Moving to Less Restrictive

Moving from a highly structured program such as ours is to a less restrictive setting can be nerve wracking for all involved. But what a happy day it is when a student is able to successfully transition back to their local school district. We recently had such a great experience with one of our school students who has returned to her home school. Although her father approached the day with trepidation, he also was thrilled to see that his daughter had come such a long way since her initial arrival with our program. Those were some very trying times when she had hours long tantrums,  stripped when she couldn't get what she wanted, and had a scream that was very effective in deafening everyone near. This last year, she truly blossomed both academically and socially. And so it became apparent that it was time for her to move on to a less restrictive setting. Working carefully together with our staff and her new teacher was paramount to a successful transition. We know from long years of experience that our students' behavior management must be done with an in depth understanding of autism or things can backslide in a hurry. With meticulous planning, her teacher here and the receiving teacher worked to make  everything as smooth as possible for both the student and parent. As everything was in place, the student moved to her new program and so far, it has been very successful and she is participating with her new peers and following directions well. We couldn't be happier, and are sure we will continue to be in touch with her family. It is certainly a moment to celebrate!