Vernon schools strive to provide quality special education programs

“Alex is thriving because of Vernon’s Special Education program. It’s a collaboration between parent and school,” Anna Colon* said.

She is the mother of Alex, a rambunctious soon-to-be eight-year-old, who will be entering third grade this fall. He is on the autism spectrum, and although Vernon Township School District does not have separate programs for autistic children, his mother is very pleased with the district’s Special Education program.

Alex was diagnosed early, at 18 months, and was in New Jersey’s early intervention program, for children from 0-36 months, then transitioned into the school system, first at Walnut Ridge, where Alex’s special education teacher was Suzanne McDougall. “It was such a blessing because the experiences we had were just amazing,” Colon said. Then after preschool, he moved to kindergarten at Cedar Mountain School. When the pandemic hit, the option of in-person learning for special education was available at Rolling Hills, where Alex is in the Applied Behavioral Analysis program.

Alex’s ABA class has seven children with autism or other special needs. “He receives speech and occupational therapy and has an aide at all times, one to one, who anticipates his needs and guides him through the day,” Colon said.

He participates in inclusive general education classes — art, music and gym — to transition him slowly. He enjoyed the extended school year, in a different district building, mornings from July 5 to August 5. It helped learning retention and provided opportunity for socialization with friends. Yet he was hesitant at first.

“My son was struggling; he was going into the building and a little boy nearby, unprompted, said, ‘It’s all right, we’re only here half a day, you’ll be home in no time.’” Colon was amazed at the child’s empathy.

What could schools do better? “Help teach our children, especially the little ones, empathy and compassion. “It depends on the parents, too. Kids imitate parents.”

* Pseudonyms are used to protect the family’s privacy.

Vernon’s success with Applied Behavior Analysis

Applied Behavior Analysis is more a one-to-one, student to staff, special education instruction model as opposed to a traditional class with a larger group.

Students and staff work together in brief, 10-minute “trials” on a specific skill, face-to-face with a teacher or paraprofessional, according to Russell Fay, Vernon Township School District’s director of Special Services. This may be done in the morning, followed by more traditional activities throughout the day. Fay added that the program starts in preschool and was extended last year to the middle school; he said it will eventually extend to the high school as well.

Applied Behavior Analysis is a data-driven method of teaching. A younger student might be working on a special problem or skill, like addition, in a 10-minute time frame. The teacher records the accuracy or attention of the student and uses that data to inform an assessment for instruction, which is graphed and shared with the Child Study Team, Fay noted. The district uses software for sorting the data and the data guides the curriculum, as well as the level of student engagement required, and informs the individualized education program goals.

Behavior could include actions like a student’s attention span or comprehension skills. The continual data collection helps mark improvement over time, or the need for intervention. The data includes narratives written by the teacher to go with the material graphed. In addition, “We have two district staff who are board-certified behavior analysts; it shows how committed we are,” said Fay.

Superintendent Karen D’Avino added, “Board-certified behavior analysts are incredibly valuable.” They are available to any teacher and provide services to students in general education, too. The focus is on catching positive behavior, where students can earn a privilege or reward.

“The district is excited about a new Emotional Regulation Impairment program at the high school. It will be a class for students in need of emotional regulation and may be a full or partial day, depending on the individual student’s level of impairment,” said D’Avino.

Each school is working on a sensory room or space for students who need it, a place to visit briefly if the student is feeling anxious, to regain composure, to be ready to learn when they re-enter a regular class. It’s a calming space with calming colors, softer lights, and things that can help a student relax — music, nature sounds, puzzles, fidget spinners, squeeze balls, or material that feels different.

Each school building usually has two speech therapists to support students with communication difficulties as well.

“We offer a very individualized approach to the education experience for all of the students. Special education is a busy department in Vernon — we’re a little remote, we want to keep students in the community to be with their peers rather than send them to a specialized school,” said Fay.