Children work consistently on the goals and objectives of their customized instructional program. This is accomplished with a one-to-one teacher student ratio or within small groups, depending upon the child's needs.

Teachers keep daily and monthly records of progress in each skill. Parent conferences are scheduled three times a year to share information and to ask questions for weekday program students only. Progress reports are typically written in October, January, and June for all children at CI whether in the 1:1 or weekday program. A short update is provided during the 3rd quarter usually in March for all children as well. Assessment is ongoing, and we regularly adjust each instructional program to meet your child’s changing developmental and/or academic needs.


One-to-One Educational Therapy

Some children attend regularly scheduled daily lessons with an instructor in order to learn essential developmental skills that include:

• Behavioral Compliance
• Matching and Sorting
• Nonverbal Imitation
• Receptive and Expressive Language
• Play Skills
• Arts and Crafts
• Self-Help Skills
• Fine Motor Skills
• Gross Motor Skills
• Sensory Support/Self-Regulation Skills
  
  

Other children participate in tutoring for the following academic skill areas:

• Phonemic Awareness
• Phonics
• High Use Words
• Reading
• Spelling
• Handwriting
• Grammar, Mechanics, and Phrasing
• Vocabulary (includes working on thought organization)
• Written Expression
• Literature
• Math
• Social Skills
• Homework/Study Skills
  
  

Weekday School Program

Preschool through Kindergarten
This program consists of small classes of three students and one teacher. There is an assistant teacher for every six children. Each student receives the equivalent of at least 1 hour per day of 1:1 instruction. Each child also receives OT consultation and some 1:1 or small group OT intervention during the course of every week. There is additional individualized care given to those who need to receive special attention and instruction related to feeding and eating. Hours of operation are from 9:00am-1:00pm, Monday through Thursday or Monday through Friday. We will only run this program Monday through Friday if we have a class of at least 2 children.

First Grade through Fifth Grade
For 1st through 5th grade, the classes typically consist of four students and one teacher. There is an assistant teacher for every eight children. Each student receives the equivalent of at least 1 hour per day of 1:1 instruction. Emphasis is placed upon creating times for working on social skills and self-regulation both 1:1 and in small groups. Each child also receives OT consultation and some 1:1 or small group OT intervention during the course of every week. Hours of operation are from 9:00am-2:00pm* Monday through Thursday and 9:00am-1:00pm on Friday. We reserve the right to go up to 5 students per class in this program, and if this occurs, more teaching assistant time will be allotted to those classrooms.

*This is a change in programming from the past several years. We are now including the social group as part of our day rather than making it optional. Thus the school day has been extended by 1 hour. This piece of our program is essential and required for our elementary school students. This time will not only include social and language skill building but also opportunities to engage in group experiences such as working on art projects or science experiments together. It will also provide time for integration of learning about cultural diversity and building character. There are two exceptions to this requirement. One, if students are already enrolled in a social, therapeutic group situation, then documentation must be provided along with the signature of the professional leading the group. Two, if students are involved in a mainstreaming situation, documentation must be provided along with a signature of the person in charge of this program at the other school facility.

Please note there may be some children, especially in the lower elementary years, who may not be able to tolerate the 9:00am-2:00pm program for a variety of reasons. There may also be some kindergarteners ready for the 9:00am-2:00pm day. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis. We will use the evaluation process to help us determine which program is the best fit for your child.

In the weekday program, students learn the essential developmental skills and/or academic skills such as reading, handwriting, spelling, written expression, math, social studies, science, and more advanced language skills. They also learn to successfully interact with each other as they build social skills throughout the day including during snack time, lunch, and gross motor play. Customized learning centers and a sensory support program are integral parts of this program.

As part of the evaluation process, the director helps parents determine a child’s readiness to enroll in this program. We accept students throughout the school year. However, given that our classrooms may be full and/or given that there may not be a space in the most appropriate classroom, we will make every effort to place the child with a teacher who will work with him/her for the 1:1 portion of the school day, start his or her program, and integrate the child into the existing classrooms and group times in order to receive full-benefit form the program. This has worked for us in the past, and we feel confident that acclimating children in this way is successful. There are cases in which we feel that a child is not ready to integrate fully into our weekday program. This is typically indicated in the evaluation report. Therefore, for these children we typically recommend the 1:1 program until we feel certain that integrating the child into the weekday program will be a positive experience for everyone.

Other programs are available before and after school to enhance students’ social and extracurricular experiences. These programs are only for those already attending the weekday program, except for the Motor and Social Skills Club.** You must commit for the entire year and there will be no refunds for missed days. Details are available in our admissions packet.

**Open to the community and siblings of the weekday program students. We encourage you to invite participants who you feel may be a good fit for the group. Approval lies with the director.

Motor and Social Skills Clubs (groups dependent upon interest and enrollment)

For those children who are ready to further develop their social and motor skills, we offer “clubs” during regularly scheduled times during the week. Children engage in fun activities and games that help them develop balance, strength and endurance, coordination, rhythm and timing. They also learn to interact successfully with others, which includes waiting their turn, sharing, and communicating their desires and needs to other children and adults.