partnership began in 1995. The strengths of both the private and public school were blended into a unique program which allowed public school students to remain in-district in a class operated, staffed, and supervised by the Durand Academy.
While the program was developed by Durand Academy and the Woodbury Public School District, any district in southern New Jersey was afforded the opportunity to refer students to the program.
The students benefited from Durand's highly structured education and clinical program while enjoying the opportunity to participate in in-district programming whenever possible.
The program evolved into a cooperative effort among school personnel with the public school staff becoming more aware of the abilities of their students and the strength of private school programs. Administration of the program rested with the Durand Academy. However, as issues such as discipline, program philosophy, and IEP format surfaced, it became clear that the administration of the program would also be a cooperative effort with each side developing recognition and respect for each others' position and expertise. At the conclusion of the 1997-1998 school year, it was mutually agreed upon for the class to move in another, but similar direction. The Woodbury Public School District hired the Durand Academy's teacher, who expressed a strong desire to continue with Durand's strong clinical support for the students. The teacher recognizes that Durand Academy is available to act as a resource and for support if needed and the district will continue to benefit from input regarding program and full scope of clinical support for the students.
The Durand Academy - Deptford Public School Partnership also began in 1995. The partnership continues to benefit children with multiple disabilities who remain in district and the staff of the Deptford Public School. The Durand Academy provides clinical/counseling services to students who do not need out-of-district placement but require more intensive behavioral interventions and emotional support. Students benefit from services provided by highly skilled clinical staff members who have the support of the Durand Academy's clinical staff, child study team and administration. Initially, the Durand Academy also provided classroom consultation in classes serving children with multiple disabilities. This allowed public school staff the opportunity to work cooperatively with experienced private school staff with the benefits being the development of stronger programs in classes for children who did not require the intensive and highly structured environment of a private school placement. This part of the partnership was gradually phased out with the clinical support to students continuing on an ongoing basis.
The Felician School for Exceptional Children has implemented what it believes to be an exciting and innovative program designed to meet the individual and specific need of each of its students. The program was inspired by the "Elsmer Project," a vocational program for mentally challenged students, ages 4 1/2 to 21. This project was developed to prepare mentally challenged students to function in society as independently as possible. At Felician, we agree with the importance of this goal. Too often many of these students reach chronological adulthood with an impoverished sense of their own dignity, potential, and independence. They are ill equipped for adapting to our work-oriented society. The school has adopted the Elsmer Project's unique curriculum and developed a program that addresses this problem at every age level. From the youngest to the oldest, the program is geared toward developing in the students the skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary for obtaining and maintaining employment.
Beginning at the primary level and continuing through to the job-training level, the curriculum focuses on six essential skill areas: functional academics; socialization; independent living skills; personal/family life development; pre-vocational skills development, and vocational/job-training. Through these six areas, our students are prepared to function in the community; to travel, shop, work, enjoy leisure time, and relate to others. Upon entering the program, regardless of the level, each student's class schedule, activities, tasks, and assignments are carefully planned to reflect the preparation needed to become viable, working citizens in the community. At age 14, transitioning becomes an important element in planning goals and objectives.
More emphasis is placed on enabling each student to acquire self-sufficiency to the greatest degree possible. Pre-vocational skills are incorporated in all learning areas. In planning daily tasks and assignments, a greater focus is placed on developing attitudes and behaviors necessary when engaged in a working situation.
At age 16, functional, vocational, and job-training skills are the main focus of each student's daily routine. At this level, each student is assessed to determine individual and group level functioning. Students are then grouped according to ability and attend classes in each of the six curriculum areas with their groups. They are assigned to a homeroom and given individual schedules to follow. They transition from a self-contained classroom setting to a departmentalized approach to classes.
In preparation for the experiences the students will face upon graduation, each one is presented with a variety of simulated work situations. Participants "punch" time clocks, report to job assignments, take breaks, and learn to fill out necessary forms. They are involved in such tasks as assembling, packaging, and collating. Students are trained to participate in the "World of Work" program in which they are "hired" by teachers within the school to assist with classroom activities and tasks. This variety of in-school training builds proper attitudes and basic pre-vocational skills. It prepares our students to work with others and to develop a sense of responsibility and self-assurance.
The more advanced students participate in a formal on-the-job training program which reflects community employment opportunities. Flexible on-the-job training allows participants to experience a variety of vocational environments and enables project staff to access the students' aptitudes, interests and progress. At present, the students are receiving vocational-on-the-job training in the following situations: day care center, high school cafeteria, local K-Mart, and Hunger Zone Pizzeria. In the past, work has been contracted by various businesses to be completed by the students within the school setting. This will continue as the opportunities occur.
