Special Needs Classes Arroyo Grande - Special Abilities Arts Education Arroyo Grande

Special Needs Classes Arroyo Grande - Special Abilities Arts Education Arroyo Grande - Beyond Boundaries Grover Beach

Special Abilities Class

Coastal Dance and Music Academy

• Dance • Music • Theater • Voice •

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Special Abilities Program - Beyond Boundaries

For information about the Beyond Boundaries non-profit Performance Troupe, please visit . . .

www.beyondboundaries-ca.org

Our Mission

To provide enrichment through the arts for children, teens and adults with special abilities, focusing on each student’s diverse talents. Our goal is to foster creativity based on each student’s individual capabilities and expression. Our teachers create a nurturing environment where students can convey their emotions through music, dance, and other arts. Our program fosters social, physical, and intellectual development in students.

Program Goals

To foster communication, enhance cognitive skills, increase focusing ability, develop coordination, interaction with peers, physical fitness, encourage expression, and promote fun.

The Beyond Boundaries program was created to encourage each student’s development of fine and gross motor coordination, self-confidence, and an enthusiasm for the arts.

Our instructors have been partnering with students and families with mixed abilities for nearly a decade. At CDMA, we provide a fun, safe and nurturing environment in which students can explore the world of arts education at their own level. Each week, you can expect to be presented with new challenges that help explore and develop artistic expression.

FAQ

How are students placed in classes to best fit their abilities?

During the registration process, our teachers will meet with your family to put together a curriculum that complements each student’s needs while also providing opportunities for fun and growth. Each class is crafted specifically to the needs and physical development of each student.

Class Descriptions

Beyond Boundaries

Classes available for ages 3-5, 7-12, and Adult. The Beyond Boundaries dance program was created to offer a full range of creative movement expression for dancers with Autism, Downs Syndrome, ADD/ADHD, limited ranges of motion* and a blend of other abilities. Dancers will explore creative movement with roots based in ballet and jazz, and will be emphasized with music, props and story-telling.

Beyond Boundaries dance classes focus on allowing students to express themselves through art, emphasizing abilities, not disabilities.

*If your child uses an aide for mobility, please inquire with the teacher for specific class placement.

Program Instructor: Deanna Duarte

Deanna has a degree in education and holds an Education Specialist Credential. She has worked for over 10 years with children, beginning with the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education as a Behavior Health Specialist, where she worked directly with students on the autism spectrum or with other behavior needs, and as a Special Education teacher, working with a variety of students in different circumstances. She is trained in the MOVE Program (Mobility Opportunities Via Education/Experience), has collaborated with Adaptive PE teachers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, music therapists, art teachers, and other professionals to develop and implement programs to enrich the lives of her students.

Program Instructor: Sarah Pullings

Sarah has been working with children for about 10 years ranging from teaching theater to working as a behavior therapist. Sarah started working with children at the San Luis Obispo Little Theatre. She started out as an assistant and worked her way up to a Stage Manager/Assistant Director and then became the Executive Director of the ACT program. Sarah has also been involved in teaching dance for the last 4 years in Texas and Oregon at several different studios. For the last year and a half she has been working in Arroyo Grande as a preschool and after school teacher in several programs, the most current being Bright Futures YMCA program at Harloe Elementary and the United Methodist Children’s Center (UMCC) which is where she is currently working. Sarah has also recently worked at STAR of California as a Behavior Therapist specializing in children who have Autism. Sarah is currently working on her BA in Liberal Studies at the University of La Verne and is finishing her AA in Early Childhood Education at Cuesta Community College. Sarah loves inspiring and working with all children to promote a child’s greatest ability through expression and movement.