The delivery of related services varies by individual student needs, as well as by division. 

 

In our Lower School, services are provided both in the context of small group or individual sessions, as well as integrated at other times through the school day. Students visit various teachers and clinicians in targeted, integrated instructional learning groups in and outside of the classroom.

 

As students approach 5th grade and near the transition into our Upper School division, services often shift to focus on functional, context-based competencies that will prepare them for experiences in a variety of environments; Upper School services are largely integrated into academic seminars and elective classes in order to provide natural opportunities for skill building in nuanced situations. 

 

Services in the Lower and Upper School programs may integrate between therapies, such as an occupational therapist and speech-language pathologist leading a combined social learning and OT group, which we call CoT.

 

Counseling

Each student is assigned a counselor, who provides individual counseling if needed as well as integrated social-emotional and behavioral skill building.  The counselor also acts as the point person for each child’s social and emotional learning plan. Across all divisions of Quad Prep, our counseling team is comprised of licensed psychologists, licensed mental health counselors, post-doctoral fellows in clinical psychology, and a number of graduate-level students pursuing higher-level degrees in these fields of study. 

 

Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy is provided in an individual, group, or integrated context. Our team of occupational therapists work closely with classroom-based staff in all divisions to integrate sensory-skill building and considerations into daily activities and the environment. 

 

Speech and Language Therapy

Speech and Language Therapy is provided in either one-to-one or small group sessions depending on each child’s individual needs. Our team of speech-language pathologists largely provide intervention targeting language-based learning challenges and social pragmatic language development throughout the school day, and also integrate into academic or elective classes to support and develop these skills across contexts. 

 

Social-Cognitive Teaching Framework

A pillar of our program and part of the founding mission of the school is our social cognitive curriculum. All Quad Prep students receive social-cognitive intervention in tandem with the academic curriculum. The nature of this intervention depends on each student’s needs and instruction may occur either in an explicit social learning group or in an integrated manner within the classroom. Faculty receive ongoing coaching and professional development from Social Thinking® Training and Speakers’ Collaborative. They use this methodology to inform best practices and further develop students’ social-cognitive learning. 

 

Social Thinking®, developed by Michelle Garcia Winner, M.A., CCC-SLP, is a teaching platform implemented to support social competencies of individuals from preschool through adulthood. The methodology is reflected in a variety of curriculum and instructional tools published by Think Social Publishing, Inc. 

 

The Social Thinking ® Framework supports development of social competencies by:

● Establishing a common vocabulary to discuss social information

● Breaking down abstract social concepts into conceptual, teachable formats

●Addressing fundamental social knowledge such as understanding another’s perspective, the hidden rules of social communication, and developing social attention, among other important lessons

● Helping children and adults navigate the nuanced world of social interaction

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Quad Prep also uses the Informal Social Thinking® Dynamic Assessment Protocol to ensure that each social learning group includes students who are well matched in terms of social radar and social cognitive goals. The assessment is an informal tool that helps educators and clinicians understand each student’s social cognitive abilities and pair teaching strategies with the social strengths and challenges of the individual. Students participate in this assessment the summer before their first enrolled school year.

 

Learning Support

Our Learning Specialist team members work with students to address lagging skills due to specific learning disabilities that can co-occur with twice-exceptionality. Most commonly, students may receive learning support in the areas of reading, writing, and/or math. A number of our learning specialists are trained in the Orton-Gillingham methodology, including Wilson Language Training, among other evidence-based approaches, for targeted reading intervention as needed; all of our learning specialists are trained to provide math support and intervention. Students can receive learning support individually or in a small group, and may attend a core academic class with a learning specialist if needed. Our flexibility allows for all learners to reach their potential and to make academic gains.

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