About us
ABA Preschool Academy uses behaviour analytic principles to teach your child new skills. We focus on teaching your child in a fun and enjoyable environment.
4:6
The teacher:child ratio
1:1
Teaching system
The teacher: child ratio is 4:6; our children learn through 1:1 teaching whilst still have the benefit of learning within a group environment and from their peers.
Our team
At the ABA Preschool Academy we believe that every child deserves the opportunity to achieve his or her fullest potential. To that end, we are committed to hiring and training passionate and dedicated staff and to providing an environment that fosters growth and learning. Our greatest reward is seeing the progress of our children and knowing that we are making a positive impact on them and their families.
We have highly qualified staff, all of our staff are registered with the teaching council of Ireland and are given full onsite training. Qualification among staff include, qualifications in areas such as, Early childhood education, Montessori, Primary Level qualified teachers, psychology, social care and many pursuing masters or Phd level in Aba, clinical psychology, educational psychology, amongst others.
Our management and behaviour support team
We have 3 Behaviour Analysts on our team who are dedicated to supporting the children in our service. All the behaviour support team have Masters in Psychology, Applied Behaviour Analysis. They are either Board Certified Behaviour Analysts (BCBA) or Members of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI), Division of Behaviour Analysts.
The Behaviour Support Team:
- Work across both schools to support both children and staff.
- Work with the teachers to ensure the children are achieving their goals, by identifying areas that require extra support and developing goals to support this.
- Develop behaviour support plans, where needed, to increase children’s appropriate independent skills.
- Provide regular training to all staff.
Our office manager
Our office manager is working behind the scenes to ensure the smooth running of our schools, ensuring everyone is happy!
Our office manager
- Communicates with parents
- Enrolment of children
- Communicates with staff
- Staff recruitment
- Buildings and materials upkeep
Our teachers
Our teachers work hard to ensure the smooth running of the day. The teacher will generally be a parent’s first point of call. There is one teacher and 3 tutors to a class of 6 children.
The teachers:
- Communicate regularly with parents
- Work individually with each of the children
- Develop the children’s Individual Educational Plan (IEP) and prior assessment (in conjunction with the behaviour support team)
- Update and monitor each child’s progress daily and consult with behaviour support, if any problems are identified.
- Help to facilitate staff training in the classroom.
Our tutors
Our tutors are highly skilled and help the teacher to ensure a smooth running of the day. They work one to one in the classroom, working on the children’s individual goals. Our tutors also facilitate small group teaching and fun activities.
Our tutors:
- Create a fun and caring environment for our children
- Help children to achieve their goals by working 1:1 with each child
- Facilitate small group teaching, play and socialisation activities
- Create arts and crafts activities to enjoy with the children
- Provide and create learning opportunities to learn new language, play and social skills
- Implement behaviour support plans, following training.
Our Programs
Assessment
We recognise that every child is different and no one child will have the same needs and abilities.
Each child will be assessed comprehensively to determine their individual needs. These assessments are based upon developmental assessments to suit the abilities of each child. Once your child’s unique repertoire is identified, we will develop an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) tailored specifically to your child’s needs. Your child will be cared for according to his/her needs and ability and we will move at a pace suitable to your child.
We want to make learning as fun and natural as possible for your child and we make every effort to use the natural environment as a method for teaching.
Children learn in a variety of ways but generally the initial skills targeted in a child’s program will include the basic learning skills (unless they are already well developed), this is the foundation for more advanced instructional programs. These include skills such as making eye contact, complying with simple instructions and attention skills
The next targets for intervention usually focus on independence in communicating one’s needs, wishes, and ideas and then more advanced skills are targeted, such as self-care, play skills, social skills, understanding emotions and academic skills.
Once a child IEP is developed we will discuss all our goals with the children’s parents or guardians and talk about any goals they would like us to work on with their child.
You child’s progress is assessed regularly and changes made as needed. All progress is communicated with our parents/guardians.
Working collaboratively
It is important to us to have everyone who is involved or that will be involved with the children included. We value everyone’s opinions and feel it is important to have everyone striving to a similar goal.
Children will have access to a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA) overseeing their goals and progress regularly. We hold regular team meeting with teachers and tutors to discuss children’s goals and progress.
How we encourage a collaborative approach with the ABA team; teachers, tutors and Behaviour analyst:
- All Children have access to a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA) overseeing their goals and progress on a regular basis.
- Regular team meetings with teachers and tutors
- Regular contact with parents
- Include parents in decision making and discuss any alternative goals they would like to be addressed in the child’s IEP.
- We recognise that families may have other interventions, such as Occupational Therapy, speech and Language therapy etc, in place and we are happy to incorporate their learning goals into your child’s IEP.
- Facilitate onsite visits from other professional involved and co-ordinate with them to discuss goals and outcomes for the child
- Consultation with a child’s new school to ensure a smooth transition. We always provide a transition report and are open to communication with the school after the child has left.
We believe in working as part of a team to ensure the best outcomes for your child.
Socialisation
Social interactions are an area that many children with ASD struggle with and often need a great deal of help to interact with their peers.
A school setting gives your child many opportunities throughout the day to encourage and reinforce these skills. When your child is ready, ABA Preschool Academy will incorporate many play and social goals with their peers, into your child’s IEP; this will provide many opportunities for interactions and reinforcement.
On a daily basis children will enjoy many group and social activities with their peers such as arts and crafts, outdoor play, storytime, music time, sensory room visits, group games and much more. Our staff will encourage, reinforce and support all social interaction among the children.
Independence
Independence is happiness.
Susan B. Anthony
Our hope for all our children is to promote their independence and confidence in any skills they are learning. It is of great importance to us, to the children and their families that Academy children are able to use the skills they learn independently within their own home, school and community environment.
Our support services
Our priority is to promote independence and a sense of achievement in each child. All our children will have access to a range of supports and services to help achieve their goals within a natural, fun and caring environment
ABA Preschool Academy will create personalised individual educational programs (IEP) for each individual need of the child. These goals are developed following review of assessments conducted in school.
Children’s individual goals may have a strong focus on areas such as:
- Language and communication
- Play and social interaction
- Imitation skills
- Visual skills
- Self help and daily living skills, eg. Using a spoon, dressing skills, toileting
- Fine motor and gross motor skills
- Reading
- Writing
- Maths
- Preparation for mainstream class
And of course, inclusion of goals detailed from parents or other professionals involved in the child’s development.
Some children engage in maladaptive behaviour, that can be difficult for the child and parents. There is always a reason why a child might engage in such behaviours. Our team of Behaviour Analysts, will work hard to identify these reasons and support the child through this. They will develop a specific support plan, in collaboration with the parents, to teach the child a more appropriate way to achieve the same outcome.
We believe, parents involvement in their child’s progression is key and we offer support to parents every way we can. We deliver regular parent training to help support parents knowledge and understanding, to help them support their child at home.
All our children will have access to the sensory room or garden or soft play area. The benefits of sensory play are well known for all children. It provides a sense or relaxation and comfort and for children with special needs, it can encourage hand and eye coordination, and the development of social and language skills.
An overactive child or distressed child can be comforted and calmed, an inactive child become engaged.