Autism Spectrum Disorder Program (ASDP) at Gloucester High School

The Autism Spectrum Disorder Program (ASDP) is a dynamic, student-focused program that aims to teach and support students in developing functional academic and life skills.

Classes consist of a maximum of 6 students with an ASDP teacher and two educational assistants who track progress, provide support, and are the primary contact with parents/guardians. Our ASDP students take a combination of the following non-credit courses: World of Work, Functional Literacy, Functional Numeracy, Personal Life Skills, Physical Education, Exploring My World, and a variety of other classes depending on scheduling opportunities.  Student programming is outlined in their IEP, which consists of classes and expectations. The ASDP is a non-credit program and the students graduate with a Certificate of Accomplishment.

Community outings and Experiential Learning are key elements of the program.  Upon graduation, our students are expected to generalize the skills that they have mastered across several domains; students develop community safety skills focusing on; sidewalk and street traffic safety, expected social and safety skills to participate in recreational activities such as swimming and skating, daily living skills like walking safely to a local food and drink vendor to learn, master and generalize skills required for ordering, paying for, and then eating a snack while practicing socialization skills with peers and adults.

In compliance with the Ministry of Education's Policy/Program Memoranda 140 and 156, Behaviour and communication skill development is a focus of the program. Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) strategies are incorporated into programming to support student’s academic needs and to promote expected and positive behaviours while fading and extinguishing interfering behaviours. In consultation with and the support of a Speech-Language Pathologist, programming is developed to advance student communication skills.

The classroom teacher and school board-based professionals assist with transition planning and are responsible for IEP development and a yearly IPRC meeting. The Service Coordination Support Roadmap is a good starting point for transition planning. If you have questions, need copies of documents or require support, please connect with your child's homeroom teacher.

END GOAL OF PROGRAM - For students to graduate at age 21 and be functional independent community members!

2020/2021 Dailey Schedule

• 9 AM Arrive at school and morning routine (lockers, wash hands, self-regulation activities)
• 9:20 Morning circle check-in
• 9:40 Math  ** with focus on life skills
• 10:20 Snack
• 10:40 English ** with focus on communication
• 11:20 Art
• 12:00 Lunch
• 1:00 Gym ** with focus on life skills
• 2:00 Snack
• 2:20 Music
• 2:50 End of day routine (clean up/ class chores, email parents and final class check-in before getting ready to go home)

** schedule may change slightly as we add in vocational skills,  life skill development programming,  outdoor education and field trips into the programming

FACTS

• The Ministry of Education defines the exceptionality of Autism as - A severe learning disorder that is characterized by;

• a) disturbances in:

•  rate of educational development
•  ability to relate to the environment
•  mobility
•  perception, speech, and language

• b) lack of the representational symbolic behaviour that precedes language  

The OCDSB supports students in a variety of ways including specialized ASD program classes. Key characteristics of these students in these classes include - impairments in basic communication skills, significant difficulty with social interactions, and challenges with self-regulation. Students may also have significant sensory needs.

Strategies for Instruction

• post daily schedules
• create individualized mini-schedules
• provide activity checklists
• create choice boards
• label objects and containers
• post classroom rules, with illustrations or symbols
• Create visual representations of steps in personal or class routines
• provide visual cues to support oral information or teacher directions
• break tasks into component parts and teach each component
• carefully word praise so that it is behaviour-specific
• provide reinforcers that produce desired student response
• use discrete trial strategies
• use behaviour-shaping strategies
• plan tasks at the appropriate level of difficulty
• use age-appropriate materials
• provide opportunities for choice
• use simple oral instructions supported by visual information
• pace tasks at the student’s level
• allow adequate time for processing information
• wait with patience for student response
• employ student interests to motivate and teach new skills
• highlight important information

There are many Local agencies and Community Resources available to support families.

Here is a list of useful books about Autism geared to help support parents and siblings.

Additional links and references:

Challenging Behaviours Tool Kit 

Teaching Students with Autism