Back in 1997, Mary Brabant developed an important program to help students in Nevada gain real-world skills necessary to thrive after public schooling. In the beginning, this humble program only had one educator and two students.
Since then, it’s grown into a multi-school program that currently helps 583 students across multiple Nevada counties. 204 teachers help in about 82 classrooms. Right now, the program is operating in 34 high schools across Nye and Clark Counties, but Nevada’s leaders hope to include every high school in both counties due to the massive impact of the program.
Students are essentially partnered with local Goodwill stores, where they learn various on-the-job skills.
Educators and parents alike have both said the program has helped students gain real-world experience that can help them get a job and even maintain their homes. For instance, students at Coronado High School are currently learning skills such as hanging clothes, straightening clothing racks, and organizing merchandise. While some more advanced students might pick up these skills quickly on the job or on their own, others need more assistance in developing them. What’s more, this type of program is held outside of a traditional classroom setting, so it provides solid, foundational experiences that can shape the student’s future behavior as an employee. These students are often learning things they’ve never learned before.
Parents have told the school district that their children display a heightened sense of responsibility and helpfulness around the house after going through the program.
The program is currently partnering with the Clark County School District and the Nye County School District to offer the unique course. Not only do students gain skills, but they also learn more about teamwork and how to become more independent.
Do You Know a Nevada Autistic Student Who Could Use Additional Assistance?
Here at the Nevada Autism Center, our team is focused on helping empower brighter futures by providing one-on-one ABA therapy to autistic children, offering a helpful local community of support, giving students an opportunity to learn adaptive and social skills, and keeping families involved in the entire process.
If your student struggles in classroom settings, then your family might benefit from our center’s model classrooms and summer camps. We have specific programs designed to promote school readiness.
We’re currently located in an 8,000 sq ft building with a new, state-of-the-art gymnasium. Our team is made up of technicians, highly educated behavior analysts, and staff members who are all compassionate, caring, and ready to make a difference in your child’s life.
Another great thing about our facility is that we currently accept multiple types of insurance policies, including Aetna, Anthem BlueCross BlueShield, United Healthcare, Health Plan of Nevada, and others.
Are you interested in learning more about how our programs might be able to help your family? Contact our facility now at (702) 660-2005 to have your questions answered, or get started by filling out our online enrollment form.
