Monday, November 29, 2010

Soaring Eagle Academy


Soaring Eagle Academy

8320 S. Madison Street
Burr Ridge IL 60527

Phone: 630-323-2900

Email:contact@soaringeagleacademy.org

Website:http://soaringeagleacademy.org


The Mission and Vision of Soaring Eagle Academy

Our Mission
To provide a social and academic learning environment for students with special needs supporting their individual strengths and learning styles while integrating learning and interaction within a Developmental Individual-Difference Relationship (DIR®) Based Approach.

Our Vision
Soaring Eagle Academy is a safe and nurturing environment where each student and family, teacher and therapist, and other professionals from the community have the opportunity to work together to honor the abilities of the whole child. Together we will respect, embrace and empower students to guide, learn and teach. Students are cared for physically, intellectually, socially and emotionally while engaged in meaningful learning.

  • Our learning environment will reflect each child’s interests by integrating their ideas and thoughts into the learning curriculum to develop a joy for learning.
    • Student’s need for emotional support will be recognized and supported for maximum learning.
    • Spontaneous developmentally appropriate interactions will be facilitated throughout the day.
    • Student directed learning will be encouraged and expanded by school staff.
    • Learning experiences will support sensory/motor, auditory and visual spatial skill development.
    • Semi-structured problem solving experiences will be facilitated and supported in both academic and social situations.
    • Assistive Technology tools will be embedded within the learning environment to facilitate communicative and academic success.
    • Support treatment including, Therapeutic Listening® and Samonas® Auditory Intervention, and Interactive Metronome® will be utilized support learning.
  • Our school philosophy and methodology reflect a Developmental Individual-Difference Relationship (DIR®) Based Approach by which students move through developmental levels for relating, communicating, thinking and learning. Student’s educational goals incorporate the student’s developmental levels, individual learning/sensory profile and Illinois Learning Standards.
    • Students develop and practice the ability for regulation and shared attention needed for the foundation of relationships and learning.
    • Students develop and practice engagement and trust needed for building relationships and learning.
    • Students develop and practice two-way purposeful verbal and gestural communication, opening and closing circles of communication, needed for relationships, problem solving and learning.
    • Students develop and practice communicating and problem solving, to create a continuous flow of interaction, needed for learning and relationships.
    • Students develop and practice the ability to functionally use ideas to create and expand learning and relationships.
    • Students develop and practice building bridges in order to connect ideas and learning logically, facilitating problem solving, imagination, learning and relationships.
  • Our student’s will be respected for their individual profile of strengths and weaknesses in 1 on 1, small group and classroom environments.
    • Student’s emotions will be respected, verbally acknowledged and validated.
    • Students will be encouraged to develop and use strategies for coping and self-regulation.
    • Student’s emotional capacities will be developed, expanded and modulated for a range of emotions.
    • Student’s ideas and learning choices will be viewed as sacred while respecting and maximizing each child’s potential.
    • Students learning opportunities will encourage self-expression, creativity, self-image and an excitement for the school experience.
    • Student’s social interactions with peers and staff will be facilitated and supported in all learning environments.
  • Our school staff is a comprehensive team of professionals working together to facilitate and support student learning.
    • Our staff is a dedicated, caring, compassionate group of individuals who appreciate and respect each child’s challenges and accomplishments.
    • Teacher to student ratio is closely monitored to maximize each students learning.
    • A core team of related services that may include Speech/Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker, Psychologist, Relationship-Based Practices Consultants and Program Facilitator will support all classroom teachers and teacher assistants.
    • All staff will participate in initial and ongoing training in the Developmental Individual-Difference Relationship (DIR®) Based Approach.
  • Parents will be respected as active partners in their child’s education through observation, training, support, and classroom visits.
    • Parents will become knowledgeable in the DIR® Based Approach utilized in our school.
    • Parents will be empowered by learning skills for advocacy for successful participation in their child’s educational plan.
    • Parents will be given opportunities for continued training and coaching in DIR® Based Approach implemented in our school.
    • Parents will be encouraged to be involved in scheduled weekly classroom activities.
    • Parents will be given opportunities to learn about community resources.
  • Our school hopes to expand individual student growth by creating additional opportunities for learning.
    • Students will have opportunities for typical peer interactions through reverse mainstreaming.
    • Students will have the opportunity to continue in a DIR® Based Approach through high school/vocational program.
  • Our program plans to serve as a model school implementing a DIR® Based Approach.
    • Our program will serve as a training site for parents, professionals and school districts, searching for knowledge in the DIR® Approach.
    • Our program plans to develop a DIR® Based Curriculum to be utilized within our school and shared with other interested programs.
    • Our program hopes to gather information regarding implementation and results of DIR® based educational intervention for research purposes.


Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The Reason For HOPE - Autism Preschool and ABA Therapy Center







The Reason for HOPE

1842 W. Main
League City, TX 77573
832. 632.2177
Email
  • First, The Reason For HOPE strives to provide exemplary Applied Behavior Analytic intervention to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their families in a positive Christian environment.
  • Second, The Reason For HOPE strives to cultivate learning among neurologically typical preschoolers by providing a learning center that focuses on academic, social, language and play skills within a Christian environment.


Friday, September 24, 2010

Schools for Autism ...

I am going to be revisiting / revamping the Schools4Autism blog that has been dormant for awhile due to life intruding on blogging. If you know of a good autism school in your area or you have such a school not found below, drop me an email or comment please. The Schools4Autism blog is an offshoot of this (the list) old and long since abandoned page. The List page gets a ton of web traffic even though it hasn't had any TLC / updating in a very long time.

Schools4Autism blog

Schools for Autism - The Mother of All Lists

Schools for Autism - The Mother of All Lists

Monday, June 14, 2010

Ernie Els - Autism Center of Excellence (Palm Beach County, FL)

"While Ernie competes in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach this week, plans are under way in Florida to create a Center of Excellence. Set on 15 acres in northern Palm Beach County, it will accommodate 300 full-time students with ASD, with 100,000 square feet of classrooms and state-of-the-art medical, research, and recreational facilities. "Autism touches each kid in a different way," Els says. "We'll be prepared to deal with ASD on all levels, and to give each kid--each person--the most effective individual treatment he or she can get."

"Due for completion in 2012, the center will be the largest and most comprehensive facility of its kind. Through the nonprofit Els for Autism Foundation, Ernie and have committed $6 million and raised an additional $4.6 million. A total of $30 million is needed. "

- Parade: Golfer Ernie Els: 'I've Got a Boy with Autism'




Related:

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Principal of Houma’s School for Exceptional Childre beat child with autism

Principal charged with beating student

The principal of Houma’s School for Exceptional Children has resigned amid the allegations.


HOUMA — The former principal of a school for mentally and physically disabled children faces a battery charge in connection with allegations that she beat a severely autistic 11-year-old child.

Sophia Seymore, 42, of Gibson, was issued a misdemeanor summons Friday for battery to the infirm after being questioned by Houma City Police detectives in the presence of an attorney.

Lt. Jude McElroy, a police spokesman, said the charge was lodged after consultation with the Terrebonne Parish District Attorney’s Office.

Seymore resigned Wednesday from her post at the Terrebonne Parish School for Exceptional Children. Neither police nor Terrebonne schools Superintendent Philip Martin would provide details of the alleged incident.

Christopher St. Martin, a Houma attorney, issued a statement confirming that his firm is representing the child and his parents “due to concerns that their child has been abused while under the school’s supervision.”

St. Martin said the child’s parents received an anonymous letter informing them that “the school’s principal had been physically and mentally abusive toward the severely autistic 11-year-old.”

The mother went to the Terrebonne Parish School Board and the Houma Police Department to make formal complaints, prompting investigations by both.

A School Board representative notified the parents, St. Martin said, that sufficient evidence was found to demand the principal resign or be terminated.

St. Martin said police told the parents that witnesses “indicated the principal put the child on the ground, got on the child’s back and repeatedly slammed his head onto a concrete floor.”

[FULL ARTICLE]


Lathrop Elementary School 2nd Grader with Autism found in TRAFFIC











Someone at Lathrop Elementary School in Lathrop, CA dropped the ball in a huge way here.

Lathrop mom to school: Why was autistic daughter found in traffic?

Her mother Cristina Braun said she showed up to pick up her daughter Wednesday and was surprised to find her gone.

"I asked the teacher, 'Where's Isabella?' She threw up her arms and said she didn't know," Braun said.

Braun frantically searched the campus for several minutes until she saw Isabella standing in the middle of a busy street along side the school with cars whizzing by.

More