The Adaptive Learning Center team would like to wish you a Happy New Year!  

In 2015, our staff and participants reached and exceeded goals.  Without the support of our staff, participants, preschool partners and the communities we serve, none of the following would have been possible!

We had 58 children in 9 different preschools all across Atlanta. We serve kids in every socioeconomic class from wealthy families to families experiencing homelessness.  We are making a huge impact across the whole city. From Buckhead to Decatur and Midtown to Marietta. ALC is impacting thousands of families by being in 9 schools.

Those thousands of families are impacted by ALC because they are in the schools we are in and they are learning compassion and differences at an earlier age. (Please read our solicitation letter)  Compassion has been proven to enhance ones opportunity for better grades and overall life success.

We had 88% of our graduating students go on to a typical kindergarten. We don’t screen anyone out to foster hitting that number as it isn’t a goal but an interesting success statistic. Many people come to ALC for many different reasons.

Last year 90% of our kids hit 80% of their original goals. Many hit many more goals and objectives on top of their original goals.

ALC Wishes You a Happy New Year and We Look Forward to Connecting in 2016!

It is not too late to make a donation to The Adaptive Learning Center in 2015.  
Donate Today and help us kick off 2016.  

According to the CDC, One in Five people has a learning disability and autism is the fastest growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.

Because of The Adaptive Learning Center, preschoolers are able to get the assistance and attention they need to continue to develop and head off to kindergarten.  

The Adaptive Learning Center (ALC) offers therapy and education for infants and young children with, or at risk for, development disabilities such as Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, and Fragile X Syndrome.

ALC's Services Include:

• An inclusive preschool program, that offers children with challenges the opportunity to successfully participate in a typical preschool environment.  Facilitation support is provided to ensure children achieve individual learning outcomes, as well as form and maintain positive social relationships with other children.  ALC inclusion specialists are highly skilled degreed professionals specializing in working with children with special needs.
• A Therapy Education Plan (TEP) is developed for each student.   This is specialized education plan, outlining goals and objectives, tailored to each child’s individual needs.
• Individual and inclusive speech therapy services for young children
• Pet therapy
• Support services and information that help family members understand and cope with challenges related to raising a child with special needs.
• Family support (school visits, attend IEP meetings, etc) as children transition from the ALC inclusion program to new school settings
• Training and consultation for early childhood educators and parents on inclusion strategies and red flags in child development
• Observation, screening, and referral programs to link community resources with families in need and to help communities build resources that foster acceptance and support of people with differences

The Adaptive Learning Center is grateful for all of our past and present families, as well as the preschool partners who allow us to work with the communities they serve. 

The Adaptive Learning Center (ALC) is the only organization in Georgia that fully integrates children with special needs into typical preschools – with individualized support from special education support teachers.

Our partnerships with some of Atlanta’s finest preschools enable children to learn and play alongside their peers in a warm and caring environment. In classes with 90 percent or more typical children, children with disabilities learn more than just basic academic skills. 

ALC's Philosophy:

• Every child is unique and deserves to be validated as an individual
• An inclusive learning program maximizes self-esteem and creativity in children of all levels of development
• Children learn best through play
• Learning, when properly guided, should be spontaneous and child-initiated
• Our mission is to impact the community at large through the inclusion of children with special needs and their families.  The values of diversity and acceptance of all people continues to be a goal of the ALC inclusion program.

The Adaptive Learning Center is a nonprofit organization that maximizes the potential of young children wtih disabilities, and creates awareness and acceptance between non-disable people and people with disabilities.  

Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to The Adaptive Learning Center

Your gift will allow us to impact our community of partner preschools all around Atlanta and all the families in attendance.  When you give to The Adaptive Learning Center, you give to the whole community and enrich the lives of hundreds of families.

Why Support ALC?

When you, your friends, or your family needed educational support, where did you turn? You turned to The Adaptive Learning Center.

Why?  Because you knew, you would receive absolute top-notch Inclusion Education.  You also knew that dedicated, compassionate educational professionals in a warm, caring environment would treat you like a real person.

Did you know that last year ALC:

• Served 57 kids in 10 schools
• 90% of the students achieved at least 80% of their IEP goals
• 9 children participated in summer camp
• 89% of students graduating from ALC went into traditional education classrooms

Click here to read more about ALC and see some FAQ's

Your financial contributions have helped make ALC the leading Inclusion Preschool Program in Atlanta.  We are so grateful to you for helping to create and support our committed team of teachers.

