Tag: Learning

HELP and VEST Programs at Lexington

Written by Hgrant on April 9, 2021. Posted in Educational. No Comments on HELP and VEST Programs at Lexington

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My child is in their senior year of high school and the district wants them to graduate, but they are not ready and require additional learning programs.

As a parent, finding the right resources for your child can be difficult. If your child is clearly not ready to graduate, there are other options for them to achieve their goals and success. The main option Lexington can provide for you is to enroll your child at a Lexington campus that provides the HELP and VEST programs, such as the Lexington South Mountain and Maryvale campuses.

What are the HELP and VEST programs and how can I get my student into them?

HELP (Home Enrichment Life Program)

Students in the HELP Program are instructed in practical and functional living skills to prepare them to function appropriately in the community, workplace, and home.

This program includes a multitude of areas such as:

Self-care
- Our schools encourage each student to be as independent as possible, beginning with students caring for their personal needs. Depending on students’ ability and age levels, they can practice self-care skills such as brushing their teeth, grooming, and basic hygiene practices.
Pre-vocational skills
- Pre-vocational skills are a large part of the occupational therapy-related services curriculum. Students experience a wide range of pre-vocational tasks encompassing beginner, intermediate, and advanced level tasks. As students advance in the program, they learn about various occupations and necessary job skills.
Daily living skills
- Students are encouraged to learn various activities that they will encounter in their everyday lives. This alternative classroom offers students the opportunity to make a bed, vacuum, set the table, and other skills needed to live in a home or apartment environment. Students get to practice these skills in Lexington’s ADL room. The goal is to help foster a greater level of independence in the home and the community.
Community-based instruction
- Lexington brings the community into the classroom and the classroom into the community. Students participate in various activities within the community to help promote community awareness and independence. Lexington teachers also plan visits to local businesses to learn onsite what has been discussed in the classroom.
Cooking skills
- Each classroom provides an opportunity for students to practice their cooking skills. Through a collaborative approach with the classroom and therapy staff, students are instructed on various cooking skills that they will need to be successful in their independent lives. Students learn how to make simple recipes with a few ingredients to full-fledged meals as they progress through their day.
Functional reading skills
- Leisure skills are an integral part of Lexington’s curriculum. Students can discover things they enjoy during their free time. As a part of their everyday lives, students can socialize with friends, play games, surf the web (on safe and appropriate sites) and play video games with one another.
Functional math skills
- Lexington students learn functional math skills throughout the school day and through Lexington’s many different classroom businesses. Students practice working with money using real-life experiences within the school building (i.e., school store) and apply those skills when students go to locations on class trips. Students visit local stores and restaurants to make selections, calculate the cost, exchange money for goods and collect change.

Other HELP Program areas of learning include:

Service Learning
Community Participation
Shopping Skills
Laundry Skills
Leisure and Recreational Skills

Students who would like more of an employment-based approach after high school would enter the VEST program.

VEST (Vocational Education and Supported Training)

The VEST Program offers students who have completed traditional high school courses but require further instruction invocation and supported training. This program solely focuses on your young adult’s vocational education.

Traditional academic courses should have already been explored/completed before entering this program. A young adult can be in this program until 22, exiting when the team determines that exit criteria have been met. During this program, students will explore:

Career Exploration
- Our students are encouraged to explore a wide variety of careers. Instruction and experiences designed to make students aware of the broad range of available employment, teach them general job preparatory skills, and offer them courses of study that allow them to develop skills needed for specific careers: retail, clerical, food service, etc.
Supported Employment
- Lexington offers a unique way for employers and their students to come together in an employment setting. We pre-screen potential candidates for employment and match the needs of an employer in the community. Once the match is made and a person is hired, a job coach will train and assist both the person hired and the new employer.
Work-Related Behaviors
- As students transition into adulthood, they encounter various job scenarios and work experiences. We expect students to uphold Lexington’s expectations for behavior and its work expectations while attending job sites and work sites. Classroom assistants and a job coach guided by the transition coordinator direct students while they work alongside them.

