SEAD’s Innovative Approach Empowers Students with Difficulties

Educating a child involves more than just classroom instruction. There are a host of different components that must come together to enable successful academic and social development.

Take Sam, an adorable 4-year-old boy with a charming, personable, and friendly nature. Sam’s parents enrolled him in the local pre-school, where his big brother Nathan had a fantastic time and made great strides in his development. Sam however, always seemed to be on the move, making it difficult for his parents and teachers to keep him grounded and safe. Sitting and remaining focused for any amount of time was nearly impossible. Ultimately, this challenge got in the way of Sam’s day-to-day social interaction, whether it was playing with his friends or going out with his family. His teachers were at a loss, as he was not picking up any of the crucial skills being taught, and they could not keep tabs on him all day.

At the recommendation of a respected local school principal, Sam was referred to the Special Education Academy of Deal (SEAD).  He was provided with a small class setting within the mainstream environment of a local community school. Through various techniques, Sam’s new teachers devised an innovative program that would help him learn to proceed through activities, follow directions, and acquire basic skills. SEAD’s highly perceptive staff identified Sam’s particular difficulties—processing information properly and poor language skills. The necessary therapies were set and incorporated in the classroom throughout the day. Step-by-step, month-by-month, Sam steadily began to improve, demonstrating measurable progress.

Sam certainly made the most of the time he spent at SEAD. As he progressively experienced success, his days were increasingly fulfilling. Sam slowly but surely developed into a bright-eyed, confident youngster. After three years of steady growth, his innate talents and abilities began to shine. He was following class routine, mastering and surpassing the goals set for him and reading way above his grade level. He was popular in his SEAD class as well as in the mainstream classroom where he was spending part of his day. Sam was ready to join his peers in the second grade full time.

Sam’s triumph is just one of the many success stories of SEAD’s educational program. Many of SEAD’s students are children with average or above average intelligence. They have specific learning difficulties including attention, processing and social challenges. Those multi-leveled obstacles block the child’s ability to thrive within a regular classroom setting. A conventional classroom does not generally allow for much adjustment or accommodation for the unique educational needs of the individual student. The demanding decorum and pensive environment that generally foster the ideal outcomes for some children will have precisely the opposite effect on others. Left in the mainstream, children with difficulties may actually seem to be managing by simply coasting all the way through eighth grade with a considerable degree of failure. Even where certain areas of unsatisfactory performance can be pinpointed, the individual issue that lies at the root of the weakness will never be identified and addressed properly.

It is precisely here that SEAD’s empowering approach can truly make a difference in the child’s life. When a student who is not succeeding in a regular environment comes to SEAD, SEAD’s professionals will evaluate and “see” the whole person. They will assess the various “pieces;” his or her social, emotional, and academic needs that are hindering the child’s progress, thus preventing him or her from climbing the educational ladder. SEAD’s in-house team of reading specialists, occupational therapists and sensory experts will collaborate to create a unique plan for putting those pieces together. While tapping into his or her competence, this will give the student a feeling of warmth and confidence to utilize inborn abilities to the point where he or she can be successful. Core skills in all subject areas are strongly emphasized to ensure a solid foundation upon which the child can build upon once mainstreamed.

SEAD’s pioneering and innovative approach to individualized learning combines the benefits of a self-contained classroom setting (where students receive the bulk of their education), alongside the social advantages of integration into the host school within a regular classroom environment. Working closely with the Jersey’s Shore’s community schools, mainstreaming is accomplished gradually. Students participate at first in the areas where they can be most successful, eventually increasing to full-day integration when possible.

Thanks to SEAD’s self-contained classes, within our community’s schools, so many boys and girls hopelessly struggling in the regular system are now learning and progressing with tremendous success. With SEAD’s enabling perspective of the “whole person” and their dedicated staff of professionals, the plan of “putting the pieces together” provides each student with a blueprint and plan of action, thus bringing out their personal abilities to the fullest.

Here are some comments made by the parents of SEAD students:

“Sending our son to school used to be a nightmare—now he’s so eager and excited that he runs into school each day.”

“I never knew Jacquelyn had so much potential or that she was capable of accomplishing so much.”

“Mikey has really matured. He’s managing well socially; for the first time ever we enrolled him in a typical, mainstream camp for the summer.”

“The small classes at SEAD really made our daughter feel comfortable and confident. She comes home feeling so fulfilled and content with her achievements.”

“Because of the way the mainstreaming is set up, my son believes that he goes to the mainstream school.”

“Joey has made remarkable improvement. I’m dealing with a different kid at home. He is confident and feels nurtured and believes that he can do anything.