Programs

At Standing Tall, we have three primary programs that serve slightly different audiences:

• Full Time School Programs
• After-School Conductive Education Program
• Conductive Education Summer Intensive

Full-Time School Program

Standing Tall provides a full-time 12-month and 10-month school program for students ages 5-21. We currently serve a total of 16 students and are hoping to move to new space in 2013 to give us the capacity to serve more. Our teacher to student ratio is 1:3, and all of our students have a one-on-one paraprofessional. We also have speech therapists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists working in the environment to serve the specific needs of each student.

To learn more about who we serve, visit our Admissions page.

Components of the Full-Time Program

• Conductive Education was developed in Hungary in the 1940s by Dr. Andras Peto, a physician, educator, and visionary who sought a method to teach children with motor disorders. He recognized that the human brain is highly adaptable—particularly in young children—and can find new paths to achieve functional movement. Conductive Education has been used successfully in Europe for more than 60 years to educate motor-impaired children and to
  increase their functional skills. Conductive Education facilitates the child's learning by integrating movement with communicative, cognitive, and sensory learning.
• Communican is a communication and instructional program developed to systematically teach communication skills to children who are nonverbal and physically disabled. Communican is an integrated model of communication instruction developed by Pati King-DeBaun, M.S. CCC-SLP, a leader in the field of augmentative communication and assistive technology. The program is used to facilitate communication competence with augmentative alternative communication (AAC). Through Communican, students are taught operational skills, social skills, strategic skills, linguistic skills, and literacy skills.
• Integrated Academics provides our students multi-sensory experiences to help them integrate and understand world knowledge, including reading, mathematics, science, social studies, music, art, and life skills. Working with our skilled special educators experienced with helping non-verbal and physically disabled children access, experience, and integrate new concepts. Our special educators weave academic concepts into the Communican and Conductive Education programs.
• Social Integration provides regular structured interactions with typically developing students from other schools. This provides an avenue for them to stay connected, engaged, and motivated by the external world. Social integration gives them the opportunity to practice their communication skills learned through Communican, while exploring new ideas and concepts with others of different abilities.
• Family Support provides ongoing education and support to the families of our students. Through our Parent Curriculum, we provide monthly programming for parents, family members, and caregivers to help them utilize Communican and Conductive Education with their child at home. We also bring in outside speakers on various topics relevant to families with special needs children, including advocacy, transitions, community resources, etc.
• Supplemental Programming offers supplemental evening and weekend conductive education programs for students of all age ranges. This provides opportunities for disabled students able to learn and communicate in a mainstream environment to receive the value of Conductive Education.
• Trailblazer Leaders Program partners with skilled individuals who happen to be disabled, to bring unique ongoing programs to our students. One example of this is Alba Samoza, who is a renowned fine artist with cerebral palsy who facilitates an art program designed specifically for Standing Tall. Another example is Daniel Trush, who founded Daniel’s Music Foundation. Daniel, who has a traumatic brain injury, designed a progressive music education program for children of all abilities. These “trailblazers” act as powerful mentors for our students, giving
  them inspiration and example to follow.

 

After-School Conductive Education Program

Standing Tall offers after-school and weekend Conductive Education programming for persons with neurological impairments of all ages. The sessions 90-120 minutes in duration and are provided either in a small-group or individual setting.
Health insurance often covers the cost of these services.
To inquire and sign up for these programs, please contact Tabitha Pease at Tabitha@standingtallnyc.org.

Conductive Education Summer Intensive

Standing Tall offers 2-4 week Conductive Education Intensives for students ages 5-15. This program takes place 9 AM – 3 PM, Monday through Friday.
No space is currently available for the Summer of 2013.
To inquire or be put on a waitlist, please contact Tabitha Pease at Tabitha@standingtallnyc.org.