With emphasis on pre-vocational skills, opportunities for job-training, along with continued development of independent living skills and functional academics, we believe we are providing the older students with a comprehensive program which will prepare them to become viable, working citizens in the community. Each student is appreciated for his/her own individual potential, and each student in his/her own way responds positively to this very effective and innovative program. Learning at the Felician School has proven to be fun and exciting for those who are preparing to enter the final phase of transition from school to the workplace.
F.L. Chamberlain, Middleboro, MA A letter of thanks...
I was a student at the F. L. Chamberlain School from 1995 to 2000. Before Chamberlain I was so lost in my life! I was in State custody, in group homes and fighting to protect my self from others, I was around drugs and junkies and at the way I was heading would have been in jail with no future and no education. Chamberlain was a positive, safe place for me to be! I still remember my first day at Chamberlain, it took me awhile to adjust, but soon I really took in the program and let it help me. When I started out I couldn't read and write I acted out and tried to impress others by making myself look stupid.
The Staff and teachers helped me in so many way, I met some amazing people at the school who truly cared and made a huge impact in my life. I miss all the sports and planned activities I really enjoyed that, made me feel not so different from everyone else. I couldn't believe how much I changed, I grow up at the school in such a short time, I changed even before my own eyes. I can honestly say that I miss the friends I made and the staff there! I was there for some bad times when Danielle passed away, even in that hard time it was nice how everyone pulled together and helped each other out. I learned a lot of skills and tools that I still use to this day to get me by in life.
I moved on
after Chamberlain and was able to attend senior year in public school
I graduated in 2001 with a diploma. I'm not going to lie I had some hard
times getting on my feet but I went to a school where I took
Electronics, Computer tech, and some web page design. Now I work as a
Verizon Wireless technician. My roommate and I have a house June of
2009. I love it, I never thought I would be where I am. It goes to show
with a lot of hard work you can accomplish anything. So hear I am all
most ten years latter and I still haven't forget F.L. Chamberlain School
and all those who helped change my life!
Thanks to
Chamberlain school, you gave me a future!
The Foundation School, Rockville, MD Andre’s Story: Andre attended The Foundation Intermediate School for five years. Andre was diagnosed with ADHD with an additional Adjustment Disorder. Andre had attended a public school in Washington, DC and was receiving special education services. He was referred to FIS because of verbal and physical aggression to peers, oppositional explosive outbursts, suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, attention difficulties, hyperactivity and school failure.
Small academic classes, individual therapy and the structured school and therapeutic activities motivated Andre to succeed. Andre learned to use individual therapy to gain insight into his behavior and become a positive force in the school his eighth grade year. He was able to express his feelings of anger as well as draw from his life experience and his surroundings as he worked to understand himself.
His goal was to return to public school by the time he reached high school. Over time, Andre's grades and academic skills improved. He learned to handle multiple transitions.
Thomas’ Story: Thomas was referred to The Foundation School due to severe anxiety, depression and school phobia. He was only able to attend school for part of each day due to his sensitivity to medication and to perceived stress. Thomas' therapist, in consultation with other staff members, developed a plan to gradually increase his school attendance. In just a short time, Thomas demonstrated a major improvement in his attendance. He excelled in academics, especially science. Through his conscientious efforts, he achieved honor roll status every marking period and met and exceeded the goals of his plan.
Expectations were raised and a plan was established for partial inclusion into Montgomery County Public Schools' Thomas Edison High School of Technology's Biotechnology Program. Thomas met the challenge and began attending Edison for part of each school day while continuing to attend The Foundation School for other courses. Within a few weeks of attending Edison, Thomas was selected to lead tours through Edison's varied science programs. His self confidence grew by leaps and bounds. Thomas has received numerous awards and is now an intern at NIH. Hannah More School, Reisterstown, MD The Hannah More School is an Intensity V co-ed middle and high school. In 1998, it opened the Decker Career Technology Education Program, the most comprehensive program of its kind in Maryland.
The Decker Program offers training and skills in five areas: automotive, building trades, horticulture and landscaping, culinary arts, and information and communications.
The program has community focus. There is an advisory board for each area, comprised of working professionals who will review curriculum, make program recommendations, and provide internship and entry level job openings for qualified students. Through in-school projects, students can also give back to the community. Students may provide meals through the culinary arts program to residents at the women's shelter; build picnic tables for the department of parks and recreation through the building trades program, or plants to the residents at the senior citizens home through the horticulture program.
Students in the Decker Program will take a semester long core evaluation course - a sampling of all of the programs. The next two semesters will be spent in their area of concentration. A state of the art kitchen, greenhouse, auto bay, and complete communications center with telecommunications equipment ensure that students will have a solid base in whichever field they select to pursue.
