A Child’s Individual Curriculum Begins with the Parents…
At the Autism Model School, teachers seek parent input during all stages of drafting a student’s individualized education plan (IEP). This planning process leads up to and continues to take place during the IEP Team Meeting.
If there are particular skills that parents feel should be prioritized in their student’s education, they are free to inform the teacher, who will work to include the skill or a pre-requisite skill in the student’s IEP.
Goals
For students at the Autism Model School, IEP goals will target relevant gains in some or all of the following domains:
- Language/Communication
- Adaptive Behavior
- Social/Leisure Skills
- Fine and Gross Motor Development
- Daily Living Activities
- Independent Living Skills
- Learner Readiness Skills
- Traditional Academics
- Community Participation/Job-Readiness
Tailored to Fit Needs
Each child with autism has specific individual needs that must be addressed. As such, no list of educational programs and approaches is intended to be completely comprehensive. Staff at the school work collaboratively, and with input from parents and other professionals, to ensure that each student has an individually tailored plan to address their most significant needs.
Assessments
The school uses a variety of assessments to help inform and pinpoint the education needs of each student throughout the IEP process. Due to the wide developmental and age range of students, the school selects assessments on an individual basis.
Some of these assessments and programs include:
- Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP)
- Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills- Revised (ABLLS-R)
- Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)