You are helping to touch the lives of thousands.  Your gift is extremely important because it offers immediate resources that are directed to current needs and opportunities at any of our 9 schools. 

Please Make Your Gift Online Today

As Inclusion Education advances, ALC is committed to staying at the cutting edge –
for you, for your loved ones, for every person in the community. 
Please help to make this possible with your contribution.

Meet Laura Cape - ALC Inclusion Specialst

Laura Cape has been an inclusion specialist for The Adaptive Learning Center (ALC) for the past 5 years.  She received her Clinical Counseling Psychology degree from Brenau University in Gainesville, GA.  While attending the master's program at Brenau, she substituted at a special needs preschool.  Although she intended on becoming a youth counselor, her interest in continuing to work with special needs children grew.  As she worked her way to lead teacher, she began interning with a psychologist who specialized in diagnostics, ABA and parent-training in the area of developmental disabilities.

Innovative; National role model; Unique.  These are just a few of the terms special needs professionals and parents use to describe The Adaptive Learning Center's Inclusive Preschool Program.

ALC was created in 1982 as an early intervention program, but moved to a new model in 1998 as research began to reveal that the best education for children who have special needs is through an inclusion program.  This new model enabled trained ALC professionals (Inclusion Specialists) to integrate special education and therapy into the regular preschool curriculum and classroom activities.

As of today, The Adaptive Learning Center has one of the few state of the art programs due to its unique system of community partnerships with 9 quality preschools in the Metro Atlanta Area.

Watch to Learn More About The Adaptive Learning Center

Building Communitues Through the Inclusion of Children
with Special Needs and Their Families

The Adaptive Learning Center (ALC) works to build communities through the unique inclusion of children with special needs into typical preschool classrooms.  Typical children learn and play side by side with their special needs peers in one of our 9 partner preschools.  A typical classroom composition would be 10 % children with special needs and 90 % typical children.

ALC is an inclusive preschool program, that offers children with challenges the opportunity to successfully participate in a typical preschool environment.  An Inclusion Specialist is provided to ensure children achieve individual learning outcomes, as well as form and maintain positive social relationships with other children.  ALC Inclusion Specialists are highly skilled degreed professionals with a passion for working with children with special needs.

The success of this innovative approach is the result of a collaborative effort of a specially trained Inclusion Specialist, the early childhood team, therapists, and the family.  Interaction among typical children and children with special needs is beneficial to all. Typical children and their families have an opportunity to learn more compassion and acceptance of others at an earlier age.

• 10,000 + Families impacted through Atlanta, Buckhead, Decatur, Dunwoody, Druid Hills, Marietta, Roswell, and Sandy Springs for over 33 years
• 625 + Families served annually in over 42 classrooms
• 85 + Childhood education teachers trained in Inclusion and identification each year
• 90 % of children with special needs achieved 80% of their therapy education goals and objectives

The ALC inclusion program brings about positive interaction and acceptance for years to come.

The Adaptive Learning Center would like to send a warm Happy Holidays
to all of those in the ALC Community!  

Meet Ethan! 
Ethan's journey, thus far, has been an incredible adventure.  We were blessed with Ethan, our first child, six years ago weighing a healthy 8lbs, 14oz.  He met all of his milestones as expected and other than being a late walker and having recurrent ear infections he was a "typical" toddler.  At 18 months, the pediatrician noted a speech delay and referred us to Babies Can't Wait.  The early intervention program opened our eyes through the evaluation process and we began to see our little man was not as "typical" as we had thought.

We enrolled Ethan in a mothers morning out program at 2 ½ for social interactions with peers.  At the end of his second week the director pulled me aside to have a talk about the teachers informing her that Ethan was "too much for the teachers to handle".  Robert and I felt a little defeated that our 2 year old was "kicked out" of preschool because he threw a tantrum when the teacher attempted to change his soiled diaper or refused to hold teachers hand in hallway.

We realized we needed to address all of Ethan's struggles not just his speech delay.  We had to face reality and push aside the notion that Ethan's quirks would just disappear with growth.  Our daily life was intense. By Ethan's 30th month he struggled with sensory issues including food aversion to different textures, holding our hand, recurrent chest and ear infections, and tantrums.  Due to these many factors, and ultimately failing his hearing test, he was scheduled for an Auditory Brainstem Response.  As we waited at Children's Hospital for Ethan to be sedated he had a huge meltdown about the plastic name bracelet they required him to wear on his wrist or ankle.  Given his response to the bracelet, a nurse asked, "Is he autistic?"  Robert and I looked at her in shock as we have never been asked that question before, we responded, "no, he hasn't been tested."  The ABR results were normal and we left with the word autism lingering in our thoughts.

