Our Children Can Learn

Dear Parents,

I would like to send a message to our communities about the abuse that is still happening to our special needs individuals in general and how we must put an end to it. Most of this abuse is due to the fact that our educators are not properly trained and supervised. This is unacceptable and needs to change immediately.

I also would like to send a message about how many of our children that have been cheated out of a proper education. I would like to help educators to take a major step forward in educating our children and adults with autism. Here is some more information regarding our organization.

I found the the schools and most professionals were not having much success with my son's behaviors and especially his aggressions. When I connected with other parents of children with autism I also found that they too were in the same predicament. I have been a special educator for the past 18 years and I was not going to accept the sub standard education that was provided for us as well as what we had to pay for out of pocket which well exceeded 100,000.00 per year. I had supplemented my son's home program with RDI (Relationship Development Intervention) and found it to be one of the most effective therapeutic interventions for my son as well as other children in his particular situation. I have also found that children with autism are quite capable of acquiring nearly the same curriculum as their peers, however with modifications.

I have recently started a non-profit organization to raise money to open up a new school for children and young adults with autism which will hopefully be in or near the Northern Bergen County area. I have attached our general press release which gives a brief description of the program. The therapeutic interventions are presently cost prohibitive in most school settings and are only used in this area with private consultants and only after school hours.

This school that we are in the process of forming is primarily for students that have not benefited from what is presently being offered to them in their current schools and are in some sort of crisis in which their families are not able to properly care for their child. We would like to have students whose parents agree to the major commitments involved in the school.

I have personally experienced a breakdown in our family unit with my own child with autism. Fortunately, I have the education background and an extremely positive attitude which has helped me to get my child the appropriate therapy when he is not in school. Unfortunately, there is no school setting that has been using these techniques that many children need to make more substantial improvements. Even the top private schools are ridden with failure. This is unacceptable and avoidable.

I am going to require that the families receive ongoing training within the home, school and community. I am presently in communication with the Department of Education and they are going to expedite State Approval if we open up a program in an existing public school building.

I hope to build many schools for children with autism and to make this school a new model program for all of the schools in the country. I am getting calls and emails from parents asking me to open programs in many other states as well. Please view my website at http://www.ourchildrencanlearn.org/ for some additional information. There must be more accountability of services provided for students in all of our schools, especially those that are most a risk of not being able to care for themselves as adults.

Thanks so much for your dedication to our children!



Mission

Our school focuses on the inherent right of every individual to BELONG and participate fully in society. We Believe that Education is Lifelong, Ongoing, Nurturing and Gratifying. By using a highly structured approach combined with a nurturing environment, family involvement and rich community based experiences; we will expand upon the student's natural learning styles. Our program also will have the construct of an extended school calendar.



Our school is committed to teaching the entire family and community how to help people with autism and related symptoms. Current research shows that in order to reach successful learning goals, the families must continue to practice these set goals outside school grounds in hopes of alleviating any stressors that may be placed on them.



The BELONGProgram takes academics to its highest standards in conjunction with the state's "No Child Left Behind" act. Our goal is to teach students curriculum at or above their current grade level. We will coordinate with the student's local school district as well to expose students to the same or similar curriculum materials.



Our school also welcomes the children who are currently in a major crisis due to the fact that they have been in the school system but have not progressed enough in order to attend to and socialize during everyday functions, which, in turn can alienate the children and young adults from family and friends.



The goal of our school is to help education, behavior and positive social functioning. We take learning a step further by teaching students how to think for themselves through a series of academic and therapeutic activities that incorporate problem solving skills. These skills create a meta-cognitive process that is defined as, "the process of learning how to learn". We facilitate our program to produce students that are more dependent on their own ways of thinking. This will help students to successfully transition back to their home school within their district.

We believe our children must not only learn everyday-skills to survive and function properly, but also learn to seek out the attention of others in a positive manner. We give students the opportunity to increase their performance through both behavioral therapy and academic challenges.

Teaching Methodology:

The BELONG Program is a method of teaching parents and teachers to facilitate the development of children's dynamic intelligence. We will develop and implement an IEP (Individualized Education Program) for each student that has clear goals and frameworks which are embedded in everything we do.

Initially, many students feel a comfort in being able to predict what is happening in their environment. Therefore, they attempt to keep everything completely routine or static. This is not reality, so we must teach our students to be able to reference the environment around us, begin to be flexible and help them with their everyday changes, also referred to as dynamic systems. Our goal is to lead the child to become a creative problem solver, reflect onto self and others, and be part of a team to reach a common goal. These are referred to Relationship Development Intervention (RDI®), Principles. This process will help students to survive in the ever changing real world which is never easy, but completely possible.

The BELONG program will provide opportunities to improve communication, increase student competence and work collaboratively with others. The students can quickly develop a yearning to build friendships and form significant bonds with their families. Each child is unique and has individual wishes. It is our job as their Guides to help them reach those dreams!

Developmental Components:
Teaching parents effective ways to teach according to the child's current developmental functioning breaks the cycle of failure and feelings of inadequacy for both parents and child.







Q. Is there peer-reviewed research on RDI®?

A. RDI® is a relatively new intervention and research on its effectiveness is now emerging. The September 2007 issue of the journal Autismpublished the results of a study on RDI®. This study showed the majority of the RDI® group demonstrating significant gains on standard autism measures (ADOS scores) and independence at school. Another study, conducted by researchers at the Tavistock Institute, is underway.

What Parents Have to Say About RDI®



"Before RDI, I was a caregiver. It was lonely, exhausting and non-fulfilling. I was giving 110% and I got nothing in return. My child was 7 1/2 years old, didn't speak, wouldn't eat but 5 things, wore pull-ups and had the official diagnosis of moderate to severe autism and mental retardation. I would sit and watch him hit himself in the head and he would come home with marks on his arms where he'd bit the blood out of himself at school. He couldn't handle change....He was getting too big for me to physically control... I was crying about the situation most of the time. It was tough.
RDI came along....my life changed....I became a parent instead of a caregiver. It is fun, rewarding and engaging... We are a typical family now. We can go shopping with no fears of losing our child [we developed a zone of connection and social referencing skills through RDI]. He...will eat almost anything now. We are able to try new things...

without a meltdown...My child no longer stims. He doesn't hit himself in the head and hasn't bitten himself in years. My child appropriately orientates himself to communicate...We are able to tell jokes and he truly gets them...What RDI has given to me...is nothing short of the second chance to have a really good life. There are no words to describe what that feels like."

-Larien, RDI Mom



"Since we started RDI, (our daughter) learned to read our body languageand even interpret wordless communication. She now uses her face and makes gestures... Her communications are much more declarative and sharing... She can follow eye gaze and use it to guide us. (She) references us and other people for a variety of reasons. She is just starting to have small impromptu conversations with people we bump into running errands...Even though (our daughter) is "old"--nineteen--we are full of hope that RDI will help her continue to achieve more milestones that will take her a step closer to being able to succeed in a dynamic and messy world."

-Tammy, RDI Mom



"The changes we are noticing early on (after a few months) are his increased interest in faces...he (now) talks about his school friends... and even blushes over a girl. I thought that was encouraging for a 4 year old."

-Donna, RDI Mom












Content copyright 2009. Our Children Can Learn. All rights reserved.



My goal is communicate with as many people as possible so that they are given a glimpse of hope for their families. I know that you can help me do this.


With Warmest Regards,

Suzanne Schwarz
M.S. Special Education
M.S. School Administration and Supervision
www.ourchildrencanlearn.org
201-220-6865

Anything is possible!