Early Learning

We are committed to meeting the educational needs of our youngest students. Our Early Learning Program is designed to focus on developing the social, communication, and daily living skills of young autistic students, ages 3-12, and those with other developmental disabilities.

 
The program is a part of the May Center School for Autism and Developmental Disabilities in Wilmington, Mass. It allows us to foster a culture specifically based on the needs of young students in a nurturing environment, providing opportunities for both structured learning in the classroom and experiential learning through play and social interaction.

Program Highlights

  • Our program emphasizes skill-building with a focus on increasing language and communication, within a comprehensive and flexible academic program.
  • Our classroom options allow us to appropriately manage associated challenging behaviors. Our approach focuses on reinforcement-based strategies to manage problematic behavior, while teaching alternative appropriate behaviors. We take great care to develop strategies that are guided by a developmental framework. 
  • Our focus on serving very young children reflects current best outcomes research indicating that intensive intervention and education based on applied behavior analysis provide the best chance for reducing the need for long-term services. 
  • Providing this intensive intervention early allows us, in some cases, to facilitate successful transition back to district. We will work with districts to develop a transition plan, allowing for a seamless transition and for the child to reintegrate successfully within a less restrictive setting.