The Harbour School, Annapolis, MD The Harbour School is a non-public special education center serving students in grades kindergarten through twelve.
The school serves a wide variety of students with cognitive scores ranging from intellectually limited to gifted and talented. All of the students have moderate to severe learning and other disabilities.
The Harbour School curriculum is competency based and utilizes performance assessments for all evaluations, including staff evaluations. School staff identified twelve competencies that were needed for graduates to succeed as adults, and faculty identified specific competencies that were necessary for each job title.
Each instructional team has identified interim competencies that are required for the student to achieve the exit skills. There are no tests at The Harbour School, only activities which demonstrate that a student has achieved a competency.
For example, students learning ratios and fractions might be required to build a scale model of an object for which the actual measurements are available. In being able to apply the content, the student demonstrates an understanding that is not demonstrated by mere paper and pencil activity.
Memorization of facts is minimized in this program. Instead of memorizing facts about how government is organized, students are required to "design" a government for a political entity of their own imagination. The only requirement is that the government not be a dictatorship and that the "designed" government must meet the minimum requirements of government. The students' political systems are then "tested" by peers in trial runs of political problem solving. In this manner, our students learn and retain more about government than they would by memorizing the terms of office for political figures.
In the high school, credits are earned when all competencies for a course have been demonstrated. Students earn "grades" of pass, honors or incomplete. No one fails, he/she simply takes longer to learn to do what is required. With this system, a student may graduate in three years or alternately, need five years to complete the program. Courses are not necessarily completed in one school year. It is not unusual for a student to complete a grade of a course and begin the next grade all within the same school year.
Students learn the skills needed for adult success and learn to apply those skills while still a student. Eighty-three percent of Harbour School graduates are employed or in higher education 5 years after graduation as compared with a national average of 53% for students with moderate to severe learning disabilities.
Students know what is required of them to complete a course. There is no guessing about "what the teacher expects" or what will be on the test. Students gain a sense of responsibility and ownership for their own programs. Students do not speak of being "failed by a teacher" instead teachers and staff function as coaches enabling students to meet their goals of completing the competency demonstrations. There are tangible stepping stones toward the completion of coursework which students celebrate along the way.
Illinois Center for Autism, Fairview Heights, IL In 1996, the Illinois Center for Autism (ICA) established a partnership with the Region I Special Education Cooperative in Granite City, Illinois. ICA began the venture with one early childhood classroom.
The following year, it established a middle school classroom. This year ICA is in discussion stages with another school district to provide an early childhood classroom. These classrooms have been phenomenally successful. They allow children with severe disabilities to remain in their home school district. The children attend the school they would normally attend and avoid a long bus ride. At the same time, the children receive services they would not normally have available to them.
These partnerships between public and private schools are a benefit to all concerned. They save the local educational agencies and the State of Illinois funding due to a reduction in transportation costs. They save the private providers money by eliminating the need to expand their physical plants. They enhance relationships. Most of all they allow children to receive appropriate service in the least restrictive environment.
Judge Rotenberg Educational Center, Inc., Canton, MA Judge Rotenberg Educational Center, Inc. (JRC) operates separate programming tracks for students and young adults with emotional/behavior disorders, students who display inappropriate sexual behavior, and individuals with autism, retardation, brain injury or psychosis, who present with severe self-abuse, aggression, and property destructive behaviors. The programming philosophy for each of these tracks is behavior modification.
Dr. Ogden Lindsley, the founder of Precision Teaching, is on the Board of Directors at the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center. We are proud to say that, with the help of Dr. Lindsley, we have recently introduced Precision Teaching to our classrooms, "Precision Teaching is basing educational decisions on changes in continuous self-monitored performance frequencies, displayed on 'standard acceleration charts' " (Lindsley, 1992).
The basic components of Precision Teaching are: to set time-based mastery criteria for each curriculum step, to provide daily opportunities for practice and timed measurement, to chart performance on a graph called the Standard Behavior Chart, to advance to the next curriculum step when criterion is met, and to change procedures when the chart shows they are not working (Pennypacker, Koenig and Lindsley, 1972; White and Haring, 1980),
Our Precision Teaching is done using both a flash card style and written practice sheets in which the students are learning to be fluent in a Math, Reading, and English series. We use Precision Teaching with most of our students regardless of their abilities, because we are able to individualize and modify it to meet the student's special needs.
The students are taught to use the flash cards in a way that will enable them to retain the knowledge of the subject that they are learning and to become fluent with the answers. Students must first achieve fluency in the "tool" skills before progressing to more advanced materials (Binder, 1988).
