Griswold Elementary School 303 Slater Avenue Griswold, Connecticut 06351
Griswold Elementary
School
Autism Spectrum
Disorder
Enrichment Program
G.E.S.
Mission Statement
The primary mission of the Griswold Elementary School Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Enrichment Program is to
provide a supportive educational environment and to develop the full potential of students with ASD through a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approach addressing
Goals
Provide a highly individualized, comprehensive, and structured program with coordinated services across all disciplines.
Ensure that all students are receiving the proper levels of support, at all times, to foster growth and achieve
independence.
Organize weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly meetings with parent(s), general education teachers, special education teachers, specials teachers, therapists, counselors, instructional assistants, and/or consultants to review and adjust instruction.
Provide intensive training and support for all Instructional Assistants who are essential for our students’ success. Conduct assessments to identify students’ previously
acquired skills, strengths, and areas of need. Utilize assessment results to assist in planning and
intervention, and for the development of IEP goals and objectives.
Determine the need for behavioral support strategies in order to promote and support student’s organization, sensory regulation, and success across all school and home environments.
Support the development of skills in all areas including Activities of Daily Living (ADL), social skills, and self-regulation skills.
Consider the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), to the maximum extent possible, when determining student placement settings.
Related Services
The Griswold Elementary School ASD Enrichment Program offers extensive support services including:
Speech and Language Pathologists
• Provide individual and/or small group therapy sessions. • Utilize various techniques/interventions including
Relationship Development Intervention (RDI).
• Train educational team members on the use of various Augmentative Communication Devices (ACD) including DynaVox and iPad.
Occupational Therapists
• Evaluate students’ need for and implement individualized daily sensory diets.
• Develop/increase students’ abilities in the realm of self-help skills.
• Strengthen fine motor abilities to increase student success with writing and/or typing.
Physical Therapists
• Focus on improving gross and fine motor skills, balance, coordination, strength, and endurance.
• Provide extensive training and consultation to educational team members on the use of specialized equipment such as lifts, standers, wheelchairs, and braces. Team
members are also trained to provide beneficial stretching and exercise routines between the therapy sessions.
More Related Services
Counselors and Social Workers
• Work directly with educational teams and family members to assist in the development of a consistent home and school support system for students.
• Provide student counseling services when necessary. • Link students and families with agencies, resources, and
programs that will meet their needs.
Nursing Staff
• Provide the administration of necessary medications and beneficial supplements/vitamins when required.
• Consult with educational team members and families on a daily, weekly, and/or monthly basis according to need.
Transportation Service
• Provide a safe, Aide supervised, and less overwhelming environment for student transport to and from school.
Assistive Technology
Many students in the Griswold Elementary School Autism Enrichment Program utilize some level of communicative support.
Based on assessment and continued evaluation, communication is supported through the use of Picture Exchange Communication
Symbols (PECS), Augmentative Communication Devices, and/or Recordable Voice Output Devices.
Sensory Diet
Sensory integration provides our students with activities that challenge and support their abilities to process sensory input. In
providing our students with sensory integration throughout their day, we are assisting them with learning which activities or experiences will lessen or eliminate their discomfort and increase
their ability to adapt and cope. The Griswold Elementary Autism Enrichment Program offers a therapeutic resource room with a
multitude of equipment including a swing, trampoline, bikes, a wagon, weighted equipment, mats, therapy balls, a water table, a
tent, a squeeze machine, exploratory fidgets, and many others. The equipment and space is available to students during the day
through a defined and scheduled sensory diet and/or on an as need basis.
Social Skills Training
The Griswold Elementary School Autism Enrichment Program supports students’ development of social skills by teaching students, in a variety of ways, using specific interventions and modes. Students are taught skills through direct instruction and in the general education classroom. The development of social skills is also supported in a small group setting called Circle of Friends.
The overall goal of Circle of Friends is to expand and deepen friendships and provide support and encouragement to peers as
well as to children with disabilities. Social skills such as turn taking, conversational skills, and following directions are
Consultative Services
The Griswold Elementary School Autism Enrichment Program works with two outside consultants:
Dr. Barry M. Prizant, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
An internationally recognized expert supports, educates, and provides information on autism spectrum disorders to educators, parents/families, and therapists. Dr. Prizant and co-authors, Amy Wetherby, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Emily Rubin, M.S., CCC-SLP, Amy
C. Laurent, OTR/L, and Patrick J Rydell, Ed.D, CCC-SLP wrote the SCERTS Model. SCERTS stands for Social Communication,
the ability to communicate spontaneously and establish relationships within everyday social activities, Emotional
Regulation, the ability to regulate emotional arousal to support
learning and engagement, Transactional Supports, factors that
help, including interpersonal supports, learning and educational supports, support to families, and support among professionals.
The Griswold Elementary School Autism Enrichment Program utilizes the SCERTS Model as an instructional method and
approach for working with our students with ASD.
Erin Casper, BCBA
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) focuses on intense training of small, discrete skills through trials, referred to as discrete trials. A
skill set is taught using reinforcement until the student has mastered all of the appropriate skills and can use them in the
generalized natural environment. The Griswold Elementary School Autism Enrichment Program utilizes an ABA approach as
an instructional method for teaching some of our students with ASD.
Assessments
The Griswold Elementary School Autism Enrichment Program utilizes many assessment methods including, but not limited to,
VB-MAPP (Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program), SCERTS Assessment, School Functional
Assessment (SFA), CMT Checklist, and daily, weekly, and/or monthly data in order to progress monitor, adjust instruction
and/or supports, and develop IEP goals and objectives.
Pamphlet development was a collaboration between special education teachers, Dawn Galisewski and Kate Sandhop.
November 2010
