Who we are
When Was POAC Founded?
The organization was formed in 2004 by 2 parents of children with a developmental disorder and a teacher. POAC of Oregon is currently applying for 501(c) (3) tax-exempt status as a non-profit organization, and is based in Corvallis, Oregon.
Why Was POAC of Oregon Formed?
POAC's purpose from the the beginning was to involve "stakeholders" in the highest level of decision making regarding the education and treatment of children with autism.
History
Some parents and local teachers attended Dr. Carbone's Introduction to Verbal Behavior (a 3 day workshop), saw the benefits of this approach, and became convinced this current line of research would yield the best results for their children. Unfortunately, there was a lengthy waiting list to work with any of Dr Carbone's associates. The group further found that there were no available trained professionals using this current line of research; the demand was too great. There were not enough trained professionals offering this service or recognizing the need. They found many consultants to evaluate programs, but found few that could demonstrate clinical expertise and even fewer that were willing to train the children's teachers.
This lack of trained professionals is further aggravated by the fact that even though there has been a dramatic increase in Autistic Spectrum Disorder, there has been no corresponding increase in the teacher prep literature. In fact, very few colleges offer specialty courses on working with children with developmental disabilities. For example, few colleges that offers a Masters in Special Education offers a specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis. It is this lack of competently trained professionals that led the founding parents to decide that their resources would best be spent on training professionals and parents, a component not often seen.
This group will offer targeted and sustained training to both parents and professionals. Professionals working in school districts affect more kids than an individual parent. But a teacher using this ABA/VB model at school is not enough without consistency at home. A huge component of this model is Natural Environment Training (NET), teaching children in their home environment or other community settings, and not compartmentalizing learning to school. Parents and professionals are thus taught at the same level, no one is more important.
This model is implemented in New Jersey and has an end result where children who previously fell through the cracks and simply were not learning, are now receptive to an improved learning environment. By training local, in-house people, districts will save money by keeping more students within the district and not transporting them to expensive specialty schools. This model reaps benefits for all involved: students remain in-district, special education costs are lower by not sending kids out, teachers and related professionals receive the ongoing training they need and want, and most importantly, children are learning. This model affects change within districts by graphically illustrating how to take the latest research and apply it in public school classrooms regardless of the size of the school district.
Consultants leave. This organization provides an internal support system by training those people that are closest to the child. Todays focus is on professional development, paraprofessional development, parent training, and distance learning so people can access trainings from home.