For example, if a student is learning to do addition, that student will start on the first lesson and will begin learning 1+0 = 1, with the answers on the back of each card. The student will go through a 52 card deck of math problems consisting of 1+ 0 = 1 and 0 + 1= 1. While the student is going through the deck of cards, he/she is timed.
The goal of all teaching and learning should be behavioral fluency, which is a combination of accuracy and speed. Our teachers strive to minimize the think time and help the student become more fluent in problem solving, After a student feels confident that he/she knows the lesson well, the teacher can then administer a timed test.
After this test, the students plot the number correct and incorrect on a daily chart. Each day the student tries to beat the previous, day's score and reach a point at which he/she can complete the lesson with 0 at his/her target fluency level. Once the student has passed that lesson, he/she will move on to the next lesson. We have found that Precision Teaching is most effective when students take responsibility for their learning and chart their own daily results. In this way, a student can be proud of his/her successes and set new performance goals each day.
Our students are also invested in this type of learning because we have a strong point-based reward system. If a student has a high score or has finished his/her lesson in record time, the student is given points which will enable him/her to exchange those points for a reward of choice. These rewards may take the form of a social opportunity with a preferred staff member, extra time on the internet, renting a movie from our reward store, or saving the points to exchange for money to spend at one of the malls. We have seen a tremendous improvement in the student's grades, and we are seeing students jump entire grade levels in a very short time. One of the benefits at JRC is that students are taught individually so that a teacher can immediately provide help in any area that proves problematic.
Each student's data is kept on separate charts for a variety of reasons. If a student is having difficulty with a certain lesson, the teacher and classroom supervisors will be able to catch the problem and provide immediate intervention. Using individualized charts is also important to display the progress that the student is making in a certain subject and to give the student a learning picture to see where he/she is, and where he/she need to go.
Lawrence Hall Youth Services, Chicago, IL Lawrence Hall Youth Services is fortunate to have a new program for its students that is designed to expose them to new technology and career possibilities. The program also provides positive role models and mentors, improves academic skills, all while having fun. The IBM Corporation has underwritten the cost of upgrading the school's computers and provided software and technical support. But the most creative aspect of the collaboration is the new "Keypals" program . The school held a kick off event where the IBM employee volunteers came to campus to meet with the students. During the introductory activities, students learned about the work that is done at IBM and how the employees came to choose this as their place of employment. IBM also provided T-shirts, with a design developed by a student, were given to all that participated. The event was inspirational, causing the students to talk for days about what they had seen and learned. In addition to IBM's generous support, it provides staff training to enable them to incorporate the new technology into the school's curriculum.
Leary School, Inc., Alexandria, VA The Leary School programs are designed to serve the needs of students with emotional, learning and behavior problems, to remediate areas of weakness, to help modify behavior so as to better function in society and, to improve academic skills to enable return to a less restrictive school situation and/or teach vocational skills that will permit gainful employment. Through intensive programming efforts, students are afforded experiences that will provide opportunities for growth and enrichment. Some of these programs are discussed in this article.
The Leary School Job Site program, initially begun during the 1986-87 school year, allows designated students to attend school in a very nontraditional manner. The students who are part of this program spend their entire day and receive all their schooling at a job site, where there is a complete staff assigned to the program, including a classroom teacher, a full time teaching assistant, a counselor, two vocational instructors (one of whom is also the job site coordinator), and a vocational assistant. Each student spends half of his or her day receiving academic instruction and works on the current project, learning the construction trades, during the remainder of the day. These students learn about carpentry, engineering, plumbing, landscaping, electrical wiring, and all aspects of new home construction, not in theory or from a demonstration laboratory, but by actually building real houses. In addition, all students receive individual and group counseling from a counselor who is assigned full time to the job site, as well as physical education, recreation therapy, and case management delivered on site. Those students whose IEPs call for related services, such as speech or occupational therapy, receive those services at the job site as well.
Since the inception of this program, the students have completed two total house renovations and five new house projects. These houses have ranged in size from one level ramblers to two story colonial homes, all of which have sold quickly in what is often a tight real estate market. Students and staff work together constructing homes and the students not only learn basic home construction skills but also, and perhaps more importantly, have the opportunity to learn what it means to go to a job every day and to see a project through to completion.
Another aspect of programming provided by the Leary School has a number of students, both in Virginia and Maryland, going out to part time jobs in the community as part of their school day. Both schools have a job placement specialist who works within the community to match students and jobs. It is the School’s belief that the biggest function of these jobs is to help students practice the skills needed in obtaining and maintaining a job – arriving on time, being there on scheduled days, taking directions from other adults, following through on work requests, and resolving work disputes in a productive manner.
