Special Needs School in San Francisco Bay Area CA

Hope Technology School, California:
Located in Palo Alto in Santa Clara County in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA, Hope Technology School (HTS) is a not-for-profit school, established in 2001, with the mission of providing an exceptional learning experience for typical and special needs children from preschool through to 8th grade in a fully inclusive, technology rich environment. We also have the Prep Center, a "Private School Satellite Program" for high school aged students. Hope Technology School serves families throughout the Redwood, Menlo Park, Los Altos, Sunnyvale and other Francisco Bay communities.

- Both neurotypical children and children with special needs grow in social interaction
- Students with disabilities are accepted by their peers
- Students with disabilities gain confidence in their ability to handle academics
- We maintain a 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Studies show that class size impacts learning positively when the ratio is less than 15:1.
- All students benefit from the additional support in the classroom
- Educators can adapt curriculum to meet the needs of each individual student
- Our students consistently excel academically. On the CAT / 6 standardized test, HTS students score above grade level nearly twice as often as students in public schools throughout neighboring counties.

We advocate giving students opportunities for hope utilizing any available process, plan or tool. We employ a truly eclectic approach using as many methods as possible to help our students. We've collaborated with families to integrate methods such as Handwriting without Tears, PECS, TEEACH, AAC, AT, ABA, SI, SLP, OT, PT, Tomatis Method, Medical and Bio-Medical Intervention, Sensory Diets for home and school, Self Help and Independent Living Skills, Tribes Character Education, and Integrated Play Groups.

We also respect students' special diets. Working together with parents and professionals we incorporate any means available to achieve each student's academic goals. We develop an individualized combination of these methods as appropriate for each child.

- Preschool program
- Elementary School program
- Junior School program
- Middle School program
- High School program

We educate children both typical and special needs students from preschool through 8th grade. We also have the Prep Center, a "Private School Satellite Program" for high school aged students. The special needs of our students may include Autism, ADHD, Down Syndrome, learning differences, speech disorders and emotional challenges.

Maintaining small class size (average 12 students per class) with at least one teacher and one para-educator per class affords each student the support to reach his or her full potential. Technology plays a vital role in the motivation and progress of our students.

We have state of the art techology to assist our student´s learning process.

- Assistive Technology (AT):  
This includes any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially, off-the-shelf, modified or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

- The AlphaSmart:  
This is a keyboarding device that enables a person to work on the go, much like a laptop computer, but it is strictly for word processing, as it functions essentially like a simple digital typewriter.

- Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC):  
These strategies assist people with severe communication disabilities to participate more fully in their social roles including interpersonal interaction, learning, education, and community activities. AAC entails learning to communicate by typing on a keyboard or pointing at letters, images, or other symbols to represent messages. This allows a mode of communication other than speech for those who need it.

- Lightwriter (AAC Device):  
With Lightwriter devices, you just "type and talk." Individuals are able to speak their minds in virtually any environment using the synthesized voice.

- Innovative Technology Test Projects:  
At HTS, we utilize technology in innovative ways to provide our students with an exceptional inclusive education and to help each of our students attain his/her personal goals.

- The HP TouchSmart Project:  
This allows some students to record their own voice in Voice Notes then play back sentences, which reinforces and motivates them to speak more.

- Speech Pro: 
This is a speech communication software program, compatable with windows, XP, and Vista. It is often called a "talking keyboard." All a student has to do is touch the screen to type, and a text to speech program allows students to communicate.

- Jeopardy:  
This is another inclusive middle school activity we've used on the TouchSmart. This is a useful way to review curriculum. Each student comes to the machine, touches the box they would like to select and then responds the question that appears.

* Co-operative work with Dr. Dave Traver, M.D, whose medical practice focuses on biomedical treatment of children with neurodevelopmental challenges or conditions.

* Collaborative therapy programs with The Listening Center for Tomatis Therapy. The Listening Center provides a clinical application of the Tomatis Method. The Tomatis Method is an auditory stimulation program that uses modulated sound through specialized equipment that stimulates the auditory and nervous systems, resulting in improved processing skills and communication skills in individuals with autism and various learning related disorders.

* Partnership with inclusive athletic programs: Jefferson Award Winner, E-Soccer & E-Karate.

* Volunteer and community leadership and programs in association with BACC.

* Collaborative programming with experts in behavioral plans and facilitated playgroups.

* Staff and community training in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

As an NPA, HTS meets state standards to provide services and may contract with public school districts. Hope Technology School's innovative Therapy Department hosts its' own on-site Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech and Language Pathology services. These therapists work in collaboration with each other and the classroom teacher to ensure every student is successful in the inclusive classroom.

Students have the option of receiving therapy inside and outside of the classroom. Students are also eligible to receive therapy services in naturalistic settings customized to the needs of the child. The therapy department also opens its doors after school hours to provide therapy services to children from the community. Our therapy services include:

* Occupational Therapy; Speech Therapy; Physical Therapy; Sensory Integration; Slingerland & Academic Tutoring