The Special Education Program of the Graham Academy

The curriculum at the Graham Academy focuses on advancing cognitive, motor, social, sensory and language development as well as teaching self-help and daily living skills both through one-on-one and small group activities. The program provides activities and goals designed to advance development of concepts related to objects, cause and effect, space, movement, and people, toileting, ablution and dressing skills, fine motor control, mobility and motor planning, auditory, vestibular and visual processing, anxiety and arousal control, and symbolic representation (words, letters and numbers).
Since a child’s ability to use language directly affects their ability to learn, develop friendships, and interact appropriately with others, the Graham Academy will place priority on promoting each child’s use and understanding of pragmatic language skills including the meaning of words and grammar, the meaning of gaze, body postures and gestures, the meaning of tone of voice, and how context is used to interpret the meaning of language and other communication cues.  The curriculum will address deficits in these skills through play, drawings, games, books, and real-life activities.  When language skills have developed adequately, the program will introduce the concept that actions, quantities and qualities can be represented symbolically through letters, numbers and stick-figure drawings.
Cognitive concepts related to objects, cause and effect, space, movement, and people are foundation concepts without which children are not able to learn higher level academic skills.  Therefore children will be assessed to determine their level of concept development in five critical areas: moving objects, spatial relationships, transformation of size, color and shape, mechanisms, and people, and the program staff will incorporate activities designed to promote development in those concept areas.  Concepts will be developed through play, art, and problem solving activities together with a teacher or aide who will describe, explain, and demonstrate how things are the same or different and how they work.

Social skills will be promoted through games, group activities and activities that require turn taking, planning and cooperation in small groups of two or three children.  As children progress in social skills, these groups will be expanded to include four or more children.

Sensory functions will be addressed through vestibular and ocular-vestibular activities in the sensory gym.  These activities include spinning, jumping, swinging, practicing visual pursuit, watching sensory videos, balance activities, running, joint compression and vibration, massage or brushing.  Auditory processing will be promoted through activities designed specifically for the particular form of auditory processing difficulty such as auditory attention training using videos, auditory figure/ground exercises using music and reading, and speed of processing activities using computer programs.

Motor skill development will be addressed through activities designed to promote motor planning, fine motor control, and spatial awareness.  Tasks will involve art projects, sewing activities, construction toys, and building activities and school garden.
Mobility will be addressed by improving awareness of space and spatial relationships and through motor planning activities to improve motor fluency.  For children who are fully mobile, activities will include climbing, walking, running, dancing and jumping, obstacle courses and walking or jumping on inflatable surfaces.  For children who have mobility limitations, the special education program will teach strategies for solving spatial problems while walking and grasping, strategies for negotiating steps, curbs, walks, chairs, as well as other activities to improve motor planning including verbal, fine motor, and physical fluency.

Self-help and daily living skills will be addressed in the special education program through guided practice in real-life activities as well as through books, games, imaginary play and videos.  Children will become skilled in toileting, ablutions (washing, teeth brushing), dressing, and cleaning up after themselves.  Social manners, table and phone manners, and rules of behavior in specific situations will be taught through role playing, group play and videos.

Each child’s progress in each skill area will be continually monitored and activities will be continually adapted to match the child’s current stage of development.  As children acquire the concepts and skills necessary, academic activities will be introduced.  As their academic skills develop, the curriculum will be adjusted to match the child’s level of understanding while providing an appropriate degree of challenge until they have attained skills appropriate for their age.