Therefore, it is not expected that these jobs themselves are necessarily career-driven; these skills can be practiced and mastered at any number of jobs, the majority of which are entry level. The job placement specialist also maintains a range of supervision to ongoing contact with the employer to track progress and to help resolve any problems that might arise. These students are working in such diverse places as grocery stores, pet shops, care-giving facilities, and libraries. These students, like the ones at the job site, are learning responsibility, how to work with others, how to deal with the public, and what it takes to not only get a job but to keep it. Several students have been able to maintain employment for extended periods of time and their employers report that they are good workers.
Another way in which students get out into the community and participate in new experiences is through the Leary School’s Outdoor Education program. Both during the regular school year and during the Extended School Year program, students have the opportunity to go hiking, boating, and camping. These trips give students dynamic experiences in acquiring self-reliance, increasing self esteem through skill acquisition, and developing and maintaining effective peer interactions. During the last three years of our Extended School Year program, students from both programs participated in day, overnight, and week long camping trips in the George Washington National Forest, Shenandoah Mountains, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Trips are coordinated with the classroom teachers so that academic studies and the natural environment are integrated. One group of middle school students culminated several weeks of study on weather, geography, map reading, and math by participating in a three-day ski trip to Massanutten Ski Resort in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
New Foundations School, Baltimore, MD James B. is a senior student at New Foundations School who initially struggled significantly with aggressive behaviors and inappropriate problem solving. However, this academic year James has shown that he has internalized the things that the staff has taught him.
He has not only been able to avoid negative and provocative behaviors, he has also been able to make the decision not to respond to aggression with aggression. He has been able to take the risk of teasing by peers and "do the right thing." He has very good insight into his feelings and requests self time-outs appropriately. He has limited his exposure to negative peers. In a culture that glamorizes aggression it is not easy for this young man or any other to make choices that will cause him to be viewed by his peers as "soft," or a "punk," James' behavior is nothing short of courageous and we applaud him. His improvement reminds us all of why we do the work we do.
New Foundations would like to acknowledge Michael M. for being on the highest behavioral level for over 40 days. To maintain the highest level is a major accomplishment since behavioral expectations are much higher at that level.
Michael was enrolled in New Foundations on March 24, 2004. He has excellent attendance and is cooperative and attentive in class. He exhibits problem-solving skills when confronted with frustrating feelings. Michael is able to consistently ignore the inappropriate behaviors of his peers. Michael also seems to consistently get along with his peers and when frustrating situations occur with his peers, he is able to use appropriate coping skills.
Michael is in the Middle School and he excels in
Language Arts. We are very proud of Michael and we thank his father for
all the support that he provides to Michael. They both have earned our
highest regards. Menta Group Programs, Aurora Illinois
In North Aurora industrial park, Kathy Volceka teaches some of the most
troubled fourth-graders in the Fox Valley. Her students have long
histories of disruptive behavior and most students have been outright
violent. They are the students teachers at regular schools simply can’t
handle. These students are classified as having emotionally
disturbed/behavior disorder (ED/BD), a condition recognized by school
districts as a disability. Federal law requires that students with
disabilities are served and provided with a free appropriate public
education. The New Interdisciplinary School, Yaphank, NY The New Interdisciplinary School has developed an important partnership benefiting not only our students, but the greater community. The Maryhaven Center of Hope, a day habilitation program for adults with developmental disabilities, created the Maryhaven Players. The Maryhaven Players are a group of young adults who come to the school monthly and perform original short skits for the preschoolers. The school has a monthly theme on such topics as animals, planting, changing seasons, etc. The Maryhaven Players use the monthly theme in their skits for the delight of all. For many of these adults it is the first time that they are applauded for their accomplishments and met with enthusiasm and delight for what they can do. Many of the children have never seen a live performance before and found it very exciting. It has expanded their horizons as well.
Three days each week 3 of Maryhaven's young adults serve as greeters in the school's front lobby. The young adults greet the public and give ID stickers to visitors. What has been so gratifying is that they have been able to direct visitors because they know where all the rooms of the school are located. The public has the opportunity to experience and understand the competence of adults with disabilities, thus continuing the process of inclusion, acceptance, and valuing those that are different from ourselves.
Overbrook School for the Blind, Philadelphia, PA Overbrook 2001 is a four-year project through which Overbrook School for the Blind intends to make sure all its students have daily, unrestricted access to the exact technology that can best help them meet their individual learning and life-skill goals.
