Today I had an amazing opportunity to visit The Learning Spectrum, which is a school for students with severe autism. Now, you might think why do we need schools like this when we have great public schools? And the reason is, parents might feel like their public schools can't provide their students with the extra assistance they need, or the school might decide that they can't handle the child and said him or her to a school like the Learning Tree where the student teacher ratio is much smaller, and the teachers are better prepared with more resources. If the district sends the student to this school, the district pays the tuition, but if parents choose to leave the school district they are faced with a $23000 tuition per year (That is more than in state tuition AND room and board at Bowling Green State University) and parents are expected to pay the additional costs of therapy. So, parents can apply for the autism scholarship, which is worth $27000 per year to pay for these costs. The school has 4 different locations, and I visited the main location in Worthington. Surprisingly, the school is located in an office building. Now, that might sound crazy, but it's just like the ILC! There is no need for a gym, library or a large cafeteria because the school only has 65 students and they stay mostly in their classrooms because they need their teachers there to help. The walls are covered in beautiful shades of green and blue! Just like the ILC! Most of the classrooms function in old offices or conference rooms. Although the tuition is so high, it is evident that the money is mostly going to pay the teachers because the rooms lack the academic resources that public schools have. There are very few books in the classrooms, with very little toys, tables, chairs or other supplies that you would see if you walked into a Hilliard Elementary School. But, it is evident that they do this for a reason because they want to eliminate the amount of dangerous objects in the classroom. The majority of the students attending the school don't need the academic sense because they are focused so intently on behavior. When I walked into many classrooms today, I saw kids mostly playing because they have to play for a long time and study for a little. Which works great for the special need students, but there are a few peer mentors in the pre school and kindergarten classrooms, and I am not quite sure how they are getting the education they need to thrive as a student because the three teachers in the room are constantly focused on keeping the special need students safe.
The lady I worked with today, Tiffanie Ryan, is a Behavior Analyst, so basically wha she does is she works with all of the students and determines what behavior goals need to be met and how the staff should reach those. She also analyzes the meaning of the students' behaviors. For example, there is a student who has a tendency to grab on to pulling hair and yanking it out. She is trying to determine if it is the hair that he likes or if it is the reaction that he gets after he pulls it. It is her goal to determine why each students does the things they do and how these habits can be changed to a more socially acceptable action. But, she does more of the business side, and she said sometimes she works so much in her office that she doesn't get a chance to see a child all day! Which would be awful! She did tell me about a job that I could get once I get a high school diploma it's similar to an intervention specialist, and I could possibly do it as a summer job! So, it was a great experience to learn about a non-traditional method of schooling, and it reinforced my love for special needs students. Additionally, it taught me that I really want to work with kids! I am so excited for my future!
The lady I worked with today, Tiffanie Ryan, is a Behavior Analyst, so basically wha she does is she works with all of the students and determines what behavior goals need to be met and how the staff should reach those. She also analyzes the meaning of the students' behaviors. For example, there is a student who has a tendency to grab on to pulling hair and yanking it out. She is trying to determine if it is the hair that he likes or if it is the reaction that he gets after he pulls it. It is her goal to determine why each students does the things they do and how these habits can be changed to a more socially acceptable action. But, she does more of the business side, and she said sometimes she works so much in her office that she doesn't get a chance to see a child all day! Which would be awful! She did tell me about a job that I could get once I get a high school diploma it's similar to an intervention specialist, and I could possibly do it as a summer job! So, it was a great experience to learn about a non-traditional method of schooling, and it reinforced my love for special needs students. Additionally, it taught me that I really want to work with kids! I am so excited for my future!