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Our Philosophy

We believe that . . .

Children of average or above intelligence displaying skill deficits are capable of learning at or above their age level, if provided appropriate teaching methods and techniques.

Skill deficits are not always attributable to a minimal amount of intelligence or obvious sensory (visual or hearing) impairment. A failure to learn is because a unique learning style has not yet been discovered.

Before underachieving children can begin to make progress, they must have a positive self-image. This is achieved by structuring learning activities for success rather than failure.

Skill deficits and academic weakness must be strengthened in order to realize success in school and to function effectively in the community. To this end the school day is devoted to small group instruction as well as individual therapy sessions by professionals trained in their discipline.

Behavior can be maintained through classroom structure, the use of positive reinforcement and social skills training.

Parents are partners in the education of their children. It is important to maintain a coordinated effort between home and school at all times in order to serve the needs of the students. The Highlands School will provide meaningful information, support and encouragement to parents through conferences and general meetings.

Some students do not learn in traditional classroom settings. These children need to be taught in different ways with a variety of techniques and repetition to master skills at each level before going on to another level. Without the proper intervention, learning differences can become significant learning disabilities.

At The Highlands School we work with students who struggle with auditory processing disorder, Dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, executive functioning, Non Verbal Learning disability and other learning differences.

Auditory Processing Disorder
Refers to not how one hears but what they do with what they hear (Cited in Katz, 1992) Involves deficiency in:

Localization of sound
Auditory discrimination
Auditory pattern recognition
Temporal aspects of sound
Auditory performance with competing background signals

Dyslexia
The International Dyslexia Association adopted the following definition of dyslexia on November 12, 2002:
Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognititve abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.

This definition has been adopted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) for its research programs in dyslexia and learning disabilities.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
ADHD is a neurobiological disorder characterized by developmentally inappropriate levels of:
Inattention - the inability to sustain attention and focus on the task at hand; can be distracted by noises, movements, pictures or one's own thoughts
Impulsivity - acting or talking without thinking and failure to consider the impact it will have on others; do not learn from past experience
Hyperactivity - an unusual degree of activity including fidgeting, difficulty sitting still and difficulty falling asleep
CHADD

Executive Functioning
Executive functioning refers to central higher-order processes associated with organization and giving order to actions and behavior. It involves the ability to initiate, plan and implement an activity, monitor one's behavior, and show flexibility to shift between activities. It requires the ability to sustain attention and effort, delay responding, and organize and revise strategies to plan for the future.

Executive Functioning Disorder demonstrates weaknesses in:
Working memory and recall
Organization and planning
Self-monitoring
Inhibiting inappropriate responses
Persistence

Non Verbal Learning Disability
Refers to those who do not accurately process information that is not verbal in nature due to an inability to access the proper areas of the brain. They rely almost exclusively on their interpretation of the spoken and written word. Difficulties are in areas of:
Motor coordination - large and small muscle
Visual-Spatial - organization, poor spatial relations, lack of imagery, poor visual recall, poor handwriting
Social - demonstrate inflexibility, difficulty with transitions and new situations, deficits in reading social cues and poor social interactions Sue Thompson, M.A. (ldonline)

After an initial screening process, each child's learning style is determined and a program is designed to incorporate these learning differences. The individualized program emphasizes the student's strengths but at the same time begins remediation of the weaknesses in the child's learning profile. Our full academic program concentrates on the process of learning and developing skills and concepts. We emphasize organizational and study skills and incorporate social skill training. A speech/language pathologist and an occupational therapist provide support services to those students who need them.

The transition process from The Highlands School to a new placement is critical to the continued progress and success of each student. Our Educational Directors will work with parents to help determine the criteria for a successful placement, including matching the student with appropriate schools. We are very interested in working with other schools to develop an appropriate IEP or a set of accommodations that specifically meet each child's needs. We are willing to attend a transitional IEP meeting, send documentation and/or speak directly on the phone.

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• LDOnline - the leading web site on learning disabilities for parents, teachers and other professionals
  

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