Overbrook School is the first school of its type to attempt to provide every student with continuous access to computer and communications technology and to place technology at the center of the learning process school wide. But it is not interested in just teaching the students how to operate electronic devices, it wants the students, by using the most appropriate devices and software, to learn how to apply them as a means to achieve their full potential in life and employment tomorrow.
The school negates technology into the curriculum at all levels, so that it becomes a useful tool for daily learning. It trains teachers to make the technology work to every student's best advantage and has its model in the field, so that students in different educational settings can also benefit.
The program interconnects all areas of the campus with fiber-optic cable to support a school wide educational network that is also connected to the world outside. It equips 28 classrooms at all levels of the school with technology appropriate to the students. Selected classrooms have been renovated in order to create an environment that allows the equipment to be completely accessible, configured for individual needs, and to function optimally.
A new group of teachers is trained each year at an intensive summer institute. These teachers, along with those who have previously been trained, will continuously upgrade their knowledge at weekly instruction and discussion sessions throughout the school year.
Increased collaboration of teachers, therapists, and other staff specialists by providing them with computers connected to the network is critical in order to provide qualified staff to maintain the equipment and network, and to coordinate the teacher training program. At the heart and soul of the project, however, is how the equipment helps the students, and what it enables them to accomplish.
Pathway School, Norristown, PA The Pathway School, an approved private school, has been serving children with complex learning and neuropsychiatric disorders since 1961. Throughout that time, program format has changed to meet the current needs of the children Pathway serves. Recently, a trend was noted that called for an innovative program. Specifically, enrollment applications began to reflect the need for a more intensive program, designed to transition more neuropsychiatrically complicated students into the Pathway population. Historically, these students were dealt with in one of two ways - they were either rejected for admission because it was felt their needs could not be met at Pathway, or they were accepted and an often difficult adjustment period ensued.
Their peers, based on their initial behavior, nonetheless ostracized those students who did eventually adjust. Further, the adjustment process was often extremely frustrating and difficult for staff, parents, and most importantly, the youngster.
Based on the growing number of applications involving these types of students, and Pathway's dissatisfaction with the options available, the Intensive Supports Program (ISP) was developed. The ISP is a self-contained program designed to meet the students' needs residentially, academically, and clinically within a self-contained physical and therapeutic setting. The thinking behind this model is two-fold: first, the physical self-containment limits transition times between classes and activities that are found to be especially difficult for these students; second, and perhaps more importantly, the nature of the program allows for frequent and consistent staff collaboration throughout the student's day. The team approach utilized in ISP is based on the model used throughout Pathway, but implemented with greater resources and intensity.
The program is designed to allow students to transition to the mainstream Pathway population or back to their home school districts within six to twelve months. Hence, the program is not designed for children requiring long-term intensive care.
The team serving the ISP student includes a program director, a psychologist, a teacher, a psychiatrist, a nurse, and therapeutic support staff. The team meets twice a week for staff consultation and treatment planning, with daily informal collaboration as to how best meet student needs. Various problematic student behaviors are targeted and monitored, and behavior plans are developed to modify these behaviors.
Transition into the mainstream Pathway population begins as soon as possible for the ISP students. They begin by interacting socially with other students; ISP staff support during these interactions is intense at first and gradually lessens as students and residential staff become more comfortable with each other and techniques supporting consistent behavioral control. Classes into which students will be transitioned are then targeted. The ISP staff partners with the teachers to facilitate a smooth transition. Teachers are assisted in using or modifying strategies, often initially developed within the ISP, to deal with problems as they arise. As in the residential milieu, ISP staff support is intensive at first and then fades over time. The ultimate goal is total integration, both residentially and academically into Pathway's mainstream program, and then ideally back into the student's home school district.
The Intensive Supports Program borrows from many models currently in use, but is also innovative. Subsequent to hospitalization or extreme behavioral dyscontrol, the options for children are quite limited. This is especially true for children whose neuropsychiatric difficulties are complicated, if not generated by concomitant learning problems. Within the parameters of a school setting, ISP is able to offer a less restrictive alternative to children in need of comprehensive residential, educational and clinical care. It is difficult to obtain similar levels of integrated treatment planning short of a hospital setting. This type of program, therefore, fills a need in the continuum of care, rarely met in current special education settings.
PHILLIPS Programs, Annandale, VA Joe is a 23-year-old young man who graduated from PHILLIPS School in Annandale last year. He has been enrolled here for the majority of his elementary and high school years equaling out to approximately 13 years. Joe conquered many challenges while at PHILLIPS, learned many skills and developed significant relationships with students and staff during these years.
Joe came to PHILLIPS lacking many important skills and displaying behaviors that interfered with home, school and community functioning. He came to PHILLIPS at nine yrs. of age, virtually mute. He was highly aggressive and wild. His parents had to redo his bedroom because of the holes in the walls. He had no sense of "I", no eye contact and no ability to discern the identity of others. He had no sense of time or space.
