School Feature: TLPCentre

School Feature TLPCentre

Please introduce yourself and your background.

My name is Bolanle Adewole. I am the Founder and Executive Director of TLPCentre. I am an Autism Specialist and qualified Applied Behaviour Analyst from Florida Institute of Technology.

Additionally, I lead a team of professional and dedicated specialists and actively participate in IEP development, curriculum planning, and implementation. I spearhead programs to promote inclusive learning for children with special needs and believe that no child should be left behind.

Finally, I have extensively served children on three continents —Europe, North America, and Africa —and was part of the TLPC disciplinary team that attended an Autism Diagnosis training with AACTION Autism, USA.

I am the acting Vice President of Parents Against Autism Initiative, Nigeria, and participate in Autism platforms, including Autism Society as well as Autism Speaks in the United States.

What is the name of your School and when was it founded?

The name of our school is TLPCentre. It is the first full Autism day school on Lagos Island and its environs. TLPCentre is a not-for-profit day school and after-school program for children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other related developmental disorders. We were founded in October 2010.

Why did you decide to start a Special needs School?

First, I would say it came as a call from God. Throughout my 20 years of service to children, I have encountered a diverse range of children. I came to appreciate over time that each child is unique and that some children need to be taught in a different way, by a specialized team, within a different environment, in order to reach their full potential. One such child would be my precious 11-year-old son, who is on the Autism Spectrum. He, and others like him, led me to start a special needs school.

What are the challenges you have faced running a special needs school?

The first major challenge was getting people to accept that their child can thrive in a Special Needs school. For many parents, their initial desire is for their child to thrive in a traditional school setting. This is especially so in this culture, where it can be stigmatizing to send a child to a Special Needs School.

Secondly, getting ready-made, trained, and specialized personnel with the required skill set would be another challenge. We tackle this with constant in-house and external staff training and workshops.

Please provide details about your staff and administration.

Our staff comprises a conscientious and devoted team, which includes Clinical Psychologists, Behavioural Analysts, Occupational Therapists, ABA-trained therapists, and outsourced Speech Therapists. In addition, we also have a professional and knowledgeable administrative team.

What is the curriculum/teaching methodology?

Each child has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The IEP is mainly focused on the child’s specific and individual needs. It is implemented using ABA principles, along with Structured Teaching principles at TLPCentre.

What is the Ratio of Therapists to Students?

We have a ratio of one therapist to one child for individualized sessions and one therapist to three children for group activities.

What age range are your students?

We admit children from the ages of 1 – 22 years old.

What is the admission process?

Our admissions process is as follows:

Visit or Have a Chat
Schedule an Assessment
Obtain a Questionnaire
Client Assessment using ABLLS (Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills.)
IEP (Individual Educational Program) meeting.
Obtain an application form
Development of an IEP (Individual Educational Program)

How do you assess students’ progress?

An initial baseline assessment is conducted to determine the child’s current abilities. This becomes the standard against which we measure all future outcomes. Daily data collection, progress graphing, and video footage all play a role in our assessment process.

What are your Discipline methods?

The form of discipline implemented will vary depending on the behavior displayed. As such, we consider the cause of the behavior and its intensity before determining the appropriate discipline method to use. The ABC model consists of Antecedent (the event or activity that immediately precedes the behavior), Behavior (the observed behavior), and Consequence (the response that immediately follows the behavior). It works well for us.

Depending on the outcome of the above, we then use various forms of discipline, which include:

Redirection
Correction
Over-correction
Negative reinforcement
Positive reinforcement

How do you prepare your students for absorption into conventional high schools?

We initially focus on ‘generalization’, getting the child used to performing the various tasks in different environments. Then, we contrive practical situations where the child is in a similar environment, and finally, we place the child under a monitored, gradual transition period in a conventional school.

What are the School Hours, and are any after-school services offered?

Our hours are as follows:

Morning Full-time Sessions: Monday – Friday (8am- 12pm)

Afternoon Full-time Sessions: Monday – Friday (12.30pm- 4.30pm)

Morning Part-time Sessions: (Three days per week from 8am-12pm)

Afternoon Part-time sessions: (Three days per week from 12.30pm-4.30pm)

How can parents contact you for more information? Or to schedule a visit to the school?

Parents may request an appointment by emailing admin@tlpcentre.com or by phone at 0704 631 4389.

What should parents be looking for to decide if your school would work for them/their children?

The parents should assess our mode of teaching, the materials provided, the techniques being used, the level of care and hygiene within the environment, the qualifications, commitment, and knowledge of staff, the demeanor and composure of the staff, and the existing measured outcomes at TLPCentre.

Contact Information for the school?

We may be contacted using the details above. Parents are also welcome to visit TLPCentre at: 18 Chris Maduike Drive, Lekki phase 1.