STEPS Plus

STEPS Plus

Students enrolled in this program represent a distinct population of students, who present difficult and challenging behaviors. They have multiple, severe disabilities, cognitive deficits and/or significant medical/health needs. The disabilities may include developmental disability, hearing and vision impairment, communication disorder, orthopedic impairment, traumatic brain injury, other health impairment, autism and behavioral disorders. Students’ projected achievement level does not typically exceed 2nd grade benchmarks. These students lack social, behavioral and communication skills required for success in other self-contained life skills classroom placements. Their behaviors are so severe that they require a staffing ratio of 1:1. Some of the students may require a 2:1 or higher staffing ratio in order to keep them safe and provide safety for the staff and other students.

Programs for these students will focus on determining the cause of severe behavior and teaching skills to communicate, self-regulate and manage behaviors in a more positive way. The program is characterized by a low student-staff ratio, individualized special instruction, special equipment and materials, and a team of specialists providing additional instruction, therapy, staff training and consultation services. STEPS PLUS uses evidence based curriculum to teach fundamental behavioral communication goals (i.e. using picture cues to request), and it implements sensory strategies to help children tolerate typical environmental stimuli and adult-supported behavioral regulation. STEPS PLUS programming does not include ‘levels’ type of behavioral system appropriate for students with more sophisticated cognitive capacity. Focus is on teaching behavior management, social and communication skills to students, so they can function more independently and be placed eventually in a less restrictive environment, whether it is a regular self-contained life-skills class, community, recreation or a work program. It is understood that some students may continue to require the highly structured environment and 1:1 staffing to be successful in the learning environment.

For more information, email: Andree Johnson or call: 541-776-8551.