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NSSA currently offers an educational program, consultation services to Long Island school districts, in-home respite services,
and a Saturday recreation program. All of our programs are staffed by
trained employees who are supervised by Master or Ph.D. level psychologists
and special educators. Future plans include a comprehensive array of life
services for adults. Our support is derived from grants from the New York
State Education Department, Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental
Disabilities (OMRDD), and private fundraising.
Education Program - The
Martin C. Barell
School
In January 1993, NSSA was proud to open The Martin C. Barell School, named in honor of then New York State
Board of Regents Chancellor, Martin C. Barell.
Chancellor Barell shared our vision and advocated
for our programs to the New York State Education Department. The Barell
School provides a
full-day, 12 month program for preschool and school age children ranging in
age from 3-21 years. It enrolls a maximum of 25 students, with an
instructor-to-student ratio of 1 to 1.5. The small size and high teacher to
student ratio are integral to achieving optimal results for each student.
It allows for a significant degree of individualization of each
student’s program, curriculum, motivation, and reinforcement systems
as well as intensive clinical oversight and on-going data analysis.
The highly structured program is based on the principles of Applied Behavior
Analysis (ABA), in which each child has behaviorally defined and measurable
goals. Each child’s progress is reviewed regularly so that if the
child is not learning, adaptations to the teaching method can be made
immediately. On-going assessment of each student’s reinforcement preferences
leads to the development of highly individualized motivation systems for
all students. Ultimately self-monitoring, or the ability to deliver
one’s own reinforcement in the absence of teacher supervision, is the
goal of each system. Students receive instruction in a variety of settings
(i.e. in the classroom, at home, and in the community). Student to teacher
ratios are based on the individual needs of each student. Some receive
instruction on a one-to-one basis for all or part of their day, others are
taught in small groups, and still others are slowly integrated into public
school special or regular education classrooms in their home district.
Each student’s program is designed to teach pre-academic and
academic skills, communication, recreation, socialization, and daily living
skills. Depending on the needs of the student, behavior reduction plans to
reduce and replace inappropriate behaviors are designed, implemented and
monitored on an on-going basis. Careful attention in placed on the systematic
generalization of skills from school to the home and into the community.
The goal of each child’s program is to increase independence,
communication, and socialization skills and to enable students to maximize
their full potential and become contributing members of their families and
communities.
An ABA
trained Master’s level speech and language pathologist provides
on-going consultation to the education program. This affords NSSA’s clinical staff and students
access to the most current knowledge from the field of Speech and Language
Pathology. Recommendations based upon on-going evaluation, observation, and
discussion with the clinical team are then
incorporated into each child’s ABA
program. This collaboration between disciplines enhances the quality of
programming and optimizes the communication skills of each student.
Parents play an integral role in their child’s education. At the Barell
School, parents
receive extensive training, both in school and at home, in the principles
and application of behavioral theory and teaching techniques. This training
empowers the parents to be active participants in their child’s
educational program and enables them to support the transfer of newly
acquired skills to the home and community. In addition, families receive
specific instruction in their home on an as needed basis, to address goals
and challenges specific to their child and family (e.g. eating and/or sleep
disorders, aggression, dining out in restaurants, attending a
sibling’s sporting event, etc.) Family support is also provided
through home services and an open door visitation policy.
Respite Program
NSSA receives funding through the New York State Office of Mental
Retardation and Developmental Disabilities to provide much needed respite
services to families struggling with the responsibility of caring for a
child with autism. Services are provided during the day or evening in the
family’s home by NSSA-trained staff members. In addition to in-home
respite services, NSSA offers a bimonthly Saturday recreation program. The
program is held at NSSA in Levittown twice
monthly from 10 am to 3 pm. The program, which is also staffed by NSSA
trained staff members, offers a variety of leisure and recreation
activities to individuals with autism. These activities include arts and
crafts, baking, sports, game playing, puzzle and block building, and music
participation. The fee for the recreation program is $20 per session.
For further respite information contact Judy Monroe at NSSA (516)
579-5087 ext.14.
Consultation Services
Program
NSSA is deeply committed to providing quality services to individuals
with autism residing in Nassau and Suffolk counties. As
such NSSA continually strives to increase the availability of these
services to children and families in need. The provision of consultation
services to school districts is one way that NSSA fulfills this commitment.
NSSA staff provide observation and assessment of students with autism in
public and private school settings at the request of the student’s
home district. In addition, NSSA provides training and consultation
services to district personnel supporting students in inclusion or
self-contained public and private school settings and home programs.
Requests for consultation services can be made at anytime by contacting
Michelle Melvin at 516-579-5087.
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