By Dr. Diane Myers, SVP, Special Education—Behavior at SESI For many educators, late summer feels more like the beginning of a new year than the first of January. Hopefully the summer provided an opportunity for rest and rejuvenation given the unique challenges we all faced last year. As we begin the 2022-2023 school year, we want to create a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive community for our teammates and our students; we also want to lay a solid foundation so the positive culture maintains and strengthens throughout the year.    How [...]

By Jess Miller, BCBA and Regional Instructional Specialist at SESI Think back to your classroom experiences as a child. Most of us would probably say that they were pretty manageable, with a few difficulties here and there as exceptions. We had our classroom schedules memorized, we were able to ask for alternative workspaces if the classroom was too loud, and we could grab a snack out of our backpack if we were hungry.  Now, consider the students that SESI serves often don't have the necessary skills to accomplish these day-to-day tasks on their [...]

By Amy Farmer, Regional Instructional Specialist at SESI Creating classrooms and schools that foster curiosity, growth, and a sense of security is vital to a student’s ability to access their academics, generalize skills, and become as independent as possible.  Cultivating these environments for students on the autism spectrum can take some special thought and care. Whether students on the spectrum need minimal support or a great deal of individualized attention, there are specific needs to take into consideration. Research is constantly expanding our knowledge on effective methods to teach our students with ASD [...]

 By Dr. Diane Myers, SVP, Special Education—Behavior at SESI While the Covid-19 pandemic is not known for producing many silver linings (if any), it has highlighted the need for increased attention to the social, emotional, and behavioral well-being of our students. The pandemic has caused significant educational disruption, limited social contacts, and increased fear and anxiety around everyday activities. For those students who needed additional social, emotional, and behavioral supports prior to the pandemic, the impact has been felt even more acutely. With collective concern building around the state of our students’ mental health, [...]