What is the difference between Oakstone Academy and CCDE (The Children’s Center for Developmental Enrichment)?
The Children’s Center for Developmental Enrichment (CCDE) is a non-profit company that oversees CCDE Therapies and Oakstone Academy. CCDE Therapies is the arm of the company that offers speech therapy, occupational therapy, family services, behavioral programming, and diagnostic services. Oakstone Academy is the private school part of the company.
Does CCDE do ABA (Applied behavior analysis)?
Yes, we do naturalistic applied behavior analysis, not ABA/DTT (Discrete trial training). Discrete trial training is just one tool that may be used to teach new skills.
What is the difference between discrete trial training and naturalistic applied behavior analysis?
Behaviorism is the examination of human (and animal) behavior using the principles of science: observation, testing, objectivity, etc. Applied behavior analysis, then, is the application of the science of behavior to intervene and change socially relevant behavior -- increase or decrease a particular behavior, improve the quality of a behavior, or to teach new behaviors.
Applied behavior analysis is the basis of programs addressing a broad spectrum of human behavior. It is important to understand that ABA is a framework for the practice of a science and not a specific program.
Discrete trial training on the other hand involves a one to one instructional setting using a single cycle of a behaviorally-based instructional routine. A particular trial may be repeated several times in succession, several times a day, over time until the skill is mastered. Discrete trial training does not involve intervention in the natural environment which is in direct contrast to the philosophy and mission of CCDE and Oakstone Academy.
What funding sources does CCDE accept?
One of our goals is to make programming for children with ASD affordable. We have worked with many county boards, school districts and state agencies to make this a reality. Many students are placed at Oakstone Academy by school districts or community schools that can not offer students the services they need. For more information on your districts services, contact your local school district special education director. We are, also, currently a Franklin County MR/DD CAFS provider, respite provider, and CTE provider. In addition, we are a Day Habilitation provider with the Ohio Dept. of MR/DD. For more information on these funding sources, contact your county MR/DD case manager. CCDE/Oakstone Academy is an Autism Scholarship Provider, as well.
What is the Autism Scholarship?
For information on the autism scholarship, visit the Ohio Dept. of Education website at www.ode.state.oh.us. You will want to go to “Disabilities –Gifted” under the Topic drop down menu on the home page. Then, proceed to Children with Disabilities Information and Publications. If you do not have internet access or are unable to find the information you want on the Autism Scholarship, call Paul Sogan at the Ohio Dept. of Education at 614-466-2650.
Does my child have to be enrolled in Oakstone Academy to receive services from CCDE Therapies, such as family support, speech therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral programming, and diagnostic services?
No, CCDE Therapies accepts students who do not attend Oakstone Academy as long as we are able to accommodate them. Although securing a placement for speech therapy or occupational therapy is often difficult, we are always happy to welcome individuals from the community to parent support group, sibshops, behavioral programming and our diagnostic services.
How do I get into Oakstone Academy?
Our non-profit, private school, Oakstone Academy, has a wait list. For typically developing peers, the wait may be brief. We are often able to accommodate them immediately or at the beginning of the next school year. Our wait list for students on IEPs is an extensive, multi-year waitlist. The length of your wait will depend on the age of your child and our ability to expand. Our school board decides what expansion, if any, will take place each year. Because we do not know what grades may or may not be expanded in any given year, we are unable to give you a specific amount of time. To get on the wait list, please fill out this brief application. Your child’s information will be added to the waitlist database. At such time that there is an opening for a student of a particular age, your child may be offered an interview opportunity to see if his/her needs can be met in that particular classroom.
What happens when a spot opens up in Oakstone Academy?
We consult our wait list and contact individuals who are next on the list who may fit the opening. You will be asked to come to the school for an interview and a tour at this time.
What is the interview?
Prior to enrolling in Oakstone Academy, both children with IEPs and typically developing peers, are asked to participate in an interview with our intake staff to determine if the opening we have fits the specific needs of the student. This also gives the family a chance to ask questions about the program or funding that they may have, tour the school, and make sure they too feel it is a good fit. This interview is not a full evaluation of your child’s disorder. It is just a chance for both parties to make sure this is the right fit. If you are interested in a full evaluation to determine more about your child’s disability, you may contact our diagnostic department.
Can I tour the school before I have been called for an interview?
No, unfortunately, our wait list is so long that we can not offer tours until you have been called for an interview. We do not have the staff to offer this many tours and it would be too disruptive to our classrooms to have 2-3 tours passing through each day. Because our wait list for children on an IEP is multi-year, it may be years after your tour that you are offered an interview. We want you to have a recent tour of our school when you making a decision about your child’s placement in our school. Therefore, we ask that you wait to be contacted for an interview before you tour the school. We do offer a limited number of tours to professionals who are interested in learning more about working with children with autism. If you are a professional, please contact our school about tour availability.
Can my child with a disability who does not have autism attend OakstonebAcademy?
Oakstone Academy specializes in serving students on the autism spectrum and their typically developing peers. We accept students on any part of the autism spectrum when we have an opening that fits their needs. The autism spectrum includes, PDD, PDD-NOS, Asperger’s Disorder, Rhett Syndrome, Childhood Disinegrative Disorder, and autism. We also have students who have dual diagnoses -- autism in addition to another diagnosis or have “autism-like traits”. While we evaluate each applicant on his or her particular strengths and weaknesses, we have not in the past accepted students with disabilities that are not on the autism spectrum. Due to the overwhelming number of applicants with ASD on our wait list, we do not anticipate being able to accommodate students with other disabilities in the future.