We were nearing the end of Babies Can't Wait and still struggling with our next steps for treatment.  Ethan was finally approved for occupational therapy through Babies Can't Wait. The occupational therapist came to the house for her first evaluation and contacted us the following week with disheartening news, Ethan was not eligible for services since he was almost finished with Babies Can't Wait.  We were frustrated and felt Ethan was shortchanged in regards to receiving OT.  We were then informed that Ethan was eligible to attend the special needs preschool program at a local elementary school.

He was evaluated and put on an IEP and joined the class the week after his 3rd birthday.  He loved the first six months he attended and we were thrilled with the teacher/student ratio and support from a speech therapist and an occupational therapist.  We were excited for the following school year that fall and right before school started we received some news that due to budget cuts the teacher's aide was laid off and there would be two more kids in the class than the previous school year.  I was asked to be the room mom for the class and accepted and volunteered on a weekly basis to be an extra set of hands in the class. The class had eight children all ranging with different abilities and Ethan was one of the higher functioning students.  It grew apparent that Ethan was getting bored with the curriculum that he had once loved.  Every morning was a challenge getting him dressed and in the class. Ethan continued to have multiple infections causing him to be absent a lot.  When he did return and was healthy he struggled with behavior problems including aggression and tantrums.  He was on a spiral and the school called an interventionist in for him.  She observed him in school and at home and set up a behavior action plan.  His days stayed the same and we began to see was outgrowing his class.  The teachers were not as available to vary his routine and challenge him academically due to other classmates needing more individualized care.  I started searching for similar programs with an even more individualized path for Ethan. 

The school year was coming to an end and the four schools we toured were not what we wanted for Ethan.  While I was in the waiting room of one of the private schools I picked up a parents magazine special needs edition and began reading.  I came across a little ad featuring The Adaptive Learning Center inclusion program. We scheduled a tour with the ALC and met with Kathy Ward.  We were thrilled to find a school and support for Ethan in a "typical" setting. It was exactly what we had been searching for.  While we spoke about Ethan he played on the playground.  Kathy noticed how cautious Ethan was on the playground equipment and we mentioned how he is afraid of heights.  Kathy smiled and said, "he is overly cautious because he cannot find his bearings in space due to a weak core, and when his center is weak everything else follows; balance, handwriting, etc."  She gave us a "lightbulb moment" where it all made sense.  She began with suggestions on how to strengthen his core first and the rest will improve.  It was great news to hear and at the same time it was a punch in the stomach because Ethan had been in OT with school and in a private practice and it was never explained to us other than a fear of heights.  She recommended a phenomenal OT and we immediately saw changes in Ethan.

Ethan finished his year in public school and we started him with the ALC in 2013 at The Sunshine School. Shortly after Ethan's 5th birthday he started Peachtree Presbyterian Preschool (PPP) in the 5/6 class.  It was a smooth year and he finished out his year on a high note.  He was recommended to 5/6 class for 2014-2015 school year as well.  We decided when Ethan was 5 ½ to have him tested.  We have known for some time Ethan is anything but "typical".  He was diagnosed with being on the spectrum, having high functioning autism (Asperger's).

Ethan continued in the 5/6 class at Peachtree Presbyterian Preschool(PPP) and though illnesses still affected his attendance we know he is where he needs to be.  The ALC and PPP have been such a blessing to our family! We were happy to see Ethan in an environment where he was thriving with socialization, academics, behavior, and support from a great team. Ethan's peers were intrigued by his knowledge and reading skills and were very accepting of his struggles. 

Our goals for Ethan are continuing on this promising path of reaching his full potential and having supportive team members to guide him when we are not in school with him.  The ALC has given our family hope again that Ethan will flourish in his life.  Without the ALC we would be in limbo of programs that keep moving Ethan around leaving him with a loss of security and us his parents in fear of a self-contained classroom.  God has a plan for our beautiful Ethan and we will be by his side to give him support and lead him to places that make him happy.  We regret not finding ALC sooner as they have opened so many doors for our family.  When you finally get to a place you know you are meant to be you don't want to leave because they become family.  ALC and PPP have been our saving grace!  With few options before reading about ALC we were looking to move out of state for more support.