Students will also learn:

Job Readiness
Community-Based Instruction
Job Seeking
Job Shadowing
Real World Numeracy
Real-World Literacy

Lexington can never guarantee employment to graduates of our program. However, Lexington makes every effort to select training partners that offer results-oriented job readiness services. Lexington will help graduates prepare for interviews and connect with potential employers in their areas of interest.

Traditional High School Programming

Lexington also offers high school students a traditional academic and transitional focus program that is highly individualized and tailored to their child’s specific needs. We provide curriculum modifications to help your child access the curriculum and create, develop and implement transition plans and graduation requirements. This program explores some of the realms of HELP and VEST but offers a more traditional approach to learning standard-based academic programming that our parents have come to know and love. Students enrolled in this program typically seek college or trade school admittance.

I am Interested, How can I enroll my Student?

As the parent, you can choose to dis-enroll your child from the public school and enroll your child into Lexington’s autism high school program, VEST program, or HELP program, depending on their educational track. You will have to meet with our tuition specialist to ensure your child meets the Empowerment Scholarship Program‘s qualifications (ESA) before acceptance into the program

Empowerment Scholarship Program Funding

Students who participate in these programs can receive funding through the Empowerment Scholarship Program if they have not graduated from an Arizona public or Charter school.

For more information regarding the HELP and VEST programs, please visit our FAQ Page or contact Principal Hermosillo at daniel@lexingtonlifeacademy.com.

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Tips on How to Teach Children with Autism

Written by Hgrant on January 29, 2021. Posted in Educational, Information. No Comments on Tips on How to Teach Children with Autism

Teaching a child with autism can prove to have its challenges. Autistic children have unique learning needs and will require extra guidance and support to succeed in the classroom. To best understand how to work with a child with autism, you must first take the time to understand what the child needs and then learn how to help them best. Here are some tips for working with autistic children.

Simple Instruction

Providing simple instruction is one of the best ways to work with children with autism. Communication can be difficult for autistic children, and giving hard to follow instructions with figurative language is sure to frustrate them. Break down instructions into steps, then provide those steps one or two at a time. Don’t forget to allow them time to process the information and clarify when needed.

Easier Communication

Communication can be difficult for children with autism. Along with simple instruction, simple communication can also provide less confusion and more productivity. Keeping sentences short and language clear is one of the best ways to ensure that kids with autism understand what needs to be accomplished. Avoid vague and abstract language.

Give Extra Time

Sometimes even simple direction may not be sufficient even for a child with autism, and that is okay. Giving them extra time to process the instructions allows them to work at their own pace. In the Therapist Spotlight with Sarah-Jane, one of our Speech Language Pathologists mentions patience as the key to working with autistic children. Rushing through activities and assignments will only bring frustration and to both the teacher and the student.

Eliminate Stressors

Kids with autism are typically used to a routine. When things disturb their routine, they can become stressed and agitated. This can also be true if items are rushed and misunderstood. As mentioned earlier, communication can be difficult for children with autism, and the same goes for routine disruptions. Eliminating stressors in a child’s day can lead to greater success and more streamlined learning in the classroom.

Use Visuals

Visuals are an important tactic used by teachers and therapists working with autistic children. Materials such as line drawings, photographs, and picture cards can help teach a lesson or clarify an instruction. Picture books are also a great way to get reading and literature into their daily activities. Pictures of a child’s schedule can also help bring structure to an environment.

Tech for Teaching

With advances in technology, it’s no wonder parents are beginning to use it to help their children. Specific apps can successfully address developmental delays in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Apps such as Otsimo and Proloquo2Go help with speech skills, while apps like Grace App help empower nonverbal people to communicate. Some use games, like SuperWhy! while others are websites that provide adaptive products for children with autism to use. These methods and more can help children with autism in the classroom to better understand lessons and activities. Our list of technological tools is the perfect start to incorporating technology into everyday activities.

