COMMUNITY BASED EXPERIENCE
We strive to provide community experiences for our students to practice the skills they have learned in a real-life setting. For example:
SPECIAL OLYMPICS
Special Olympics transforms lives through the joy of sport, everyday, everywhere. It is the world’s largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities. Through Special Olympics, our students have been able to enjoy a weekly bowling outing, and will participate in a track and field event in the spring.
FULBRIGHT AQUATIC CENTER
The Fulbright Aquatic Center invites our students to use their facilities weekly. Aquatic Therapy has been shown to help in restoration, improvement, and enhancing quality functions of a child with autism.
AND MORE...
SKILLS BASED PROGRAM
The skills based program at the FUTURES Habersham GNETS site has numerous components designed to provide a successful learning experience for students. There are two skills based classrooms that serve elementary through high school students. Each skills-based classroom benefits from expert teachers, specialized support staff, and a highly trained behavior specialist. Our teachers are highly qualified and possess advanced degrees in areas such as Special Education with a concentration in autism. They are also highly qualified and certified in areas such as Special Education, Adapted Curriculum, Math, Reading, English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science for grades PK-12. Several staff members also have certification as a Registered Behavior Technician with theBehavior Analyst Certification Board and implement behavior-analytic services individualized to each student.
CURRICULUM
A functional curriculum is a process where experiences and activities are selected for each student to gain the skills that he/she will need in order to become as competent as possible in a regular environment as an adult.
ABLLS-R is an assessment, curriculum guide, and skills tracking system for children with language delays. It contains task analysis of many of the skills necessary to communicate successfully and to learn from everyday experiences.
GAA is a portolio of student work that enables the demonstration of achievement and progress relative to selected skills that are aligned to the Georgia curriculum in four content areas: English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.
DTT is a method of teaching in simplified and structured steps. Instead of teaching an entire skill in one go, the skill is broken down and “built-up” using discrete trials that teach each step one at a time.
Teachtown Basics is a software-based treatment and education program that addresses language learning, communication skills, and emotional development.
PECS was developed in 1985 as a unique augmentative/alternative communication intervention package for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and related developmental disabilities. First used at the Delaware Autistic Program, PECS has received worldwide recognition for focusing on the initiation component of communication.