Staff worked with him literally hand over hand. While he had several language therapists working on the basic language skills of building both his receptive and expressive vocabulary, he also had two staff working with him in Occupational Therapy. They taught him to navigate time and space and to build his physical skills; although he was an amazing runner he did not have the coordination to throw, catch, and dribble a ball.
His counselor helped Joe construct a self. After working in clay for two years, he worked on paper people that he would carry around with him. His counselor always worked on his construction of reality, self and others. Meanwhile he had a break-through in reading with his teacher in reading. He began to sound out words at the age of 12; he began to read single words with much difficulty. Nevertheless, he continued to persevere!
Another great breakthrough in his social, academic, and emotional growth took place when Joe was about 15 years old. Over the years, teachers, language therapists, reading specialists, tutors, parents, and others worked with Joe to help him learn to read. During this time, many different strategies were tried, as were many formalized reading programs, however nothing seemed to work. Joe continued to struggle, continued to be angry and upset over this deficit, and struggled to be like everyone else. During this school year, a teacher new to Joe took on the task of working with Joe helping him learn to read. Again, many different techniques and strategies were tried, with similar results. However, when trying out another strategy, called chunking, Joe stopped the teacher saying, “You mean that’s the way you’re supposed to do it. Wait, wait I can do that. That’s all”. Joe finished reading the page, then wanted to go throughout the building to show everyone that he could read. He took home a book that evening and read it to his mother, and began a new chapter in his life that continues today. It was a quest for knowledge and a passion to learn new things, and to dream about what lies ahead.
Ultimately, he began to relate to his peers, began playing team sports, and learning how to conduct himself socially with the coach and teammates. Joe has become a motivated learner. He frequently set academic goals for himself and often requested additional instruction. Joe enjoyed engaging with staff and peers over topics in History, Science and Current events. He frequently participated in class discussions that are both academic and social. Joe’s school attendance was near perfect for many of the school years. Joe is highly involved in recreational activities as well. He was involved with the PHILLIPS sports teams and in Special Olympics. Joe came to enjoy most school activities that are both social and academic, always demonstrating a contained excitement. He prides himself on being responsible and mature. Joe is involved in his community, attending recreational activities on weekly basis as a member of specific organizations.
Joe excelled in classroom activities that focused on group discussions and opportunities to offer personal opinions. He frequently would participate and lead discussions relating to current events and earned high marks on his history assignments. Joe has a strong understanding of basic math facts and demonstrates a desire to solve equations relating to addition, subtraction, multiplication and division without the use of a calculator. Math concepts have largely focused on activities involving daily living skills, but Joe has perused extra credit work in the area of Pre-Algebra concepts.
He was able to develop some problem-solving skills and strategies to evaluate and assess difficult situations that are compromising. His genuine interest on improving his emotional development is evident in his active participation in counseling activities. Joe developed strategies that allow him to utilize his skills and work to resolve some conflicts with peers and adults. Joe’s emotional and behavioral progress has been a key factor in his success in his off-campus internship, where he demonstrated an increased amount of independence on his various job sites and frequently performs work tasks without excessive supervision or guidance from staff.
He began high school in the Career and Independent Living (CIL) program at PHILLIPS. The focus of the program was both vocational and daily living academics. Joe would attend off-campus work activities with the support of school staff two times per week. He worked with the support of teachers and vocational staff at many different job sites performing duties primarily in area of food service, stocking/maintenance and retail. He obtained a paid internship his final year at PHILLIPS working as a warehouse stock clerk.
Since graduating from PHILLIPS in June, Joe took
some time to explore his opportunities in the work world. He applied for
a position as a store clerk for a major retail food store in Alexandria
and was hired in the fall of last year. He enjoys going to work on a
daily basis, but looks forward to his free time, which he often spends
with his friends. He is still active in recreation in the community and
enjoys going to the movies and reading one of the latest novels. Phoenix Center, Little Falls, NJ In July 1998, a Phoenix Center School program called The Phoenix CONNECTION (TPC) became a NJDVRS-approved vendor for supported employment services to clients over the age of 21. In layman's terms, the school was approved to receive State funds for providing services (such as on-the-job supervision) to those Phoenix CENTER graduates and other qualifying individuals at several off-site placements.
This February, TPC obtained approval and State funding from DDD (Division of Developmental Disabilities) to provide day program services for up to ten individuals, which can and will encompass respite care services, too.
