Y.A.L.E. School Southeast: Voorhees
The Y.A.L.E. School Southeast, located in Voorhees, provides year-round, full-day educational programming to children with autism or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). The program provides educational services to students ages 3 to 14 years across four modules. Class size ranges from 5 to 7 students. The modules are determined by age and are broken down as follows: Preschool/Kindergarten (3-5 years old), Intermediate (6-8), Primary (9-11) and Prevocational (12-14). In addition, two satellite campuses operate under the umbrella of the Y.A.L.E. Southeast Autism Program: Y.A.L.E. School Southeast II in Audubon and Y.A.L.E. School Atlantic in Hamilton Township. The Y.A.L.E. School Southeast Autism Program offers a 10-month program plus an extended school year program during the summer.
The Y.A.L.E. School Southeast Autism Program is based on the principles and practices of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), the only empirically proven treatment for autism and PDD. All of the teaching procedures and behavioral intervention strategies are derived from the professional literature in order to ensure that staff members and supervisors employ "best practices," and staff performance is evaluated quarterly. Students' goals are measured objectively and frequently and performance data are graphed weekly. Changes to a student's instruction and services are based on data trends, clinical conferences, parent conferences, and IEP requirements.
A variety of strategies are implemented at Y.A.L.E. School Southeast, Southeast II and Atlantic in an effort to maximize success in academic skill acquisition and behavioral competency - such as:
- 1:1 student-to-teacher ratio in the preschool/kindergarten classrooms, and 2:1 ratio in the intermediate and primary classrooms.
- On-site highly-trained professional staff including two Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs)
- Intensive, frequent staff training
- Integrated and consultative speech services
- Comprehensive curriculum focusing on academics, life skills, functional communication, fine and gross motor skills, adaptive behaviors and independence
- Intensive transition support
The theoretical framework employed by the Y.A.L.E. School Southeast programs includes the following methods and strategies:
- Application of Skinners Functional Analysis of Language
- Discrete Trial Instruction
- Small-group Instruction
- Errorless Teaching
- Incidental Teaching
- Functional Behavior Assessment
- Activity Schedules
- Individualized Schedules of Reinforcement
- Computer-based Instruction
To help parents and guardians better understand and support their children, Y.A.L.E. stresses school-family collaboration and ongoing communication between school, home, and the referring district. Services that foster such a relationship include:
- Daily, data-specific activity reports
- Monthly parent observations
- Regular district observations
- Quarterly parent workshops
- On-site parent training
- Bi-monthly program newsletter
- Quarterly progress reports
- Transition consultations
To contact any of the Y.A.L.E. School Southeast programs (including satellite campuses), please call or write:
Y.A.L.E. School Southeast
1004 Laurel Oak Road
Voorhees, NJ 08043
Phone: (856) 346-0007
Fax: (856) 346-0706