Cleveland Clinic Children's Outcomes

Individualized educational goals were created for each student at the start of each school year. Toward the end of each school year, the mean percentage of goals achieved for each student was measured.

Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) is a skills assessment tool for children with autism.

The preschool program at the Lerner School for Autism provides year-round, early, intensive behavior intervention for young children who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Children as young as 18 months through 6 years receive 30 or more hours per week of intervention. Using applied behavior analysis and child development principles, staff work with parents to develop an individualized curriculum to teach communication, social interaction, play, and a range of functional and adaptive skills.

186 students have graduated from the program since its inception in 2002. Most children who have graduated the preschool program in the past decade have been placed either in mainstream educational settings with minimal or no support, or in intensive special education settings that do not require intensive behavioral intervention or 1:1 aide services. These outcomes indicate that young children with autism who attend the Lerner preschool program experience substantial improvements in their ability to function independently in their future educational programs, resulting in decreased resource use and cost to the public education system.

Each year, the Lerner School's educational team meets with parents to set individual goals for the next school year. The aim of this collaborative meeting is to determine next steps for each child to achieve maximal educational progress. Each educational team member is expected to contribute his or her expertise. Parent perspectives are equally key to this process. After the team meeting, parents are asked about their levels of satisfaction with educational progress, scheduling the team meeting, and team collaboration.