Tulare SELPA - Autism Resources

Educational Intervention Approaches

Learning Experiences, an Alternative Program for Preschoolers and their Parents (LEAP) Preschool
at the University of Colorado School of Education

LEAP opened in 1982 as a federally funded demonstration program and soon after incorporated into the Early Childhood Intervention Program at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh. In recent years, the original classrooms continue to operate in Pittsburgh, but new LEAP classrooms are now being developed in the Denver Public School System. LEAP includes both a preschool program and a behavioral skill training program for parents, as well as national outreach activities. LEAP was one of the first programs in the country to include children with autism with typical children, and the curriculum is well-known for its peer-mediated social skill interventions. An individualized curriculum targets goals in social, emotional, language, adaptive behavior, cognitive, and physical developmental areas. The curriculum blends a behavioral approach with developmentally appropriate practices (Strain and Cordisco, 1994; Strain and Hoyson, 2000).

Website hosting courtesy of
Tulare County Office of Education
Jim Vidak, County Superintendent of Schools