Y.A.L.E. School Southeast II: Audubon
The Y.A.L.E. School Southeast II Autism Program, located in Audubon, provides year-round, full-day educational programming to children with autism or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). The program provides educational services to students ages 14 to 21 within a public Jr/Sr high school in Audubon, NJ. The Y.A.L.E. School Southeast II program offers a 10-month program plus an extended school year program during the summer.
The Y.A.L.E. School Southeast II program is one of two satellite campuses operating under the umbrella of the Y.A.L.E. School Southeast Autism Program. This program is based on the principles and practices of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), the only empirically proven treatment for autism and PDD. All of the teaching procedures and behavioral intervention strategies are derived from the professional literature in order to ensure that staff members and supervisors employ "best practices," and staff performance is evaluated quarterly. Students’ goals are measured objectively and frequently and performance data are graphed weekly. Changes to a student's instruction and services are based on data trends, clinical conferences, parent conferences, and IEP requirements.
A variety of strategies are implemented at Y.A.L.E. School Southeast, Southeast II and Atlantic in an effort to maximize success in academic skill acquisition and behavioral competency - such as:
- 2:1 student-to-staff ratio
- On-site highly-trained professional staff
- Supervision provided by Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) employed at the Y.A.L.E. School Autism Programs
- Intensive, frequent staff training
- Instruction targets functional academics with a primary focus on prevocational and life-skills training
- Vocational training and job sampling/coaching provided on an individualized basis
- Weekly community outings to work on generalization of skills learned in the classroom
The theoretical framework employed by the Y.A.L.E. School Southeast programs includes the following methods and strategies:
- Application of Skinners Functional Analysis of Language
- Discrete Trial Instruction
- Small-group Instruction
- Errorless Teaching
- Incidental Teaching
- Functional Behavior Assessment
- Activity Schedules
- Individualized Schedules of Reinforcement
- Computer-based Instruction
To help parents and guardians better understand and support their children, Y.A.L.E. stresses school-family collaboration and ongoing communication between school, home, and the referring district. Services that foster such a relationship include:
- Daily, data-specific activity reports
- Monthly parent observations
- Regular district observations
- Quarterly parent workshops
- On-site parent training
- Bi-monthly program newsletter
- Quarterly progress reports
- Transition consultations
To contact a supervisor of the Y.A.L.E. School Southeast II: Audubon Autism Program, please call or write:
Y.A.L.E. School Southeast
1004 Laurel Oak Road
Voorhees, NJ 08043
Phone: (856) 346-0007
Fax: (856) 346-0706