SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Waterford Institute announced today that the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) has endorsed Waterford Reading as a Certified Autism Resource.
“Our driving mission is to inspire a great start for every child,” Benjamin Heuston, president and COO of Waterford Institute, said. “We strive to make a difference in the lives of children every day by creating programs that will help them develop the skills they need to be successful learners.”
Waterford Reading is the literacy portion of Waterford Early Learning, a personalized, cloud-based instructional program specifically designed for children aged pre-K to grade 2. Waterford Early Learning also includes Waterford Math and Science.
To become a Certified Autism Resource, an educational program is reviewed by the IBCCES to verify that it meets at least one of the organization’s 10 areas of autism competency, which range from skills such as communication and emotional awareness to sensory awareness and social or motor skills.
Waterford Reading meets the IBCCES criteria for communication competency as it provides a complete language arts curriculum for young learners, covering crucial skills like phonemic awareness, phonics, text comprehension, vocabulary, print concepts, readiness skills, writing and oral fluency. The computer-based program starts with the basics, and then the software adapts automatically, giving each student a learning experience that’s focused on his or her exact needs.
Waterford Reading’s combination of mastery-based sequencing, direct instruction and built-in remediation has proven to make the software a powerful tool for all students, including those with autism spectrum disorders.
“Waterford Reading’s integrated support and remediation is powerful for students with autism spectrum disorders as they can work independently, progressing at their own appropriate pace,” said Kimberley Sorenson, a Waterford curriculum content developer. “Students are constantly engaged and interacting with Waterford. In addition to language skills, they also learn to self-regulate while interacting with the program on an individual basis, and this independence fosters self-confidence and assurance.”
An exemplary implementation of Waterford Early Learning for students with autism is in Killeen, Texas. There, Waterford is used as the base curriculum for the district’s special education program and reports show students increased their level of mastery and understanding over the three years of implementation.
“My class has eight students and about a month ago I got a new student who is severely autistic with behavioral difficulties, so I used Waterford Early Learning to build a bridge between him and the rest of the class,” said Elizabeth Aaron, a SKILLS teacher at Venable Village Elementary. “The first few days he just sat there and looked at it. Now he is steadily making progress and interacting with us. I strongly advocate using the Waterford curriculum, especially with special needs students.”
About Waterford
Waterford Institute is a nonprofit research center that creates personalized cloud-based instruction through award-winning curriculum, content and assessment for children aged pre-K through grade 2. As a nonprofit, Waterford is uniquely focused on providing accessibility, equity and excellence for our youngest learners to position them for a lifetime of learning and success. For more information, visit www.waterford.org or call 801-349-2200.
About IBCCES
IBCCES is the largest independent credentialing and continuing education organization with a focus in special needs and human services. The IBCCES is the accrediting body for the Certified Autism Specialist (CAS) and the Autism Certificate (AC) programs. Our certification programs recognize professionals in the field of autism who have met predetermined standards in their training, experience and performance. CAS and AC professionals live and work in the U.S. and more than 40 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.ibcces.org or call 877-717-6543.
