Paal program downingtown

We teach unique…. From Business: Founded in , Royer-Greaves School for Blind, also known as RGS, is a nonprofit institute that offers educational and training solutions for children and…. Formerly known as Melmark New England, it is one of the leading…. Its curriculum includes…. Located in Coatesville, Pa. Advertise with Us. Website More Info. Website Directions More Info. OPEN 24 Hours. Gerhardt, who consults nationally on the issue of adolescents with autism, and has over twenty-five years of experience in this field, works with PAAL to develop our program and to monitor its implementation.

Gerhardt advises on staff training as well as on critical policies and procedure. To learn more about Dr. Gerhardt, click here.

The curriculum has the following core components:. As referenced in the Syracuse guide, this curriculum is highly individualized, intensive in nature, and focused on the development of adaptive behaviors in the areas of social competencies, community living, community training, interdependence, and self-determination.

Every aspect of the curriculum is intended to have a functional goal. Functional academic skills are addressed: primarily math, reading, and writing with an emphasis on functional communication training.

Practically, once these skills are targeted through the IEP process, baseline data is collected to assess competencies and identify areas for increased mastery. Once mastery criteria is set, data is continually collected and assessed in order that learning programs and interventions strategies can be continually modified to increase independent skill levels. All learning is implemented and monitored according to the principals of Applied Behavior Analysis, utilizing systems of reinforcement, prompting strategies, and the naturally-occurring cues within the natural environment to teach skill acquisition.

Skill acquisition learning programs are developed for each skill taught. Functional assessments are performed to determine the function of maladaptive behaviors prior to the development of behavior reduction plans. Appropriate replacement behaviors are identified prior to the development of positive behavior plans. Educational strategies employed include PECS, incidental teaching, fluency-based instruction, task analysis, backward chaining, schedules of reinforcement, positive behavior support, peer modeling, functional analysis, data collection, and strategies to promote social competencies.

Program Components School Day State-regulated number of school days. In order to more closely emulate a junior and senior high school day, plans are in the works to extend PAAL student hours. An extended school day would allow students to participate in peer-to-peer programs, after-school sports, and similar activities.

Additionally, transition-age students need to maximize instructional time to prepare for the demands of adulthood. A fundamental program principal is to increase ratios as quickly as is competently possible. Independence is the goal, and further, ratios are rarely available in adult services.

Entirely Community-Based Instruction School-based education and instruction for acquisition of prerequisite skills. The classroom facility is located in the heart of the business district of Downingtown, PA, and is in close proximity to the Chester County High School, thus presenting opportunities for interaction with typically-developing peers.