The TAG Program After-School ABA Services A School-based Program for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders Ellie Becker, Director of Pupil Personnel Services, Plainview Old-Bethpage School District Frank Carbone, Behavioral Consultant, Plainview Old-Bethpage School District Jeannine Gulli, TAG Supervisor, Plainview-Old Bethpage School District Kristen Raszka, TAG Supervisor, Plainview-Old Bethpage School District

The Origin of TAG The After-School Group Students with home hours Same level of services each year Growth of program Not seeing desired results Families with parent training hours Requests for individualized sessions Parents not always involved in the service Staff turn-over (compensatory hours) Implementation of goals that cannot be met during the school day Social ADL

Why It Makes Sense For Students with Special Needs A basement is not real life IEP goals support school functioning Access to peers Generalization of skills Hallway walking Classroom behavior Special area (practice routines) Lunchroom/recreation Bathroom skills

Why It Makes Sense For Students with Special Needs Builds connections with potential classmates Less restrictive Having a life (basements are boring) Belonging to a group

Why It Makes Sense For Administrators Doing what’s best for students Doing what’s best for students=happy staff, happy parents, and happy children Happy children, staff, and families=happy administrators Better control Better oversight Access to observations Access to information Ability to provide on going supervision to providers

Why It Makes Sense For Administrators Confidence in money well spent Ratio fading as students progress Service fading as students progress Leads to more naturalistic after-school activities

Why It Makes Sense For Staff Collaboration Access to supervision On the spot problem solving Variety Avoiding the “stuck in the middle syndrome” Very rewarding (teach it, see it) Happy staff members = productive staff members

District Assessment Do You Need TAG District Assessment Do You Need TAG? Here are some things to think about. Do you have students with autism who receive home services? Do you have families requesting “individualized” parent training and/or behavior intervention services? Do you have more than one agency providing home hours? Is time a factor in adequately overseeing home programs? Do you have a vision to provide services following the least restrictive model?

Do You Need TAG? More things to think about. Do you know what your students are working on in their homes? Do you have confidence that the hours you are funding are producing better students, better lives? Do your students with home hours eventually participate in existing school based programs (i.e. after-school clubs/teams, extra help, after-care)? If you answered yes to the first five questions and no to the next three questions then you need an after school program for students with autism.

The Model- Elementary Up to 4 days per week CSE recommendation depends on student’s current levels, needs, and goals Currently 14 students enrolled in Elementary TAG Students grouped by levels, needs, and age Staffing 4 teachers* 12 teacher aides* *not in attendance each day 15-20 peers Model behavior, leisure and social skills

The Model- Elementary Expectations for all students Increased speech Increased social skills Acquisition of age-appropriate social skills Improved daily living skills Improved motor skills Increase in typical behaviors Friendship with peers Parent participation Passive Active

The Model- Middle School Up to 3 days per week CSE recommendation depends on student’s current levels, needs, and goals Currently 9 students enrolled in Middle School TAG Students grouped by levels, needs and age Staffing 2 teachers* 6 aides* *Not all in attendance each day About 40 peers per day (about 120 peers total) Each day is broken into two periods Large group- gymnasium Small groups- classrooms

The Model- Middle School Students have opportunities to join clubs and sports Chorus Basketball Baseball Lego Club Art Club Grandpals Kids in the Kitchen Club Drama Club Parental Participation Passive Active

The Model- High School 2 days per week Currently 6 students enrolled Staffing 1 teacher 6 aide 15 peers Parent participation Passive Active

The Model- High School Students have an opportunity to join clubs and sports depending on their interests and needs Track Bowling Basketball Baseball Weight Training Anime Club Culture Club

Challenges Buy in from club advisors and coaches Access to peers For older students sports are competitive Appropriate criteria Parental desire to have their children attend Procuring peers Use of facilities

Suggestions For Getting Started Work needs to be done before annual review season Build a solid foundation…do the groundwork Develop a proposal Board proposal Family acceptance Staff recruitment Peer recruitment Training

More Suggestions For Getting Started Peer Training Training sessions (after-school) Practice session (after-school) On site training Staff Training Autism training Problem behavior training Discrete trial teaching training Teaching social skills training Facilitating peer modeling intervention Continual on site training

More Getting Started Family Training Ordering Materials About the program Social Skills development Social Skills teaching Supporting the program Ordering Materials Curriculum Toys/Games Training Videos Furniture Storage Creating Protocols Arrival Dismissal Absences Emergency Contact Communication Program Calendar

More Getting Started Skill Assessments Developing individual curricula based on student’s needs and IEP goals Setting up Two hour schedule Grouping students/staff/peers

Learn From us! Start slow Be prepared Have everything set up prior to the first day of the program Set enrollment criteria Who gets to come? Invest in training Quality of staff is directly correlated with quality of your program Substitute coverage

You Are Not Alone Communicate with school districts that have programs up and running Use curriculum, materials, and resources that have already been created Observe effective and established programs Administrators/Board Members Staff Families Connect new families with happy families in your district Positive Parent Energies Parental Foundations

Feel Free to Contact Us ebecker@pobschools.org fcarbone@pobschools.org Jgulli@pobschools.org kraszka@pobschools.org