When Mikie first entered the preschool, he rarely interacted with others except to access things that he wanted. He would watch videos all day long if his parents let him, and didn’t want to play with his siblings. His primary teacher, Christopher, worked one on one with him in a specialized classroom. Mikie responded to this intensive treatment, and gradually began to speak. He even started to use his language to initiate social interactions with other teachers and adults. With Mikie’s increase in language, it was decided that it was time for him to spend some time in the integrated classroom. There, he would learn among typical peers while still receiving the necessary support of his teacher.

Through his interactions in the integrated classroom combined with continued one-to-one direct instruction, Mikie has begun to generalize his skills with typical peers. He now watches and imitates the behavior of others in the classroom when they are listening to a teacher, singing a song in circle time, sitting for a snack, or many of the other activities preschoolers engage in every day.

Once each week his teacher Christopher spends 2 hours in Mikie’s home working with Mikie and his parents to practice the skills he has learned at school, and reinforcing his use of those skills in their home. Mikie now likes to play with his brother and sister, and even initiates basic conversations with the family at the dinner table!

Now 6 years old and getting ready to start kindergarten in his local public school, Mikie’s mom looks back on his time at NECC. “Thinking back, it was hard at times, but this intensive instruction has taken a child that just wasn’t there, and helped to make him a part of his family and community.”