Oakstone Academy’s preschool program includes children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their typically developing peers in an educational environment that promotes meaningful social interactions, tolerance of individual differences, and advancement of developmental and academic competency. Our program applies research-based intervention strategies as well as shifting clinical practices into a naturalistic classroom-based application. Our preschool classrooms are fully inclusive, meaning 50% of the students in each classroom have autism spectrum disorder, and 50% of the students are typically developing.
The early childhood classrooms at Oakstone Academy are staffed with one lead teacher, and two full-time instructional assistants. Many of the young children who attend our preschool classrooms also receive Naturalistic Home-Based Programming. See CCDE Therapies for more information about this program. The preschool curriculum is designed to meet the needs of typically developing children while including supports for children with ASD. Oakstone Academy offers a three-year individualized program for children ages three through six. Program options include half and full-day preschool classrooms, as well as Pre-K.
Photographic icons are introduced to older preschoolers as they develop higher-level abstract thinking skills. Icons continue to define the environmental space for the child, to introduce the development of social skills, and to increase development of self-management skills at this critical age. The display of a visual schedule also helps to mark the passage of time for young children. Children with special needs are paired with a peer model during a sequenced play period. Peer models are supported and encouraged to model age-appropriate play skills during this time. Reinforcement is given in the form of verbal praise and tangibles, such as stickers and stamps, on an intermittent basis. Visual schedules are used in our elementary classrooms as well to promote academic skills and are paired with another strategy, self-monitoring, to promote independent functioning and an even higher level of self-management.
The curriculum includes activities in practical living, literacy, sensory-motor, mathematics, language development, geography, science, movement, music, and art. Children are encouraged to develop independent functioning skills as well as a respect for self, and others, and the environment through age-appropriate activities and daily experiences. Self-management and problem solving skills are encouraged and viewed as essential elements in the development of the whole child.
Behavior management strategies include teaching children with ASD to regulate their sensory systems and learn to compensate for their sensory deficits in group settings. Applied behavior strategies include designing the environmental space to support appropriate interactions, the use of pictures, icons, and other visual cues, consistent consequences for inappropriate behaviors, and abundant positive reinforcement for engaging in appropriate interactions and conduct.
One of the techniques used at Oakstone Academy is the use of picture schedules for children of all ages and developmental levels. Picture schedules are used with peer models and children with special needs beginning with children as young as two years old. Actual photographs are used in the young preschool environment to help define the child’s space and illustrate the daily schedule of activities. These photographs assist children during transitions and provide the foundation for the development of emerging self-management skills, while promoting engagement with materials during play time. Picture schedules are also used to promote social interaction in the preschool setting. We find that when children are actively engaged with their peers, they are more likely to imitate the peers during play and may improve their own skills in other developmental domains including language, social/play, motor, and cognition.
Photographic icons are introduced to older preschoolers as they develop higher level abstract thinking skills. Icons continue to define the environmental space, and assist in the development of self-management skills at this critical age. The display of a visual schedule also helps to mark the passage of time for young children. Children with special needs are paired with one or more peer models during a sequenced play period. Peer models are supported and encouraged to model age-appropriate play skills during this time. Reinforcement is provided in the form of verbal praise and tangibles, such as stickers and stamps, on an intermittent basis. The use of picture schedules is continued in our kindergarten and elementary classrooms to promote academic skills and is frequently paired with another proven strategy, self-monitoring, to promote increased independence and an even higher level of self-management.