Why Foundational Skills Matter

It's important for every child—especially non-speaking or minimally-speaking learners—to build a strong academic foundation. That’s why our programs are designed to strengthen the core skills necessary for long-term academic success.

Foundational skills aren't just important, they're essential. Without strong knowledge of phonics or mathematics, students struggle to move forward confidently in any subject. However, with a solid foundation, students gain the tools they need to make measurable leaps in their skills, comprehension, and overall academic growth.

Special education programs in public and private schools focus on foundational skills. If your student was in public school, you probably heard about them in IEPs. However, many special education classrooms make two important mistakes. First, they fail to accommodate students when asking them to show academic mastery, which results on our students getting stuck at academic levels far below their abilities. Second, they tend to only focus on foundational skills, which provides students with only part of an education.

Autism Oasis solves both of these problems.

Our special education mentor, Mr. Sims, has been extremely successful in his career. He's known for taking kids off the "certificate of completion" track and helping them earn a diploma. When he meets a new student that has fallen behind or failed to make progress, he always first looks for a missing link in the student's foundational education. Mr. Sims knows from experience that once a student develops a strong foundationally-based 5th grade education, they often quickly catch up to peers and graduate. And even if they don't, a solid 5th grade education is enough to perform well in a variety of jobs. A 5th grade education allows someone to operate a cash register, stock products, take inventory, correctly pack orders, work in a kitchen, sort and deliver mail or other documents, or even learn a well paying trade. Many of us remember the popular game show that proved this.

Mr. Sims has been very successful with his approach. So successful, in fact, that his special education students often catch up to their mainstream peers during the school year, and as a class, outscore them on Spring standardized tests.

What are foundational skills? Here are the basic skills Autism Oasis teaches at each grade level.

Kindergarten: Beginning consonant sounds (reading) and number sense (math). To put that in laymen's terms, both skills teach that letters and numbers mean more than just symbols to put in order. Letters represent sounds, and numbers represent quantities. This is often the first hurdle our students need to clear before moving on. Mr. Sims has innovative developed ways students can show letter sounds without saying them vocally.

1st grade: CVC word families (reading) and single digit addition and subtraction (math). We base our proprietary curriculum on Mr. Sims' word families textbook.

2nd grade: consonant blends and long vowels (reading) and double digit addition and subtraction with regrouping/place value (math).

As you can see from the first three grades, each skill builds upon the last. You can't add or subtract without understanding number sense. You can't blend consonants without solid understanding of their primary sounds. If a student is missing just one of these skills, the foundation will fail and they won't be able to move forward academically. 

Many of our students have taught themselves to read by memorizing the order of letters, something they tend to be very good at. While this reading method works, it's very inefficient. Teaching them phonics allows them to sound out words in their head, and be able to spell a word they want to communicate. Imagine how much easier your life would be if your student could communicate just the first letter of a word? It would certainly narrow down the guesses and build confidence and hope.

Our programs focus on delivering:
Step-by-step instruction that ensures each skill is fundamentally developed before moving on
Practical application of academic concepts to reinforce true understanding
A proven structure that builds critical academic and communication skills from the ground up

When students have the right support at the foundational level, they don’t just move forward—they thrive. Some of our families even find their older students are able to skip grade levels, once they've shown mastery of skills that once felt out of reach. And, those students have gained the confidence to engage more fully in their learning journey. 

We also teach all subjects and skills, not just the foundational stuff. All students deserve the rich experience of learning history, science, literature and grammar. However, we ensure students are able to show mastery of their foundational skills before moving forward.

Your student deserves the opportunity to realize their full potential. At Autism Oasis, we are committed to providing the solid academic stepping stones that make lasting growth possible. The journey starts with a strong foundation—and it starts here.

If you’re searching for a curriculum that is structured, supportive, results-driven and fully accommodate your student's communication, our programs are built to meet their needs—right where they are, and with the tools they need to succeed.

Give your child the gift of a strong academic foundation today.
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- Heather