Instructional Methods

• Small group and 1:1 instruction with an average 1:3 teacher/ESE student ratio.  Support staff will maximize the instructional content and consists of teacher assistants, behavior specialists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists.
• A developmental/behavioral approach will be used for all children at PHCS.  Children will be taught on individual basis according to developmental age and specific needs.  Incidental teaching, discrete trials and task analysis.
• Language skills will be taught utilizing a variety of proven methods which include 1:1, small group, incidental teaching, verbal behavior and social groups.
• Sensory integration methods will be provided throughout the day within the classroom and the therapy room.  The PHCS staff is trained to recognize a child's difficulty in integrating into the environment and work closely with the occupational therapists to provide each child with needed intervention techniques to enable the child to integrate sensory information effectively.
• Behavior based instruction.  Positive behavior modification is the basis of our program.  PHCS incorporates Applied Behavior Analysis in the development of behavior programs.  It is our firm belief that with appropriate/intensive behavior intervention at an early age, the child will more successfully integrate into inclusive programs.
• Hands-on experiential learning activities
• Language based instructional programs
• A realization that children learn at their own rate and in their own way and tailoring each child's program to fit that individual child