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The CUSD Autistic Support Program is committed to working with families to provide a program that best meets the student’s individual needs, and working towards placement in the least restrictive environment.

The program offers service as defined in the Individualized Education Plan (IEP):

• Student Educational Services
• Behavioral Support Services
• Psychological and Social Work

The Autistic Support Program offers a variety of programmatic features that support the needs of students with autism that include communication, behavioral, social, and sensory.  Autism offers students a variety of support opportunities designed to assist students as they age out of the primary program to move into the Intermediate level. They are as follows: a research-based literacy program, Project READ within CUSD classes, Picture Exchange Communication (PEC), Touch Math, Milestone Reading Program, First Verb, First Word, Board Maker – Visual Cues, and Community Based Instruction.  The program locations are Columbus Elementary and the Village at Chester Upland schools.

A continuous process of public awareness activities, screening and evaluation designed to locate, identify, and refer as early as possible all young children with disabilities and their families who are in need of Early Intervention Program (Part C) or Preschool Special Education (Part B/619) services of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) targets all children with disabilities aged birth to 21 who reside in the state. Part C of IDEA, early intervention, focuses on children aged birth to three.  

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

The clinic’s goal is to provide psychiatric/psychological evaluation and treatment to adolescents in a setting that maximizes access and minimizes stigma. Students of Chester High School, grades nine through twelve, will be able to “walk-in” and initiate the intake process. The clinic will be accessible through self-referral and referrals made by parent(s), teacher(s), and school administrator(s), as well as the through the Solutions/SAP Team process from all schools in Chester Upland School District. Services will include Individual, family, and group psychotherapy, Behavior Modification, Anger Management, Conflict Resolution, Coping Skills Development, and Crisis Intervention for new referrals.