The Children’s Day Program provides services to children between the ages of 5 and 21 years, and operates 12 months a year at DDI's campuses in Smithtown and Huntington. Each class is staffed by a certified special education teacher and three full time certified teaching assistants. Although we do not provide 1:1 aides, our staffing model provides ample clinical supports. We have several Behavioral Support Workers and in each building and several MA level Behavior Specialists to each oversee a small number of classes. Our clinical coordinators and PhD psychologists assure program quality.
The primary goal of the Children’s Day Program is to teach all of our students the communicative, learning, social and vocational skills necessary for successful participation at home, school, and in various community settings. Treatment objectives and learning strategies promote the mastery of I.E.P. goals and are implemented to teach each student the adaptive skills and behaviors necessary to maximize opportunities for independence and productive living within a variety of settings. The objective is for our students to make progress across IEP goals and promote learning as outlined by the learning standards set forth by the New York State Department of Education in the least restrictive environment possible. Our program is an active participant of the New York State Alternate Assessment.
At Children’s Day Program, a variety of educational approaches are used to provide effective instruction for our students to meet their IEP goals and objectives. All of our teaching practices stem from the replication of documented research and principles of Applied Behavior Analysis. Aligning our program with these principles requires that data are collected as evidence and support of curriculum and procedures used. Additionally our Curriculum Coordinator assures compliance and consistency with NYS standards and expectations.
The majority of our teaching occurs during intensive individualized teaching sessions. When teaching our students to discriminate stimuli, we employ errorless strategies within the discrete trial learning paradigm. Shaping, task analysis, prompt fading, and chaining are the methodologies most often utilized to teach self-care skills, independent living skills and vocational skills. We help to ensure generalization by utilizing incidental teaching methods and training skills across staff and settings. Group lessons (2-5 students) are included as one of our teaching models. In these group sessions, the main focus of the lesson is to address IEP goals while encouraging and teaching our students appropriate communication and social skills with peers.
An additional significant piece of our educational programming is addressing the behavioral needs of our students. Each student’s transdisciplinary team works together to develop a functional behavioral assessment and a positive behavior support plan to be addressed across environments (the Children’s Residential Program is involved, if applicable, to establish 24-hour behavior support plans as well). The team uses staff/family interviews, historical data analysis, ongoing data analysis (A B C’s), direct observation sessions and/or functional analysis to determine an effective behavior support plan.
Our behavior support plans include proactive and reactive strategies to reduce identified problem behaviors and increase appropriate social behavior. Development of appropriate leisure skills, relaxation strategies, language development, FCT (functional communication training), social skills, independent activity schedules and differential reinforcement systems are some examples of the proactive strategies used within our program. Some examples of reactive strategies implemented are behavior interruption, non-verbal and verbal calming strategies, redirection to an alternate activity, altering the environment and increasing rates of reinforcement. We uphold a positive behavioral support approach to treatment.
The Individual Education Plan (IEP) is developed at the annual CSE meeting by the teacher, therapists, the student’s parents/guardians and school district personnel. For students age 14 and older the Statement of Transitional Services further determines goals toward attaining vocational success and transition to adult services. All participants prior to its implementation agree upon the IEP. IEP progress is reviewed regularly and at quarterly meetings, which include parents, teaching staff, and therapists. Service Coordinators, staff from Adult Program and Children’s Residential Program are invited, as it relates to the particular student.
The IEP may be modified at a CSE as needed to promote optimum student progress, or objectives may be added to supplement the IEP. If at any time the parent/guardian should disagree with the IEP or any component of the program they can request a modification of the IEP. This is done by contacting their school district and convening a CSE meeting. If at any time the parents should want to refuse treatment on behalf of their minor child, CDP will request an immediate meeting of the local school district in order to discuss the parent/guardian request. Students’ diverse cultural backgrounds and parental preferences are respected and incorporated into the daily routine.
In addition, the program offers parent education programs including in-school parent participation and parent/sibling support groups.
After School Services provide students with additional opportunities to learn appropriate social, communication, leisure/recreation skills and activities of daily living.
Contact Info For This ProgramFor more information please contact:Christine Ponzio, Director of the Young Autism Program
(631) 580-4004
Linda Whitaker, Director of the Starting Early Program
(631) 266-4418
Mary Hoffman, Director of Children’s Day Program
(631) 366-2916
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Expert diagnostic teams perform multi-disciplinary evaluations in the family home or at Starting Early Program locations in Ronkonkoma or Huntington. We are approved by the state of New York to assess children from birth to five years old. Specialized evaluations are available for families who suspect their child may have Autism Spectrum Disorder.
