Day Programs

League School for Autism > Programs > Day Programs

360° Instruction

Our day programs put the League School’s individualized, collaborative, and pioneering approach into action. We offer three distinct and unique day programs – Foundations, Pathfinders, and Transitions – that work together to meet the diverse needs of our student population.

Each program is designed around age and grade level, grouping students in classrooms within the program by developmental communication stage and academic ability. Each program offers curricula and instruction that is individualized to the learning style of each student.

FOUNDATIONS provides instruction to students in grades PreK-6
PATHFINDERS provides instruction to students in middle school through early high school (grade 7 through grade 9)
TRANSITIONS provides instruction to students in high school (grade 10) through post-graduate age

Students are placed in the program that aligns with their academic grade. The range of grades for each program allows flexibility to ensure that all students receive the highest level of support needed from their dedicated team of specialists.

Each program has a dedicated team including a combination of head teachers, a speech-language pathologist (SLP) or speech-language pathology assistant (SLP-A), an occupational therapist (OT) or certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA), a clinician, and a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA). Students receive direct instruction using a small group, push-in model, allowing for specialists to work with students with similar goals and to demonstrate effective ways to target these goals for classroom staff. Physical therapy services are available based on individualized education program (IEP) goals.

Foundations

Grades: PreK - elementary/early middle school

Focus: Students in the Foundations program are building upon their academic readiness skills as they develop functional school skills.

Skills Development: academic readiness, play skills, social communication, emotional regulation, daily living skills, engagement in grade-level academics as appropriate

PATHFINDERS

Grades: Middle school through mid-high school

Focus: Students in the Pathfinders program are exploring the pathways available to them within the school setting. They are working on enhancing their social skills and exploring career interests as they continue reaching academic goals.

Skills Development: meeting graduation requirements, standardized test taking, vocational skills, independent living skills, social communication skills, emotional regulation skills

TRANSITIONS

Grades: Late high school through postgraduate age

Focus: Students in the Transitions program are building the final blocks in their school careers and preparing to transition to adulthood. This transition may be the fulfillment of graduation requirements as appropriate, development of vocational skills, and independent living skills to prepare students for success in the world of work and adult living.

Skills Development: functional academic skills, vocational training, social communication, emotional regulation, independent living skills, community experiences, and safety awareness

Day Program Overview

Framework

All programs use the pioneering SCERTS^® Model as a framework for our multidisciplinary approach, which provides students with the program and services that best meet their individual needs. SCERTS – which stands for Social Communication, Emotional Regulation, and Transactional Supports – emphasizes these critical areas of skill development for all our students. Whether a student engages easily in conversation and needs support organizing their thoughts to convey meaning or shares their ideas using a communication device or other augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), our staff supports them in enhancing social communication skills. Emotional regulation skills are taught across the student’s day to promote generalization. When students are able to effectively regulate their emotions and internal energy states, they are more successful in coping with stressors, interacting with others, and engaging with their environment. Transactional supports include all of the ways in which educators and caregivers adapt the ways they interact, the environment, and the task, removing barriers to foster student success.

Schedule

The League School day program operates five days a week on a 12-month schedule for a total of 216 school days. The school day begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 2:45 p.m. Students are dismissed every other Wednesday at noon for professional development to keep our staff highly trained and current on the latest best practices in Autism education. The residential program provides services for our students 365 days a year. See the League School academic calendar.

Teaching

All day program classrooms have a head teacher and one or more teacher assistants to support a maximum of eight students. The teachers work closely with the specialists to meet the individual needs of each student.

Environment

Programs and class spaces are designed to provide a small sensory-friendly school environment with the flexibility to modify auditory and visual stimuli depending on the sensitivities of each student.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information about our day programs, please reach out to League Admissions Coordinator, Lynne Goyuk at admissions@leagueschool.com or 508-850-3900 ext. 171.