A nonprofit dedicated to creating profound and lasting change in the lives of teachers, parents and communities by developing life and learning competencies for children and adults with behavioral challenges.
THE CHALLENGE
In 2019 virtually every learning environment will include a student or students who have a diagnosis of autism, pervasive developmental disorders, other developmental disabilities, and challenging behavioral difficulties. Teachers, parents and community members are often lacking resources and strategies to successfully and productively work with these learners across all settings.
OUR GOAL
It is the GOAL of APS to offer educational opportunities to teachers and staff members who have the desire to develop tools to work with their behaviorally challenged students.
HOW WE HELP
Offering financial support for educators to gain training in the three methods outlined below.
Offering community based webinar opportunities to help families and other stakeholders the opportunity to learn about evidence based practices for working with children and adults with special needs.
Offering further education to the public by providing an online forum for the acquisition, evaluation and dissemination of information regarding Applied Behavior Analysis, Precision Teaching and Direct Instruction practices detailed below.
OUR TOOLS
Applied Behavior Analysis is a scientific approach to understanding behavior. ABA refers to a set of principles that focus on how behaviors change, or are affected by the environment, as well as how learning takes place. The term behavior refers to skills and actions needed to talk, play, and live. ABA models such as the Competent Learner Model help create a framework for teachers, parents and community members to effect profound, systemic and enduring progressive change for each unique learner.
Precision Teaching is a type of programmed instruction that focuses heavily on frequency as its main datum. By focusing on fluency, the teacher can then adjust the curricula for each learner to maximize the learning, based on the learner’s personal fluency measurements.
Direct Instruction refers to instructional routines that contain written lessons, scoped and sequenced formats, and cumulative reviews. Consistency in structure and sequence are the bedrock of teacher directed instruction when working with learners who have learning and behavior difficulties.
JOIN US
As a board member:
Are you a parent, educator or community member with a stake in making a difference in the lives of behaviorally challenged learners and the educators who serve them? Based in Monterey County California, APS is currently seeking Board Members to help direct and expand the reach of APS’ mission to educate train and uplift teachers, parents and communities in their work with challenged learners. It is our belief creating profound lasting change in the lives of teacher and learners is possible by equipping them with the best possible tools to meet the challenges they face everyday.