 |
|||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||
 |
Circle of Friends Preschool is a model preschool classroom for young children with autism and their typically developing peers. The foundation of this program is based on the work of Gail McGee, Ph.D. of Emory University and the Walden Preschool. The program incorporates best practices taken from the fields of early childhood and autism including incidental teaching, discrete trial training, positive behavior support, and parent support and education. This model program is located in Huntington, WV and is a partnership between the West Virginia Autism Training Center and the local school district, Cabell County schools. A replication site opened in Hancock County West Virginia in September, 2004. For a downloadable brochure click here. Q: What is the philosophy of the program? A. T he philosophy of the Circle of Friends Preschool holds that all preschool children can learn in an integrated environment that is positive, fun, and provides many opportunities for children to develop social, communication and academic skills. Because families are so important in the development of their children, the Circle of Friends Preschool emphasizes family participation and provides a family-centered approach to education.
Q: What is the mission of Circle of Friends Preschool? A. The mission of Circle of Friends is to provide a model educational program for young children with autism, their families and their typically developing peers. The goal of our program is to meet the developmental learning needs of all of our students by providing a fun child-oriented environment, warm, caring and well trained staff that ensures high levels of child engagement throughout the day. The curriculum is based on each individual child's needs. Our program provides opportunities for the acquisition of developmentally appropriate skills in communication, social, play, self-help and pre-academics.
Q: What ages are served? A. The program serves children ages three to five years of age.
Q: How many children are served? A. The classroom consists of up to 5 children with an autism spectrum disorder and 10 typically developing peers.
Q: How are families involved in the program? A . Our program is very dependent on family participation, as we want to ensure that efforts at home and school are coordinated to enhance each child's learning potential. This is achieved through training in positive behavior support methods, team meetings, training at home, information, support and ongoing communication between home and school. We also regularly scheduled fun family activities for everyone to enjoy.
Q: What teaching approaches are used in the program? A. Circle of Friends preschool uses a variety of teaching approaches to meet the needs of all of the students. The methods of intervention used are research-based best practices for young children with autism spectrum disorders and their peers. Incidental teaching is embedded in all activities throughout the day and is our primary method of teaching. Principles of applied behavior analysis are pervasive throughout our curriculum and intervention strategies.
Q: What is incidental teaching? A. Incidental Teaching is a systematic approach to teaching that intentionally plans for and makes use of child-initiated "teachable moments" occurring naturally during play, daily activities and routines. Incidental Teaching is most often thought of as a way to increase language skills, but these teaching procedures apply equally well to social, self-help, and academic skills. Research has shown that incidental teaching can be used to teach both typical children and children with autism.
Q: Can we visit the program? A. We welcome visitors but prefer visits take place on Friday mornings during the school year. Please call to schedule a visit.
Q: How do I find out more about the Circle of Friends Preschool? A. Contact Cindy Dollman LeGrand at 304-696-7140 or e-mail cofpreschool@aol.com
|
 |
|||||
 |
 |
 |
|||||
|
Questions
regarding this site should be directed to the webmaster. |
|||||||