What once the school had to provide on its own through a myriad of fund-raising avenues was now going to be contracted by the State of New Jersey. A poignantly honest portrayal of the real need for this service, accompanied by meaningful letters written from the heart of those directly involved parents and care givers, was submitted by the school's directors as a formal proposal, which days later gained approval from State representatives.
Since its inception in 1991, Dr. Berrian and Dr. Gibbia defined their Phoenix Center School's mission as "offering a well integrated program focusing on the development and the education of the whole child and his/her family." Other programs initiated and implemented successfully to date are as follows: community-based instruction (CBI), whereby students are taken in small groups to run everyday errands within the community, enriching their daily living skills; supported employment for those students 16 and over, whereby a school employment specialist is assigned to him/her to match and encourage success for this individual's off-site job placement; and FEATHER YOUR NEST, our consignment store which opened only last October 31st in nearby Cedar Grove, for added student employment opportunities, as well as additional revenues for school programs.
Therefore, with present funds being received from DDD, these socialization opportunities and activities for daily living that the Phoenix Center School could once offer only clients under the age of 21, are now being offered to those 21 and older on a consistent basis. This is our school's greatest accomplishment this year and pause for true celebration within our close-caring family of clients, parents, and school personnel.
Skills of Central Pennsylvania, State College, PA Skills of Central PA, Inc. provides a wide variety of services to individuals with disabilities ranging from residential to day services. While the day services range from the traditional workshops to supported and full-time employment support, Skills has for the past several years been providing school-to-work transition services to adolescents who are enrolled within the public school setting.
Recently, Skills developed a relationship between three different school districts in three different counties in central Pennsylvania with the basic purpose of working with students who were nearing graduation. Utilizing the resources of the school district, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, and the county’s Office of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, Skills developed a seamless transition process for the student to move from the school setting to full-time employment.
Services for the student ranged from assessment and vocational counseling to job searching, job coaching, and supportive employment. While it is known that quality supported employment is an intensive service that often requires many hours of working with the student, case management, marketing the student and working to find the appropriate position, training the student to be able to successfully complete the job requirements and then provide support to the student as well as the employer, it is also expensive.
As a result of each of the above agencies working together and sharing their funds, the school district is responsible for the costs of the service while the student is in school. However, as the student moves from the school to the ‘work world’, the Office of Mental Health and Mental Retardation assumes the cost of the service until such time as the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation is able to become financially involved. Skills brings to the equation both expertise through its employment counselors and a proven approach in preparing the student for employment, as well as its guarantee of a 100% successful placement in employment. Each agency wins, but most importantly, the student wins!
Youth Consultation Service, Montclair, NJ In 1995, the Ridgewood Public School District and the Youth Consultation Service: Virginia Harkness Sawtelle Learning Center entered into an agreement to provide students with a diagnosis of autism or pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) educational services in the Ridgewood Public Schools. Sawtelle Learning Center, located in Montclair, New Jersey, is a school that provides education services for students ranging in age from 3-21. Two classrooms were designed in Ridgewood, one for students ages 5-7 and a second for students ages 8-12. Sawtelle Learning Center provided all the services to the students in the classes, which included a 2:1 student/staff ratio, speech and language services, and occupational therapy services. Sawtelle Learning Center trained all staff, and the administrative staff at the Montclair facility supervised the program.
The two classrooms have evolved as the students have advanced in age. One class is located in an elementary school, while the other is in a middle school. As the students have grown, so have the staff. The Sawtelle Learning Center staff have been able to integrate themselves into the Ridgewood staff, which has taken a great deal of the stigma away from the inclusion of the students with autism and PDD-NOS. It took approximately 3 years for this process to take place. Currently, many of the students are included in a variety of classes with their typically developing peers. This is very exciting, however, even more exciting is that these students are in their home district and even one is in her home school.
Each student afforded inclusionary opportunities based on availability and readiness. Each classroom is supervised by one certified teacher who holds a special education certificate, one head assistant who holds a substitute teacher certification, and 1 teacher assistant, to make up the 2:1 student/staff ratio. There is also one speech and language therapist and one teacher assistant floater who split time between the two classes. This allows 1:1 initial shadowing for inclusionary activities.
The certified teacher of the class meets with the teachers of the potential inclusion classes to discuss the students and also obtain the work being done in the class.
This is done to enable the teacher of the class with the student with autism an opportunity to teach the curriculum in a discrete trial setting initially, so that the student can be more successful in the inclusion setting. This allows for a lower frustration level on the part of the student.
Initially, the project was to last only two years, with the plan that Ridgewood would take over supervision of the program. Now the program is in its fourth year, and Sawtelle Learning Center continues to supervise the program in conjunction with the director of special services in the Ridgewood district.
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