Children’s Preparedness Center
Student disability: significant developmental delays, including autism and mental retardation
Student Age: 5 to 8 (Early Primary)
Students attending this modern early education center on Long Island need a highly individualized behavioral approach and small class sizes (6: 1: 2). As part of their educational / behavioral approach, specially trained program staff track 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 achieving individualized educational goals in academic and pre-academic programs. Parents and family 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. The 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, photographs, 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 Disability: Preschooler with a disability (multiple disabilities, physical disabilities)
Student Age: 3 to 5
The Carman Road School preschool program is one of many Long Island schools that provide a total educational intervention for children with multiple physical and cognitive disabilities in a specially designed setting. All children at this Long Island school are encouraged to reach their highest potential through many activities that stimulate growth and development while developing self-confidence. Youth are referred to the program by their local district Committee on Early Childhood Education (CPSE). Once accepted, they attend full-day classes, 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. Each child’s unique abilities and needs are considered in all program activities.
An engineering-assisted language environment, utilizing visual strategies and assistive technology, is utilized to foster the physical development and growth of communication skills of the children attending 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 spent each day to encourage the development of skills needed in activities of daily living, such as eating and dressing. Social skills are developed in structured activities and free play. This Long Island school uses individual and group projects such as painting, cooking, coloring, planting flowers, playing with water, and using the sand table to develop motor and learning 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 attending this Long Island school.
Parents can visit their child’s classroom and observe the program. They can also speak with the classroom teacher and members of the multidisciplinary team on these visits and throughout the year as needed. Parents are also involved in the development of the child’s IEP. The 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.