Day Treatment

Our day treatment program focuses equally on the academic and therapeutic needs of students. This “100% academic and 100% therapeutic” approach to education integrates academic achievement with the social and emotional needs of students.

Staff and School Environment

Education Alternatives’ day treatment program looks and feels like a traditional school. The differentiating component is the extra services provided to aid students in meeting the goals and objectives identified in their Individual Education Plans (IEPs). Instruction takes place within a small class size with a low student to teacher ratio, allowing for individual attention. In addition to academics, students are encouraged to make pro-social choices, learning to recognize their negative patterns of interacting and replacing unproductive behaviors with positive ones.

Educational and clinical staff members are a healing presence, committed to building healthy relationships with their students. Staff members work as a multi-disciplinary team to recognize and understand the inherent causes of a child’s difficulties and identify the methods to meet individual needs. They design and implement an effective academic and therapeutic plan that focuses on each child learning positive behavioral and coping skills that lead to success. Staff members include:

• Special Education Teachers
• Licensed Clinical Counselors
• Associate Teachers
• Licensed School Psychologists
• Licensed Social Workers
• One-on-One Aides
• Speech and Language Therapists

 

Academic Services

The core subject areas of our academic program follow the Ohio Department of Education’s Academic Content Standards. The core curriculum includes instruction in Mathematics, Technology, Science, Reading and Language Arts, Social Studies, and Art.

Regular assessments are used to thoroughly assess student competencies and the results are used to identify individual strengths and areas of need, allowing for personalization of content and approach. Instruction techniques and resource materials are selected to effectively lead students toward achievement. The delivery of the curriculum is designed to address the unique learning needs of each student. In addition, small class sizes and specialized instruction techniques allow teachers to better individualize lessons and boost student achievement.

Students take all state-mandated Ohio achievement and proficiency tests. In addition to following Ohio guidelines, our high school students receive guidance services to ensure that their coursework meets the graduation requirements of their placing school district.

 

Therapeutic Services

Therapeutic services are provided to help students understand the disorders that may be inhibiting their emotional and behavioral growth.

Group and Individual Therapy is conducted by a licensed therapist. Structured daily discussion addresses issues such as abuse, sexuality, and drug use. Individual sessions are held on a weekly basis at the minimum and allow students to openly express their thoughts.

Crisis Counseling is provided to students as needed. De-escalation techniques are used to help students process their emotions and mediate the crisis. Solution-focused problem-solving is integral for students to learn the alternatives to explosive and destructive responses to conflict.

Social Skills Training promotes positive, productive interactions with others. Students learn to process feelings, thoughts, and actions appropriately and productively through role-playing, discussions, skill practice, and real-life application.

Anger Management Training helps students identify appropriate avenues for expressing anger. Aggression replacement training decreases aggressive responses to anger and increases a student’s self-control. Students are taught to recognize their anger-cycles and triggers and to replace the accompanying cognitive distortions and thinking errors with non-aggressive choices.

 

Transition Services

Both academic coursework and therapeutic sessions are centered in providing the child with the needed skills to succeed in adulthood. Throughout their time at Education Alternatives, students learn to manage their disabilities and live a healthy lifestyle.

Self Advocacy provides students with the essential skills needed to guide healthy, independent living within their communities. Students learn about their disability so they may successfully identify their needs, set and achieve realistic goals, and actively manage their disability throughout life.

Workplace Readiness includes training in communication and manual skills that are required on the job, practicing interviewing skills, and understanding the expectations of future employers. Students explore occupations throughout their time at Education Alternatives and continually work with staff to set individual employment goals.

Daily Living Skills training helps students function independently on a daily basis. Students are taught self-care skills, such as proper hygiene and healthy eating. In addition, students are trained in the areas of personal management, including money management, housing, identification of community resources, and appropriate social interactions.