Structured Environment

A structured and predictable environment will make a child with autism more comfortable when learning. A routine with minimal distractions paired with a structured lesson plan and environment is the best way to work with kids with autism. Lesson plans and instructions should include what to do, how to do it, when it needs to be completed, and what comes next. Providing this structure will bring out the best in the student.

Structured Activities

Structured activities also provide the comfort and predictability students with autism need to stay focused. Visual schedules can help to keep kids on track with their actions. Implementing a timer can help them know how long a project will take. Don’t forget to schedule a time for social interactions to improve social skills with their peers.

Teach Social Skills

The classroom is the perfect opportunity to teach social skills as it should encourage kids to practice communication. Activities such as arts and crafts or even eating lunch together in the classroom can encourage students to interact and begin to feel comfortable communicating and playing with their peers. These social skills can also include interpreting facial expressions or learning how to respond to a specific situation.

Avoid Sensory Overload

Children with autism can experience over sensory stimulation or under sensory stimulation without others even knowing. Things such as smells, lighting, or even echoes can trigger an autistic child and give them sensory overload. It is essential to be aware of a child’s triggers and eliminate them as much as possible for a productive learning environment.

Incorporating Sensory Activities

Sensory activities are fun and engaging for kids with autism. Incorporating sensory activities such as finger painting, play-doh, and picture books help bring students back into focus while also enjoying play therapy.

Play Therapy is another great way to add sensory activities into daily routines. Although it may just seem like playing, children with autism are given the opportunity for language development and working through social skills. It allows children to learn and develop the best way they know how; by playing. Play Therapy can be done with role play, obstacle courses, or even play-doh. The possibilities are endless!

Working with autistic children may require extra attention and extra support, but seeing them thrive and be successful in school is a different kind of joy. Here at Lexington, our schools are designed to help children with autism reach their full potential inside and outside the classroom.

Lexington is committed to creating the best quality of life possible for our students. With multiple school locations for children with autism, we provide evidenced-based practices, structured learning, standards-based curriculum, sensory integration, and behavior modification.

Our Pre K-12 school educates children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by providing the critical components for every student to develop their academic, behavioral, and social skills. This is made possible by tailoring to every child’s needs and building a foundation for students to achieve their highest potential. Contact us today to learn more about us.

Disclaimer: This post attempts to publicize ideas and comments that we find would be useful for our community to know. Our post is by no means intended to prompt you to handle your challenges in any specific way. We desire to bring helpful information to all our audiences and shine a light on popular topics.

Video Games And Their Relationship To Autism

Written by Hgrant on February 19, 2019. Posted in Educational. No Comments on Video Games And Their Relationship To Autism

Video games have quickly integrated into the global culture and become one of the most beloved hobbies in the world. The diversity of games and platforms for playing has made gaming one of the most innovative industries. For children and teens with autism, video games can function as a hobby, but there are surprising benefits for people with autism that researchers are beginning to realize. Gaming can be therapeutic and remove certain barriers for young people with autism, leading to better social lives and peer interaction. As the industry expands and diversifies, researchers are learning how to use video games to teach young people vital information in an interactive way. The future that gaming holds for people with autism is already here and the benefits of video gaming only look to improve in the future. While we might not use video games actively at Lexington Services, the exciting future that the industry holds, particularly when it comes to jobs for people with autism, it’s hard to deny their importance in our community.

