The Autism Learning Academy: Designing a School for Children with Autism

Maggie Perkins, Drama, '20

The goal of my project was to research different therapies for children on the Autism Spectrum, because I feel that I have a very limited and biased view of behavioral therapies and want to understand  the pros and cons of different treatment plans. I designed a school based around the therapies I felt sounded most effective, while keeping in mind that no child's therapy plan should look the same.

The Autism Learning Academy

About Us: The Autism Learning Academy (ALA) was founded under the idea that there is no right method to educate a child with autism. Because Autism is a spectrum, therapies must be varied to fit an individual's need. At ALA, we strive for personalized and community oriented learning; despite having different treatment plans, students will engage in a variety of activities as a group, such as dance and art classes. Once a week, students attend an equine therapy in the afternoon, where they will learn to care for, tack, and ride horses, as well as create an emotional bond with their assigned horse. 

Mission Statement: The Autism Learning Academy (ALA) is a place for children with autism, aged 5-18,  committed to creating a treatment plan specialized for each student. At ALA, the relationships between therapist, student and family is crucial. Finding the perfect treatment plan is a collaborative process, dedicated to figuring out what works best for every student.  Therapists specialize in a variety of programs, including Applied Behavior Analysis, Floortime, and Speech Therapy. Other specialized therapies weekly horse therapy sessions as well as a cafeteria that accommodates a Gluten-Casein free diet.

 

Source: childrenstheraplay.org 

Source: brooklynautismcenter.org -- Can you spot the author?!

Source: nytimes.com

Daily Schedule:

9:00-9:15 — Arrive, unpack, review the day’s schedule (ABA and prompting used here)

9:15-10:00 — 1:1 Therapy session (depending on individual student, this could be speech therapy, ABA, or Floortime)

10:00-10:30— Free play in the Sensory Room (or other reinforcing activities such as painting, or listening to music) 

10:40-11:25 — 1:1 Therapy session (depending on individual student, this could be speech therapy, ABA, or Floortime)

11:25-12:05 — Morning activity (For example: Zumba class, yoga class, Art class, or Music class)

12:05-1:00 — Lunch and Free time in sensory room (or other enjoyable activities for students)

1:00-1:45 — 1:1 Therapy session, (some students may take this time to do some occupational ABA training, such as mopping up the classrooms, wiping the tables, etc.)

1:45-2:15 —Free play in the Sensory Room (or other reinforcing activities such as painting, or listening to music) 

2:15-3:00— 1:1 Therapy session (depending on individual student, this could be speech therapy, ABA, or Floortime)

3:00-3:15— Pack up and go home!

  * While all of these therapy sessions say they could be one of a few different types of therapies, or just one that we find works best for the child in question. Some therapies may occur daily, such as ABA, while others, such as speech therapy, occur once or twice a week.

** There is no snack time incorporated into the schedule because of the edible rewards that are often a part of many therapies. (If a certain child does not use rewards based programs, these snacks are incorporated into the beginnings of the second therapy session in either the morning or the afternoon.

*** On the day when the school goes riding, we depart the school after lunch and spend the rest of the afternoon riding, with school continuing to end at 3:15.