VIA first opened its doors in the winter of 1996 through the tremendous efforts of four parents who were given diagnoses for their children, but found no resources. The founding parents educated themselves on best outcomes for children with autism, interviewed the leading experts in the field, and subsequently created the VIA School based upon the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). In late 2001, VIA moved into its current location, a three-building campus that allows for student instruction, faculty workspace, outdoor activities and life-skills training.
The primary goals of the VIA School are to enable students to participate more meaningfully in family and community life and to develop skills necessary for success in less restrictive educational environments. Goals and objectives are developed using a team approach. Teams include parents and family members, VIA teachers and clinical coordinators, public school teachers, related services personnel and job coaches.
The VIA School currently provides a 12-month education program for 24 students between the ages of two and seventeen, although VIA is approved to provide services for up to 30 students through age 21. VIA's educational program utilizes teaching procedures based on the principles of ABA and makes use of specialized teaching strategies which address the unique learning characteristics of students with autism. Basic learning-to-learn skills, receptive and expressive language skills, academic, social, self-help, leisure, community living, health and safety, and vocational skills are taught through a variety of individualized strategies. These include intensive one-on-one teaching such as discrete trial instruction and incidental teaching, dyadic and group instruction and teaching within naturalistic settings, using techniques individualized for each learner and rich in positive reinforcement. Teacher to student ratio is one-to-one, with instruction taking place in either individual or group classrooms with up to seven students. VIA is committed to objective, data driven analysis of behavior and to using a variety of behavior analytic strategies to teach new skills and to increase socially validated behaviors.
At VIA, every student works with a team of four to six instructors, with each instructor responsible for developing and evaluating programs for one student. Data programming responsibilities include individualizing educational and behavior reduction programs, making curriculum, graphing data and overseeing the child's home program. Every student's program is supervised by a clinical coordinator who is ultimately responsible for clinical oversight, data analysis and IEP development. There are three clinical coordinators at VIA, each of whom supervises the programs of seven to ten students.
Students who demonstrate the skills needed to benefit from an inclusion setting spend part of their day in a regular education classroom to increase time spent with typical peers. They are accompanied by a VIA instructor who works with public school personnel to develop strategies and modifications within the inclusion setting that will support success. The VIA instructor's presence in the inclusion classroom allows the instructor to observe how well skills are being generalized and to determine which skills need to be the focus of additional direct instruction at VIA.
In addition, VIA instructors oversee home programming which emphasizes training and consultation for parents and caregivers. VIA's home programming service is twofold: first, to support families in helping their children to generalize skills from school to home and other natural environments and second, to help families identify and teach sills that are best taught outside of school. Given the individual needs of VIA's students, no single approach to hone programming will be appropriate for everyone. Therefore, relevant goals are identified for each child and each family identifies the ways these goals can best be met in the context of family life. There are four brad areas of focus for home programming: Maintenance and Generalization; Self-help skills; Community Skills; Social and Leisure Skills.
VIA School Tours
Tours of VIA may be arranged by calling the administrative coordinator at (434) 923-8252.
Admissions Policy
VIA supports equal opportunity and has opened enrollment to developmentally disabled children regardless of race, creed, gender and ethnicity. Because of the extensive, individualized nature of VIA programs, enrollment for the VIA school is designed only for children who have a diagnosis on the autism spectrum.
Applications for admission to VIA are available through VIA's Administrative Coordinator. When an opening exists, applications are reviewed by the Admissions Committee and families will be notified to schedule interviews. The decision to admit a child is multi-faceted. The following variables are considered when reviewing families: age groups in which the opening occurs; diagnosis; knowledge, practice, and acceptance of Applied Behavior Analysis as the method used by the Institute; commitment of family to be involved in training with their child; residency status; and funding. Recommendations are then made to the Executive Director for determination of status. Families are continually apprised as to their application's status.
To apply for enrollment at VIA, please complete an Admission Application (you will need Adobe Acrobat to view this file) and return it to VIA through regular mail:
Enrollment
Virginia Institute of Autism
1414 Westwood Road
Charlottesville, VA 22903-5149