Video Games And Social Interaction

Interacting in the digital world with the backdrop of video games has become a staple for kids growing up. Gaming has evolved a lot from the arcades of the 80’s and 90’s and the industry continues to grow. For people with autism, video games offer a great conduit for social expression that minimizes the social anxiety and the pressures of face to face interaction. Video games give kids the opportunity to interact with friends and creatively problem or apply critical thinking in a fun digital environment. Interacting in game removes a lot of the pressure of reading social cues and creates social bonds over a shared common interest. The struggle then, for many parents and guardians, is balancing video game time with the need for other interactions. Moderation is key, as with anything good in life. Kids with autism are more likely to be at risk for the negative effects of video game addiction, as more than 41% of kids with autism spend a majority of their time playing video games. An article on the Asperger Experts websites suggests that the best way to combat addiction, isolation, and associated health issues is to set a schedule or a time limit, as well as to practice playing as a family with social games like Guitar Hero, Rockband or Just Dance which encourage social bonding, teamwork and exercise.

Game Technology And Learning

After the advent of the digital age, there was a large gap between teachers that wanted to maintain a more traditional learning model and students whose entire lives were shaped by the digital landscape. Luckily, people have found ways to incorporate digital learning into traditional models. And more than that, researchers are actually finding that kids are learning through platforms like video games. When it comes to kids with ASD, video games are a great tool for teachers to connect and for them to learn. Video games provide a unique opportunity for teachers and therapists help kids develop their executive functions, improving cognitive flexibility, self-awareness and self-control in a safe environment. For example, a video game has been developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison with the aim of helping kids recognize different emotions or react to different social cues, developing empathy in a fantastical scenario. If the technology continues to grow like this, video games could be a permanent part of any teaching model for kids with ASD.

The Future Of Jobs In Video Games

The video game industry also supports the autism community when it comes to employment. Even though research has proven that people with autism have a lower rate of turnover and they are more productive than their peers, the statistics for adult employment are abysmal. Only 14% of adults with autism work full time and only 20% are employed consistently at all. Yet the video game industry has become a welcoming place for those in the autism community where they can find work, perform at a high level with equal compensation to their peers and also be free of the social pressure that comes with a typical 9-5. The tech industry is a safe harbor for people with autism, as many people with ASD find some familiarity or comfort with game design. Organizations the nonPareil Institute in Dallas and Semperical in Silicon Valley were created with the specific goal of training and employing people with autism. As more and more companies update their disability hiring practices, we can be confident in the autism community that video games will help bridge the cavernous employment gap for people with autism.

It’s amazing to see how the world has changed and how an industry has evolved around video games in less than a 60 year period. If anything, video games have helped create a grand opportunity for people with autism and we always admire when technology can bridge gaps that only a few generations were completely misunderstood.

Want to see how Lexington Services is bridging gaps? Contact our team today by calling 480-900-1009 now to find out more information or to schedule a tour.

Click here to read more from Lexington Services.

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Social Media And School-Aged Children With Autism

Written by Hgrant on January 15, 2019. Posted in Parenting. No Comments on Social Media And School-Aged Children With Autism

Social media has changed the American landscape, whether we love it or hate it. Often we think of social media in dual perspective, where we are grateful for the connections and innovations, but we lament the endless scrolling, the constant updates, and the strange balance between social fluff and hateful nastiness that runs rampant across every platform. The generations that are growing up now and in school or about to start school have never known a world without social media and it can be a great tool for learning and a platform for possible bullying or even a distraction from proper learning at the same time. For parents of children with autism, social media presents a unique paradigm.

On one hand, social media can be a valuable tool and help expand social skills, providing a unique platform that helps kids to express themselves, formulate lasting friendships, and expand their learning through online tools. On the other hand, social media means more screen time, possible exposure to online criticism and bullying, and distractions for children that already have unique academic needs. As social media becomes embedded in the fabric of society and learning, it’s important to examine how it will affect our loved ones with autism in positive and negative manners.

How Social Media Is Helping Children With Autism

Social media is a catch-all term for a wide array of networking, informational, and social platforms that one simply needs access to the internet to find. The benefit for kids with autism is in the name: social media. Children with autism struggle with social interaction, finding it difficult to formulate friendships and make social connections in the same way that their neurotypical peers do. Social media has the unique property of creating a ubiquitous connection for anyone to access information and like-minded people interested in said subjects, while at the same time creating a social barrier that removes some of the anxiety of face-to-face interaction. Many people with ASD that use social media report creating stronger bonds with people online than their neurotypical peers. Social media also allows individuals the chance to formulate their thoughts and consider their actions in a controlled and comfortable environment instead, again removing that intense social pressure. Finally, social media as a whole allows people with disabilities some autonomy where they can build an identity as much or as little focused on their disability as they like. In these regards, social media is a very powerful tool, but there are some downsides.

