Temple Grandin School provides educational programming and transition services to adolescents with Asperger’s syndrome or similar learning profiles whose needs are not being met by typical special education programs. These students are intellectually able, often gifted, but many are unable to access critical learning opportunities in traditional schools due to challenges with anxiety, sensory sensitivity, social cognition and executive functioning.
Without a specialized program, these capable students are unlikely to attend college or obtain appropriate employment—currently only 6-14% of adults with autism spectrum disorders such as Asperger’s syndrome are competitively employed. Temple Grandin School directly addresses this need through a comprehensive program that builds on students’ academic strengths, and addresses their challenges through explicit teaching of self-regulation, self-advocacy, social communication, and organizational skills. We work with families to identify each student’s long-term goals, and create the experiences they need to help them realize the post-secondary outcomes they are fully capable of.
The TGS IEQ
At the heart of the TGS educational program is the Individual Educational Quest (IEQ). We work with students and families to begin their educational journey with an end in mind, and support students as they determine and follow the best path to the goal they are seeking. At TGS, we equip students to be active agents in reaching for their self-determined goals. TGS staff members work with students to set long- and short-term goals that align with the following Expected School-Wide Learning Results for the four “I’s” of the IEQ: Identity, Interaction, Intellect, and Independence.
- Students will be able to articulate a guiding mission/quest statement that reflects their identity and core values.
- Students will be able to describe their individual profile of strengths and challenges relative to ASD in order to advocate for themselves effectively in post-secondary education and workplace settings.
- Students will advance in their social competence from awareness to knowledge to performance to proficiency, as appropriate to their individual expression of ASD.
- Students will understand and articulate the importance of perspective-taking, self-regulation, and executive function skills.
- Students will be academically prepared to advance to the post-secondary option that best aligns with their strengths and goals.
- Students will demonstrate advanced mastery in at least one area of academic strength.
- Students will be able to independently use self-talk and planning strategies to initiate and complete academic and workplace-related tasks.
- Students will be able to identify, plan and execute steps toward realizing future positive roles in the community.