Alpine Learning Group

Coordinates: 40°58′45″N 74°05′23″W / 40.9792°N 74.0896°W / 40.9792; -74.0896
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Alpine Learning Group
Location
Map
777 Paramus Road

,
07652

United States
Coordinates40°58′45″N 74°05′23″W / 40.9792°N 74.0896°W / 40.9792; -74.0896
Information
TypeApproved private school
Special education
Religious affiliation(s)Nonsectarian
Established1988 (1988)
FounderBridget A. Taylor
Fred Bunker
Debra Gladstone
Mark Gladstone
Linda S. Meyer
NCES School IDA9502736[1]
DirectorBridget A. Taylor (executive director)
PrincipalCourtney DeBiase
Teaching staff5.0 (on an FTE basis)[1]
GradesNursery-12
GenderCo-educational
Enrollment35[1]
Student to teacher ratio7.0[1]
AccreditationNational Association of Private Special Education Centers
New Jersey Department of Education
Websitealpinelearninggroup.org

Alpine Learning Group is a state funding approved private special education school in Paramus, New Jersey, United States. Established in 1988, the school serves students aged 3 to 21 with autism spectrum disorder, and it is known to be a prestigious[2] educational and research facility utilizing applied behavior analysis (ABA) services.[2][3]

Although private schools are often independently funded, Alpine has each student's local district cover the tuition.[3][4]

History[edit]

Founded by some of the leading behavior analysts in the field and a group of parents in New Jersey, Alpine Learning Group was one of the first ABA-based schools for autism formed in the United States. It officially started in 1989 when four children were instructed by a professional faculty in "the basement of a local community house."[5]

The executive director and co-founder Bridget Taylor, Psy.D., B.C.B.A.-D.,[6] as well as other supervising staff at the school wrote the curriculum in the popular training manual Behavioral intervention for young children with autism: A manual for parents and professionals (1996), which was edited by Catherine Maurice, Ph.D., a New York City parent advocate who hired Taylor to run her two children's early ABA home programs in 1987.[2][7][8]

Program[edit]

The school offers several programs grounded in the principles of ABA. Its educational program includes a faculty of over 100 staff who instruct a total of 35 students in a small, 1 to 1 classroom ratio.[3][5]

Their Center for Autism provides home-based, structured and naturalistic early intensive behavioral intervention programs,[9] such as discrete trial training and incidental teaching, for language delayed children from birth to aged 5,[9] social skills groups where students are taught how to interact with their peers,[10] and a clinic that administers diagnostic and screening services.[11]

The Ely Center for Adult Learning consists of transition programs, which train students between the ages of 16 and 21 to gain employment skills, as well as to prepare them for college or other pre-vocational career goals.[12][13][14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Alpine Learning Group". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Gross, Jane (April 13, 2003). "Learning with disabilities: An answer to autism; nudging toward normal". The New York Times. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Services - Education Program". Alpine Learning Group. 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  4. ^ "FAQ - Answers and Questions". Alpine Learning Group. 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "About Us - Our History". Alpine Learning Group. 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  6. ^ "About Us - Staff & Leadership". Alpine Learning Group. 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  7. ^ Maurice, Catherine; Green, Gina; Luce, Stephen C., eds. (1996). Behavioral intervention for young children with autism: A manual for parents and professionals. Austin: Pro-Ed. p. 400. ISBN 978-0-890-79683-2. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  8. ^ Maurice, Catherine (1993). Let me hear your voice: A family's triumph over autism. New York: Ballantine Books. p. 400. ISBN 978-0449906644.
  9. ^ a b "Services - Insurance Funded ABA Home Program". Alpine Learning Group. 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  10. ^ "Services - Social Skills Groups". Alpine Learning Group. 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  11. ^ "Center for Autism - Clinical Services". Alpine Learning Group. 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  12. ^ "Adult Services - Ely Center for Adult Learning". Alpine Learning Group. 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  13. ^ "Services - Transition Programs - Business Academy". Alpine Learning Group. 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  14. ^ "Services - Transition Programs - Success Academy". Alpine Learning Group. 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.