The Downsides Of Social Media

Social media can also have many downsides and while the point of this article is to underscore the benefits of social media for children with autism, it’s important for us to be realistic about the world as social media becomes more and more a global everyday necessity.

Social Media As A Distraction

Social media might be a great tool to encourage learning and to promote social interaction for loved ones that struggle in that area, but it can also be an immense distraction. Think about your own personal social media use. Many of us can scroll endlessly through a social feed, sometimes closing the app only to find our fingers mindlessly returning to the screen seconds later. Over 210 million people are estimated to have a serious social media or internet addiction. Parents of children with autism often want to limit their “screen time” as many scientists have found that people with autism are especially impacted by the effects of constant screen scrolling. Obviously this presents a problem if young ones with ASD are using social media to expand their social skills, a problem is obviously posed by more screen time. Thankfully, there is a relatively easy fix which just involves some close monitoring of the time spent online and a watchful eye that encourages a little bit of exercise and outdoor play.

Internet Bullying

This is the other serious worry about logging on to social media platforms. In the same way that loved ones with autism now have access to communities and friends that share their interests across the web, now people with hurtful opinions might have more access to them. Negative opinions and nasty people are unavoidable and sooner or later our loved ones with ASD are going to come in contact with hurtful words and less-than-reputable people. As a parent or a caregiver, if you want your child to reap the benefits of social interaction on web platforms, you might have to run some interference. However, it’s important to remember not to isolate kids from the world either to promote positive social growth. Delete negative comments, but also talk with your child about the opinions people hold. Remember that negative incidents are also part of social interaction. Monitor your child’s contacts, but also make sure that they feel the freedom to make friends and interact with people in a positive way. As with all things, it’s just about striking the perfect balance.

While it’s important to help your child grow and understand that the world can be a negative place, please also remember that internet bullying is an epidemic and has led to hundreds of cases of teen self abuse and even suicide. Incidents of bullying should be reported. You can easily find the contact information to report bullying using this website. Cyber bullying should also be reported to school staff, such as principals and counselors to ensure that matters are handled appropriately. Finally, if there is cause for concern for the safety of a child, notify the police.

Social Media As A Tool For Learning

There has been a lot of debate over the last 5 years about the use of social media in the classroom to help teach kids and connect with them using platforms that they use daily. Teachers have found that social media promotes more interaction on a platform that feels comfortable to modern students, encourages students to dissolve the cliquish behavior that limits their interpersonal interaction and teachers have found they can make use of an abundance of resources passed through certain social media channels to create easier access for their classes. Students with autism can use social platforms to participate on classwork without the pressure of social faux pas, giving them the ability to concentrate directly on the topic at hand. Furthermore, when a classroom integrates social media into their education program, they help students expand their computer skills and digital literacy, which are absolutely essential skills for graduating teens moving on to college or entering the workforce. Social media helps students develop stronger communication and better socialization while lessons are being taught online. While there are definite limitations to social media as a teaching device, it’s clear that social media can be used as a tool to help children with autism to learn and expand their minds.

Have you been searching for the perfect school for your student with autism? Lexington Life Academy is a leader in Autism education in Arizona. Our teachers and therapists work with our members every day so they can expand their skill sets academically and socially. Lexington uses evidence-based practices and standards based curriculum to educate our members while providing for sensory integration and positive behavior modification. We have been lucky enough to educate and support hundreds of people with autism and other special needs across Arizona. Contact Lexington Services today for more information and call 480-900-1009 to set up a campus tour.

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