Children’s Preparation Center
Student’s disability: significant developmental delays, including autism and mental retardation
Student Age: 5 to 8 (early elementary)
Students who attend this state-of-the-art early learning center on Long Island need a highly individualized behavioral approach and a small class size (6:1:2). As part of its educational/behavioral approach, the program’s specially trained staff tracks the results of each student’s activities in ongoing documentation. The goals of the Long Island school program include not only developing youth communication skills and increasing their social interactions, but also the achievement of individualized educational goals in the academic and pre-academic programs. Parents and families at this Long Island school learn behavioral and educational strategies that can be used with children at home.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the teaching methodology used throughout the program. Skills are broken down into small steps and various teaching techniques are used to ensure mastery of the skills in a variety of conditions. This Long Island school uses a progressive total communication system that may include spoken words, pictures, pictures, symbols, and/or sign language to increase communication skills. The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) method involves the child initiating a social exchange to make requests or communicate.
Carman Road Preschool
Student’s Disability: Preschool-age child with a disability (multiple disabilities, physical disabilities)
Student Age: 3 to 5
The Preschool Program at Carman Road School is one of many schools on Long Island that provide total educational intervention for children with multiple physical and cognitive disabilities in a specially designed environment. All children at this Long Island school are encouraged to reach their full potential through many activities that stimulate growth and development while building self-confidence. Youth are referred to the program by their local district Committee on Early Childhood Education (CPSE). Once accepted, they attend classes full day, five days a week, entering an educational environment that promotes the highest possible achievement.
The whole child perspective at this Long Island school is used to address the needs of each individual youth. The curriculum emphasizes the development of physical skills and the growth of cognitive, social, emotional, and language skills. The unique abilities and needs of each child are considered in all program activities.
A designed assisted language environment, utilizing visual strategies and assistive technology, is used to foster the physical development and growth in communication skills of the children who attend this Long Island school. For each child, a multidisciplinary team develops strategies and methods to achieve the goals and objectives of their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Children receive physical, occupational, and speech therapies as prescribed in their IEPs. Time is dedicated each day to foster the development of skills needed in activities of daily living, such as feeding and dressing. Social skills are developed in structured activities and free play. This Long Island school uses individual and group projects like painting, cooking, coloring, planting flowers, playing with water, and using the sand table to build learning and motor skills. Children work with specially trained teachers in the Learning Center where they begin to use assistive technology, adaptive computers, specialized software, touch screens, and switches. Access to Adaptive Physical Education provides opportunities for additional growth in motor skills for children who attend this Long Island school.
Parents can visit their child’s classroom and observe the program. They may also speak with the classroom teacher and members of the multidisciplinary team at these visits and throughout the year as needed. Parents also participate in the development of the child’s IEP. Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meetings at this Long Island school cover topics that are important to the education and management of children with special needs and are held monthly.