THE LEAP PROGRAM

The LEAP Program is an intensive, 12-month special education program serving students aged 5 to 21 years of age with a primary diagnosis of Autism or a related disorder. Approximately 60 students, transported by bus from surrounding school systems, attend this day program in Pennsylvania. LEAP utilizes the following educational interventions to implement a functional life skills curriculum: Applied Behavior Analysis, TEACCH, discrete trial training, incidental learning, errorless teaching, augmentative communication, picture exchange communication systems, sensory diets, vocational training and other established approaches as indicated on each student's Individualized Education Plan. LEAP also includes a behavior skills training program for parents.

LEAP’s programming is designed to increase a student’s independence in communication, daily living skills and functional/vocational skills, while decreasing the amount of one-to-one assistance required. To this end, LEAP utilizes a combination of one-to-one and group instruction in a highly structured environment. Related services are interwoven with the instructional program and delivered within the instructional program whenever possible. An interdisciplinary team approach insures that communication among all teaching, related services and therapeutic staff occurs daily. Other staff may include speech therapist and contracted occupational and physical therapists.

Classroom instruction provided by a teacher and an assistant who teach 10 typically developing children and three to four children with autism.

What does the research say about LEAP?

One study focused on six children who entered the LEAP program in 1982, rating between moderate to severe on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale. At the end of the program and again at age ten, the children no longer met the criteria for having Autism on Childhood Autism Rating Scale. Five of the six children went on to regular schools without additional support. However, the researchers noted that the study only involved six children and attempting to account for outside influences apart from LEAP, and that further studies were required (Strain and Hoyson 2000).

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