Autism has a symbol - a puzzle piece. We interpret this as Ethan's life is a planned puzzle that will make a beautiful scene, and each piece makes it a little clearer to see.  ALC is a big piece in our son's puzzle.  We are very grateful to ALC and PPP for accepting our son into the program.  Ethan has been such a trooper in all the moves and transitions thus far and it has laid a solid foundation for his future to achieve great things.  ALC provides a caring and supportive place for the whole family with an incredible curriculum taught by phenomenal teachers.  They go beyond by having meetings, goals, daily emails, and unwavering optimism.  All we can say is we hope ALC expands to reach out to elementary because we are not ready to leave.  Ethan speaks volumes with his words and his actions.  He says, "I love my school, my teachers, my friends, and the tapestry room!"  It warms my heart to see him every morning without fights, get in the car, travel 45 minutes to school, and run into school.  What a change, truly priceless!

Thanks,

DeAnne and Robert Monsalve

The Adaptive Learning Center team is grateful for all of our program participants. 

We love watching ALC participants grown in the program and hearing about them as they continue to change the world around them. Below is a story about Charlie, an ALC Alumnus and his adventures.  Please feel free to share this story with others. 

Adventures with Charlie: 
The Adventures with Charlie book series is a children's picture book about an inspirational boy who is not like everyone else. He is special. He magically makes friends everywhere he goes. Children need to have a story that illustrates the idea that "being different from typical peers" can have some special rewards. Parents can read a book to see the joy and special opportunities out there for families and children with special needs. In the midst of difficult challenges with raising all types of children, there are always opportunities to approach life from a different perspective, which can provide joy and delight for many.

This book series about Charlie is for children and parents to recognize that even with some physical and or mental challenges, there are a lot of things you CAN do and can still pursue a beautiful life.

About Charlie:
When Charlie was born, he was brought home with all the hopes and dreams that many parents have for their children. At 4 months, Charlie wasn't meeting any of his developmental milestones. He received a diagnosis that included long term special needs, and information that he might never walk or talk. The hopes and dreams set for Charlie were temporarily shattered, as the focus was on what he could not do. Watching Charlie grow and seeing all the things he was learning and could do shifted that realization to focus on all his abilities!

Charles Schoen, author of Adventures with Charlie and Executive Director of the Adaptive Learning Center (ALC), is Charlie's father. Charlie Schoen is a graduate of Centennial High School and the ALC program.

About the Adaptive Learning Center:
ALC is a nonprofit serving children with special needs Through partnering preschool classrooms throughout the city of Atlanta. The program provides a trained inclusion specialist to support children’s additional needs when presented with developmental challenges.

Two books in the series have been released and are available for purchase on Amazon!

Click Below to Purchase: 
Adventures with Charlie: Charlie Goes to School
Adventures with Charlie: Charlie Goes to Tommy's

Books are also available at Tommy's Barber Shop on West Paces Ferry Road in Atlanta, GA!

Stay connected with ALC  to learn more about Book Three in 2016!

All proceeds from the Adventures with Charlie Series go to fund the scholarship program for The Adaptive Learning Center!

The Adaptive Learning Center’s work could not be accomplished without the generosity of our donors.  

Tuition alone does not cover the cost on an inclusive education, and we depend on the help of supporters to make the difference.  Your support will enable ALC to expand our services to meet more children's needs in more locations, and increase the financial aid assistance available to families who need it.

Below are ways to Support ALC with your every day shopping!

AmazonSmile - You Shop.  Amazon Gives - smile.amazon.com

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at Amazon Smile, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. You can choose from nearly one million organizations to support.  

Goodshop - You Shop. You Save.  We Give.  - goodshop.com

An online shopping site that works with 1,000s of stores like Amazon, Staples, Macy’s, and Expedia, and donates a percentage of shoppers' purchases to their favorite cause. Plus, shoppers can find hundreds of thousands of the latest deals and coupons on the site.

GoodSearch - www.goodsearch.com

Goodsearch is a simple way to make a difference -- each time you search the web (though Yahoo!-powered Goodsearch), shop online (at the 2,800+ stores on Goodshop), we'll make a donation to your favorite cause. We know you have limited time and money and we've created our products to make giving back easy.

We hope you consider making The Adaptive Learning Center your charity of choice for the above online partners!  

Have other suggestions or ideas for organizations we can partner with to help financially support The Adaptive Learning Center, Contact Us!