Student Services

Our goal is to prepare students for meaningful, successful adulthood at their highest level of independence. If you have questions about the services your child receives or if you feel your child should be receiving additional services, please give us a call. We are always happy to help.

Educational Transitions

Our priority for younger students in our program is to develop communication, language, and social skills. This allows students to develop self-advocacy skills and manage their personal needs. We also encourage students to take responsibility for their actions and help them develop strategies for managing their time, educational materials, and personal belongings.

As students transition into middle school, we introduce them to work-related activities that help them apply their academic knowledge and develop the foundational skills needed for employment.

Students in our high school program focus on building their academic and independent living skills while engaging in vocational training. Teachers, counselors, and service providers work to help students understand the connection between school and work so they can make a seamless transition into adulthood. We encourage every student to try new things and expand their knowledge and skill sets, especially in regard to developing skills needed for the workforce. That might mean joining a club or afterschool activity to explore new areas of interest or improve problem-solving skills. Or it could mean setting aside classroom time to boost workplace behaviors and learn industry-specific skills.

We determine the settings for and time allocated toward vocational training activities on an individual basis at each student’s annual IEP meeting.

iWork

i-Work is our school-to-work program. It is designed to provide interest-driven, community-based work experiences to students who have both demonstrated an interest in working and the ability to work independently.

These paid internships include an on-site, company-employed support person who understands the purpose of our program to mentor each working student while LABBB staff conduct periodic site visits to ensure a quality experience.

i-Work experiences are intended to promote career readiness by helping students connect their academic knowledge to the skills necessary for independent living. We help students:

  • explore their vocational interests;
  • narrow their field of interest;
  • develop independent working skills;
  • develop specific job-related skills;
  • build a network of support outside school;
  • build a resume; and
  • collect work references.

Students who attend transitional classes for i-Work will learn independent living skills for public transportation and travel; home management; financial management; time management; health, nutrition, and personal care; and both hard and soft workplace skills such as communication, problem-solving, conflict resolution skills, office procedures, MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Web 2.0.

Go Program

Greater Opportunities is our adult services program for current students or other adults with disabilities who have aged out of our school-based program. These 22+ year-olds participate in community-based services Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. that help to develop greater independent living skills, social and work-related skills, and travel skills. It also provides recreation opportunities.

GO also allows us to support employed individuals with disabilities to acclimate to their new jobs, build relationships with their supervisors and colleagues, and establish routines. LABBB staff provides lessening support tiers (from daily to weekly to as-needed) throughout the program to encourage complete independence while remaining available to help with on-the-job challenges or career changes.

Or LABBB staff can provide onsite support as an employment coach to allow individuals with limited work experience to build workplace skills and successfully hold employment in group or independent settings. Learn more in our GO program brochure.

Health Office

At LABBB Collaborative, we are fully committed to our students’ health. Our health office staff works with onsite school nurses and private-duty nurses to care for each student’s physical and mental well-being while at school. If you have questions regarding any of our policies or need information from your child’s school health record, please contact our health services coordinator, Natasha Croyle. You are also welcome to review our health office policies and procedures.

Exclusion From School or School Activities

A school nurse or program director might exclude a LABBB student from school or school-related activities for health reasons if that student has returned from a hospital visit— including an emergency room visit that did not result in hospital admission—without the required documentation unless that visit was for routine lab tests. Students may also be excluded during the infectious period of a variety of communicable diseases or for the following:

  • A fever greater than 100°F unless that student has a documented temperature regulation issue and is otherwise asymptomatic. The student’s temperature must be below 100°F for 72 hours, without the use of medication, before returning to school.
  • COVID-like symptoms or a known COVID exposure.
  • Strep throat. Students may return to school 24 hours after beginning antibiotic therapy.
  • Pending culture labs. (Exceptions can be made at the discretion of the school nurse.)
  • Respiratory precautions due to a significant change in their respiratory status.
  • Chickenpox or shingles with an active rash. All dry, non-weeping shingles rashes must be covered before returning to school.
  • Significant seizure activity.
  • Excessive sleepiness.
  • Excessive bleeding, especially after a dental visit.
  • Persistent vomiting or diarrhea. Students must be symptom-free for 24 hours before returning to school.
  • A condition, like a broken bone, that requires immediate medical attention.
  • A condition that requires ongoing medical supervision that cannot be provided in the school setting.
  • Posing a significant health risk to the general school population. For example:
    • students in the infectious stage of an airborne illness or disease;
    • students unable to manage their bowel and bladder functions who are in the infectious stage of an oral-fecal transmitted disease such as Hepatitis A, Rotavirus, Giardia, Salmonella, or parasites;
    • or students with a disease that can be transmitted through body fluids whose developmental level makes it difficult for them not to touch lesions. Examples of such diseases include herpes, impetigo, hepatitis B, staph, strep, and conjunctivitis.

Clinical Resources

Our clinical resource team offers families ongoing assistance and guidance on issues specifically related to life at home. These home services, which include workshops, consultation, and at-home programming, are specifically designed to help parents navigate adaptive skill building, behavior management, and the emotional needs of their child with disabilities.

Through the IEP process, eligible families receive direct consultation and/or home services on a quarterly, monthly, or weekly basis at the child’s school or home. Parents are an integral part of the success of this program, so we assess each family prior to student admittance to identify both the goals of home services as well as the family’s readiness for services. This assessment, by a board-certified behavior analyst, typically involves multiple home visits and meetings with parents.

Consultations typically educate families about whatever disability a child has and include teaching strategies for improving daily routines, building skills for independence, encouraging positive family interactions, and behavior compliance. Recommended strategies include creating visual schedules and/or reward systems, encouraging functional communication, and using differential reinforcement. Our consultation services never include training for physical management strategies such as protective holds or restraints. We do, however, recommend alternative services if more intensive interventions are required.

Home services implemented by trained paraprofessionals may be more appropriate for some families. In those cases, services often address similar issues to improve student skills and family routines, but these strategies are initially taught to the student by a paraprofessional. That paraprofessional then trains parents to reinforce these skills when the home service worker is not present. All such services and goals are reflected in the student’s IEP.

Clinical Resource Team
Our clinical resource team includes licensed mental health counselors, licensed social workers, board-certified behavior analysts, and experienced clinical support staff. LABBB is also pleased to work with psychology interns from William James College who are closely supervised by our counselors as they support students in the classrooms and during therapy sessions, and assist us in working with home service families. All our clinicians help bridge the gap between home and school.
Clinicians use a variety of therapy models to help students become more self-aware and make behavioral adjustments so they can be productive in the classroom, at home, or at work. They also promote positive functional skill development and emotional wellness through weekly support groups and offering in-service training for LABBB staff on topics such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (CPI).