Risk & Business Magazine Hardenbergh Insurance Group Magazine Fall 2017 | Page 25
Y.A.L.E. SCHOOL
No Child Left Behind
Y.A.L.E. School
F
or students in grades one
through eight with autism
spectrum disorders; social
communication disorders;
or executive functioning,
social competency, anxiety, or learning
differences, there is no better place to
be than Y.A.L.E. School. Founded in the
basement of a church in 1976, Y.A.L.E.
School has been serving students with
special needs and disabilities in New
Jersey for nearly forty years and has
now expanded its service offerings to
Philadelphia. The new campus is located
in the community of Manayunk, where
it offers a unique environment dedicated
to cultivating the strengths, interests,
and abilities of students on the autism
spectrum and with related differences.
Y.A.L.E. School offers individualized and
challenging curriculums for students
who experience difficulties in their
current school environment but are
otherwise academically capable. This
creative approach caters to the individual
needs of students while still maintaining
the strict curriculum one comes
to expect from a traditional school
environment.
Here are the four key elements to the
Y.A.L.E method of teaching:
1. COMMUNITY-BASED INSTRUCTION
The community is the classroom.
Through community-based instruction,
students experience their lessons
through the setting of the vibrant
neighborhoods where they are located
and their surrounding areas.
2. EVIDENCE-BASED INSTRUCTION
Data and evidence inform the learning
and teaching practices and drive the
decisions made about individualized
education programs at Y.A.L.E. School.
3. “STEAM” SUBJECT AREAS
“STEAM” stands for Science, Technology,
Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics.
With a strong focus on these subject
areas, a foundation of high-interest,
project-based, interactive lessons
are formed that prove to be both
collaborativ e and challenging for
students.
4. TRANSITION PLANNING
There is no such thing as “too early”
when it comes to planning a transition
to independent life, a workplace, and
college. With our early transition
planning programs and support
structures, our staff provides integrated
transition preparations and instruction.
Using these four core ideas, Y.A.L.E.
School is able to lead their education
programs through a best-practice-based
approach, bolstered by ABA positive
behavior support; and instruction based
on the work of Michelle Garcia Winner’s
Social Thinking, the Wilson Reading
System, and early transition planning.
The hands-on approach utilized by
the staff in the classroom encourages
exploration and discovery.
For many, learning disabilities and other
social problems can lead to feelings of
hopelessness or despair. Students in
traditional classrooms risk being left
behind simply because of the method
of instruction and not because their
issues are too severe for them to actually
comprehend the lessons. At Y.A.L.E.
School, that problem is, fortunately,
being solved on a day-to-day basis.
Children are our most important
resource, and that’s why Y.A.L.E. School
places children and their needs first.
Today, Y.A.L.E. School operates eight
campuses servicing almost six hundred
students. Seven campuses are in New
Jersey, and the newest campus is in
Pennsylvania. For more information
about Y.A.L.E. School, visit online at
www.yaleschoolpa.com , call 215-839-
0525, or email [email protected]. +
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