Lifeways

Lifeways Program Overview

The Lifeways program provides a substantially separate educational environment for students with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disabilities. It offers an individualized academic, social-pragmatic, and behavioral curriculum designed to help students achieve their personal and educational goals.

To meet the diverse needs of learners, Lifeways employs two curriculum approaches: the Autism Curriculum Encyclopedia® (ACE) and Core Curriculum Standards. ACE, developed by the New England Center for Children, is rooted in the principles of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and is used primarily in individualized instructional settings. This structured program ensures personalized, evidence-based instruction.

In addition to individualized instruction, Lifeways classrooms incorporate both small-group and whole-group teaching methodologies, allowing students to engage with the Core Curriculum Standards. These lessons focus on access skills, reinforced through direct instructional programming.

The program also emphasizes a life skills curriculum to promote independence in daily living activities. Students develop essential skills for home, work, and leisure environments, with instruction in areas such as personal hygiene, and community-based instruction. These skills are taught in a variety of real-world settings to ensure students can apply them across different contexts