Here are some of the program features of the specialized therapeutic and educational preschool for children with autism at Abilities First:
• Five-day per week program designed to promote successful transition of children into kindergarten by providing an individualized, integrated and comprehensive preschool learning experience.
• Small class size and high staff-to-child ratios: maximum six children per class with a minimum of two staff at all times.
• Group and individual physical, occupational and speech language therapy included.
• Inclusion activities on-site.
• Regularly scheduled home visits to help families generalize and carry over approaches used and skills learned into daily life.
• Assistance in linking with and transitioning into local school districts.
SOURCE: Abilities First
Doty House was founded 41 years ago in Middletown to provide services for children with cerebral palsy.
Doty House has since been renamed Abilities First; and today, Sept. 28, the nonprofit agency is beginning a new chapter in its history by opening a preschool program for children with autism.
Karen Smith, senior vice president of operations at Abilities First, called the initiation of the autism program the “next step” in the agency’s quest to serve the needs in the Middletown community.
The center on Timber Trail Drive is a “good fit,” because it’s located between Dayton and Cincinnati, and it will draw students from the surrounding areas, she said.
Jan Rosebrough, who has taught at Abilities First for eight years, is vice president of children’s services and director of the program. She wants the program to prepare children for kindergarten.
“We need to make the transition from here to there as simple as possible,” she said last week while sitting in the classroom.
There will be a morning and an afternoon session at the school. Students will attend Monday through Thursday, with Friday devoted to scheduled therapies, or home or school visits by staff.
Rosebrough said she hopes the visits afford the staff an opportunity to witness how an autistic child and his or her parent interact at home.
The students will be taught using a range of approaches to address their individual needs, she said.
The classroom is specially equipped for children with autism. There are no windows, and the walls are barren to decrease distractions, Rosebrough said.
Each of the rugs in the room is a different color to make it easier for the student to identify.
The lights have a dimmer switch, so the staff can control the mood in the room; and the classroom has its own bathroom.
Some adjustments have been made for the safety of the students. Instead of thumbtacks, teachers use large magnets; the chairs can’t tip over; and all tables have rounded edges.
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