1.  Consultation

For students needing an academic curriculum emphasis, the classroom program is supported by the services of a consultant that regularly visits the classroom to assist the staff in the areas of student assessment, development of socialization skills and behavior management.  More specifically the consultant provides:

• Assessment using the Psychoeducational Profile - Revised  (PEP-R) and/or Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS)
• Establishing Theraplay® social skill groups 
• Consultation to the staff and families (behavioral, social, psychological) on an “as needed” basis 
• Coordination with educational team to provide autism family support

 2.  Targeted Classrooms
For students needing a more specialized program while still participating in academics according to their level of ability, selected classes at the elementary through high school level have been targeted to specifically respond to
students with more intensive needs. The instructional teams in these classes are experienced and receive ongoing staff
development in specialized approaches identified as being beneficial to students on the autism spectrum.  More specifically, the classroom will provide:

• Daily structured routine with schedules defined and organizational needs addressed. 
• Behavior management interventions and continued staff development to extend knowledge of various interventions, such as de-escalation techniques, with a preference towards positive proactive approaches and the least restrictive treatment model with student accountability. 
• Systematic Teaching and Functional Behavioral Assessments that analyze and diagnose behavior in order to increase, decrease or maintain skills, FBA (Functional, Behavior Assessment) upon parent approval. 
• Team approach among teachers and related services to collaborate in and out of class, individually or in a group, on a consistent program with similar ideas, subject matter and goals. 
•  Discrete Trial Instruction to task analyze and break goals down into smaller steps and to be employed by the entire team of teacher and related services. 
• Inclusion and interaction with public school settings, activities and events. 
• Sensory approach to address auditory, visual and tactile needs in all settings with collaboration and consultation from the Erie 1 occupational, physical, and speech therapists. 
• Theraplay®, the adult/student, structured interaction in group play with trained therapists, to achieve child self-esteem, sense of belonging and caring for oneself and others through cooperation and nurturing techniques communication.