Our TEACCH program was established in response to requests from area school districts for help supporting their students with autism-related disorders and those with severe communication needs.
Have you ever written a note to your family reminding them to pick up the mail or get eggs at the grocery? Perhaps you’ve done this by text, complete with a cute emoji of an envelope or a chick popping out of its shell. If so, you know how effective visual reminders and pictures can be at getting your point across—and getting the job done.
For students with autism, many of whom struggle to make sense of spoken words, having well-organized visual supports to guide them in their learning can make all the difference. These resources can run the gamut from student-specific sets of photos/pictures representing frequently used words and phrases to the way the learning materials and furniture in the classroom are organized.
In September 2018, nearly 40 students with autism and communication disorders from almost 20 area school districts began learning in our six specialized classrooms based on the TEACCH methodology. The TEACCH methodology incorporates a variety of research-based strategies to help students with autism, strengthen their communication skills and develop more independence as learners.