The Developmental Communication Classroom (DCC) is designed for students with multiple disabilities: impaired cognitive abilities, limited independent life skills, significant communication and behavioral management needs.
The DCC offers a significantly modified curriculum with focus on practical application of life skills. Students have delayed social skills, adaptive skills, communication and motor delays. Students display significant self-regulation issues, difficulty with transitions, and require behavior intervention plans. Students require constant and consistent adult direction and support in a structured classroom environment.
These students struggle with all academic areas and require research based instruction and functional communication training.
These students need intensive speech, occupational, and physical therapy integrated into the classroom due to safety concerns or given as a pull-out service in a therapy room.
Ongoing behavioral data collection is done to determine readiness for possible inclusion in some general education settings. These are students who are not successful in the I/DD (Level 3) Special Education Classroom. This is the most restrictive placement in the school setting. LRE must be part of the process for placement in this setting.