Secondary School

The secondary school program has been developed for students with Autism who are classroom ready and working at an applied or academic level in grade 9 to 12. Students accepted into the secondary school program are working towards obtaining 30 credits for their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. Additional requirements for this program include successful completion of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test and obtaining 40 hours of community service before their graduation.

Along with their curriculum expectations, students will strive to earn and complete both compulsory and elective credits to obtain their OSSD. In conjunction with their credit, students are also expected to earn and complete 40 hours of community service, along with writing the provincial literacy requirement exam. In addition to the student’s academic requirements, The Lighthouse program strives to develop healthy social and anxiety management skills. Teachers in the secondary program also work with students to develop their executive functioning skills for success in post-secondary and in life.

At The Lighthouse we use Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) strategies to promote success in everyday life whether it be at school, home, or in the community. We gear all of their academics toward their own individual interests to increase motivation and make everything that we do functional in a natural environment. Part of this means focusing on preparation for the workforce, help transitioning into jobs and completing full community volunteer hours as we believe this holds a lot of value for our students.

Secondary school lessons are created to help develop the skills of students with Autism across all areas of the curriculum. In addition, the program is designed to encourage students with Autism to increase their independence, vocational skills and ability to self-advocate for themselves in an academic setting. This program runs Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 PM.