Life Skills

We believe the ultimate goal for our students is to emerge as independent young adults with a solid understanding of their community. Students learn practical living skills and engage in learning opportunities in independent living, community involvement and career exploration. These experiences are integrated into many aspects of our curriculum and explored through our life skills curriculum, community field trips, volunteerism, and vocational exploration.

Computer Skills

Technology is now an everyday part of our lives. It is also a gateway to communication and information that’s always evolving. To give our students an education that helps ready them for the world, we instruct them on how to make practical use of computers. TWLS provides education in computer skills through direct instruction in computer vocabulary and operating systems including Windows XP and Mac OS X. Students also learn word processing and how to navigate the Internet for research and studying purposes.

Each student has access to personal computers in school and all receive their own Dana, by Alphasmart; a wireless handheld computer with functions such as an address book, calendar and word processing.

Health

The health curriculum insures our students’ confidence and knowledge in the areas of mind and body balancing, smart health choices, exercise, nutrition, safety and body awareness.

Mind/Body Workout

Some kids are naturally overflowing with energy, barely able to sit down in the morning. Others wake up groggy and need time to get their brains working. We offer the Brain Gym sensory integration & exercise program to help our students balance out their energy levels and get focused for class.

Every morning, we conduct Brain Gym balance and mind/body integration exercises to improve coordination and focus, followed by cardiovascular exercise in our weight room or yoga lessons.  These physical activities create a sensory diet that increases self-regulation and improves physical fitness. The strategies they learn through these activities become personal management tools for accelerating their physical and mental health development.

Teaching students sensory awareness is an important key in maximizing their learning potential. We teach our students the tools and vocabulary they need to regulate their own sensory needs and advocate for themselves.  If students need to take time in the middle of the day to re-center themselves, we encourage it so that they can return to learning.

Social Skills

We place a high priority on teaching and practicing social skills. This includes helping students better understand, accept, compensate and advocate for their own strengths and challenges. Our social skills program offers direct instruction in social skills development and practice through role play, and daily interaction with peers and adults. Social skills learning is reinforced throughout the day across all content areas. 

All teenage students have the opportunity to attend our Spring Spectacular, an educational prom with a corsage exchange, dance lessons, and table etiquette lessons for students and their families.