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THE PHILOSOPHY AND VISION OF THE NHS SCHOOL

• NHS is committed to maintaining quality resources in the treatment and education of students with varying abilities.
• NHS will accept and include those students who may be struggling with more severe behaviors that are negatively affecting them in the educational

  setting.
• NHS will coordinate a team approach that will focus on the holistic needs of the child.
• NHS will collaborate and partner with the family and the entire multi-system team.
• NHS will integrate a blended delivery of behavioral and educational models.
• NHS goals include increasing each child's environmental engagement with a focus on the development of social skills, life skills, and pro-social

  behaviors.

The success of our students will be demonstrated through personal growth, development of peer relationships, and participation within their environment, as well as   through community activities.

Child Eligibility

• Ages 5-21, Grades K-12.
• A primary diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (Autism, PDD, Aspergers, Rett's Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder).
• Mild to severe levels of impairment with accompanying medical, dietary, or behavioral concerns are welcome.
• I.Q. is not used as a reference or basis for enrollment.

Blending Expertise and Education

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders bring with them the special challenges of living in a world that is not always built to accommodate their unique needs.  For more than 10 years, NHS Human Services has been providing quality behavioral health services to the children and families of Pennsylvania who are affected by Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder (NOS) and Aspergers Syndrome. As the rate of prevalence and demand for services have increased, we have dedicated ourselves to improving our expertise and expanding the range of services NHS can provide because the challenges of Autism should never include the availability of quality services.

Our latest addition to the NHS service line-up is the NHS Autism Schools.  In order to make this idea come to life, NHS invested the best of its existing Autism Services into the framework of an educational setting.  We knew that blending our expertise with a comprehensive educational program would result in a stable, nurturing environment that would instill young people with the confidence and skills to reach their fullest potential.

What Makes the NHS School Unique?

The NHS Autism Schools' foundation curriculum:

• Offers individualized goal selection based on a developmentally appropriate hierarchy of needs associated with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
• Utilizes an evidence based-approach with applied behavior analysis.
• Curriculum concentrates on key concepts such as:

       • Communication and life skills.
       • Behavioral and emotional development.
       • Social development.
       • Pre-academic and academic skills.
• Specialized process allows for outcome focused planning, priorities, goal selection, and implementation.
• Speech or occupational therapy is provided on-site as the student's IEP requires.
• Challenging behaviors are addressed with the help of certified behavior analysts so that safety is maintained without sacrificing the student's

   self-esteem.
• Utilizes various positive behavioral support strategies to encourage more adaptive responses to potentially difficult situations.

NHS Human Services firmly believes that the appropriate role for professionals is to facilitate a client's ability to realize their own definitions of achievement and success, not define it for them.  For the students in our NHS Autism Schools, success includes things like:

• Gaining the ability to communicate their needs or ideas to others.
• Inclusion in community-based activities.
• Skills to initiate and maintain friendships.
• More independent behaviors and activities of daily living.
• Socially appropriate methods of regulating and responding to emotional situations.

Last Updated: August 27, 2008