Brian Phillips wants the best for his children.
“Both of our boys were diagnosed with autism before the age of 2 and the news was devastating because we really didn’t know what to expect,” said Phillips of Cuyahoga Falls. “But when I look at them, they are our perfect babies and we will do the very best that we can for them.”
That parental love and commitment is what drives the Phillips family to look for ways to help their sons — Andrew, 4, and Tommy, 8 — develop and grow.
Last year, their search for a preschool for Andrew led them to the First Start Preschool Program, hosted by the Summit County Educational Service Center, where he is in his second year of preschool.
The program, which uses a multi-sensory curriculum, caters to pre-kindergarten children with autism. Its goal is to provide a foundation to help students succeed academically as they head to elementary school.
The program accepts a maximum of six students with disabilities. The morning ratio of adults to students is 1:2 and the afternoon ratio is 1:4.
“What’s really cool is, because of our low numbers and high staff-to-student ratio, we can hone in on the specific strengths and needs of each student and develop an individualized plan,” said Heather Brolly, early childhood intervention specialist. “I call it finding their little quirks and using those to help them grow and learn. There’s nothing like seeing that spark of learning in their eyes.”
“Miss Heather,” as her students call her, was drawn to teaching autistic children while student teaching. She said she felt a special connection with the students with autism and knew that her life’s work was to teach them.
The First Start curriculum is designed to focus on academic, social-emotional, communication and behavioral intervention. Services include two full days of speech therapy; occupational therapy; physical therapy; parent training; peer interaction and in-home consultation.
The Cuyahoga Falls program, housed at Newberry School, is one of several preschool options offered by the Summit County Educational Service Center. Among those options are a program in Cuyahoga Falls for hearing-impaired students and special education classrooms in Copley-Fairlawn, Coventry, Field, Manchester, Mogadore, Nordonia Hills, Revere, Stow-Munroe Falls, Tallmadge and Woodridge.
The First Start class is in session from 8:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday. During the morning session, students with disabilities receive direct instruction. Lunchtime provides an opportunity for children with disabilities to interact with peers, who help model appropriate behavior. The afternoon session is devoted to classroom activities.
The program also includes community outings to places including grocery stores and restaurants.
“Those outings help our students with social skills. The peer component is also huge in helping to build social skills — learning to take turns and participate in group activities and learning to orient themselves in different settings,” said Kristen Nowak, preschool coordinator “Our focus is on communication, social skills and behaviors, ranging from concerns with inattention to aggression.”
The home school district pays for the preschool program for students with an individualized education program, or IEP, that includes the service.
For the Phillips family, the communication skills component is especially important because Andrew is nonverbal.
“Andrew has made significant strides. He understands more and every day we get a detailed log of what went on during the day, so that we can build on his progress at home,” Phillips said. “One of the most unique things about the program is staff members come to our house every two weeks. They ask us about our concerns and what we would like them to work on. We are actually included in making decisions about Andrew’s individualized program.”
Phillips said he and his wife are also impressed with the preschool staff’s focus on their son’s strengths.
“They build on the things that he can do rather than focus on the things he can’t do. They are constantly looking for the next step to get Andrew to communicate,” Phillips said. “It’s invaluable to have a group of people who choose to work with a group of special-needs children. It’s not an easy job, but their hearts are in it.”
For more information about First Start, go to www.cybersummit.org or call 330-945-5600, ext. 511259.
Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com. She can be followed at www.twitter.com/ColetteMJenkins.