aba schools please help

[kris1976]

hi

can anyone share your experience on aba schools ? and name them.looking for a school for a 4 year old. she is preverbal ,but is not able to express her basic needs.we are trying to run a home program so hard to get aba tutors.

Rainbow, Snowflake, Step by Step, Treehouse, Lighthouse, The Rise, jigsaw. Most in South except Lighthouse in Leeds. Also some state schools using ABA for those kids that need it: Gogarth in N Wales, Forest Bridge (opening soon) in Maidenhead and Kings Mill in E Yorkshire. A couple in Ealing, London too. Some cater mainly at the more severe end, not because that is the only end ABA works for but because historically those are the only kids who could win funding, where the LA were looking alternatively at expensive residential. But that is changing a bit now and quite a few are using ABA at the hf end too. It shouldn't matter too much as each kid's curriculum is personalised, but peer groups can be important. There are also more state schools starting to clock that ABA training for LSAs in mainstream is good. Plus there is one sort-of ABA unit attached to a mainstrean in Richmond on Thames, Stanley School.

Hi

Thanks its extremely useful.Do you know which schools are more on the severe end of the spectrum ? We were going to do a part home and main stream program but I am told by our advocate Fiona that Sutton Lea are against this approach as well as the school as it brings down their attendance. Also the logistics of managing aba tutors ,They don't want to work in the Sutton Borough we are struggling to fin tutors .
My Dd is not classically autistic. will engage if something fun is going on. tries to control the situations. and can echo back .But doesn't mand spontaneously we have to prompt.still lots of crying if we take things or stop fun activities . touch wood very little stimming behavior.

I am going to try an talk to the above schools but what selection criteria should we be working on ?

thanks
kris

I think any of them would be good, but the Rise is for higher functioning. What about trying mainstream with an excellent LSA? Aba was best for us, but an LSA with a good brain and some ABA training can be good too

Do not try Eagle House in your area, I've heard ( from many) that it's no good

Tbh most Aba schools do mostly have children at the more severe end of the spectrum as it is very hard for others to get funding in this climate.

Some of the Aba schools are also full at the moment, including Rainbow, although there will be a waiting list