Individualized educational services are provided to students diagnosed with autism and pervasive developmental disorder. At IEA, students attend school from 9:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., 5 days per week. IEA operates on an extended school year calendar, so that students attend school from September through June and in July and August. A 1:1 staff-student ratio is employed to provide effective teaching throughout the day. In addition, students spend time in both individual and group sessions. This combination of teaching strategies ensures that students acquire social, language and academic skills.
Programming at IEA is highly individualized to each student’s needs. Objective goals are defined for each student by IEA staff, in collaboration with the student’s parents. Systematic intervention procedures are employed to teach students new skills, direct observation and measurement of child progress occurs daily, and objective data are collected and analyzed to assess the effectiveness of the teaching procedures. Through these methods, IEA personnel are able to revise teaching procedures as necessary, to ensure rapid and consistent skill acquisition by the students.
For preschoolers, much of their daily programming and activity focuses on building social skills and preparing them for their educational years ahead. As students mature into adolescents and young adults, programs are tailored to emphasize the development of necessary social, daily living and vocational skills needed to allow them to function with the greatest possible independence within their families and communities. These skills include money management, good grooming, menu planning, and appropriate vocational training for eventual employment opportunities.
The preschool and school-aged programs are approved by the Bergen County Department of Education and the New Jersey State Department of Education. Referrals to the educational program can be made by parents, child study team members, and other professionals in human service agencies.
