Adult Programs
Adult Programs
Do you know an adult with autism or a developmental disability who is looking for a program to help them become more independent and achieve personal goals? Valley Achievement Center in Bakersfield offers a wide variety of programs and services to adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Adult Day Program (ADP)
Our Adult Day Program provides on-site classes to adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. Using a person-centered planning model, our Adult Day Program helps individuals acquire knowledge and skills to improve functional daily living. Some of the areas of focus are proactive strategies for behavior management, self-help skills, self-advocacy, relational building skills and more. We believe the skills taught to our clients on site also need to be learned and applied while in the community. Each day our clients have a choice to participate in a community outing that focuses on social interactions and practicing what has been learned in the program. Join us as we build friendships and life skills with others in our community.
Tailored Day Service (TDS)
Do you want to enroll in college but feel lost on where to start? Have you thought about looking for a job but need assistance with resume building and job searching? Perhaps you want to learn the skills taught in our Day Program but want to go at your own pace and on your own schedule? If any of this sounds interesting to you, then our Tailored Day Service may be what you’re looking for. The Purpose of Tailored Day Service is to provide an alternative to traditional day program services through a person-centered plan that provides individualized training in the areas selected by the client. This may include: employment, volunteer placement, post-secondary education, and community integration.
Professional Vocational Social Adjustment (PVSA)
PVSA provides training to adults with autism and other developmental disabilities to develop functional skills to enhance employability, employment outcomes, and job maintenance. After an initial assessment to identify the client’s barriers to employment, we then provide one-on-one guidance to reduce and eliminate identified barriers. These barriers may include things such as not having an effective resume and cover letter, learning how to handle on the job issues such as conflicts with co-workers, understanding public transportation to get to and from work, how to answer job interview questions appropriately and much more. Our PVSA course will help prepare you and give you the confidence you need to successfully search for, and land, a job.
Individual Supported Employment (SEP)
The Individual Supported Employment Program (SEP) provides disabled adults with autism and other developmental disabilities support to obtain and successfully maintain employment. Our Job Developer works diligently on behalf of each client to identify quality job opportunities based on the clients interests and skills and then assists the client to secure employment. Once a client is placed in a position, our Job Coach provides training, support, and supervision on the job to allow the client to transition over time to work as independently as possible.
Independent and Supported Living Services (ILS/SLS)
Let’s face it, gaining the necessary skills to live independently or as independently as possible can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re doing it alone. Learning to prepare meals, budget finances, clean a house, grocery shop and figuring out how to get to and from doctor’s appointments can be challenging. It can also be challenging for caregivers to have the time and resources necessary to enable a client to master these important life skills.
This is where Valley Achievement Center can make all the difference! Partnering with our Independent Living Skills (ILS) team will help prepare individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities transition to independent living. The purpose of the ILS program is to provide individuals with the knowledge, training, and skills needed to be prepared to care for oneself more independently while still living in the parent/caregiver home and if interested, to move from a parent/caregiver home to a more independent living environment.
This person-centered transition training program, provided at home and in the community, will teach the client how to improve functional daily living skills, money management, self-advocacy, emergency response, safety awareness, and many other areas. For clients who already live outside the parent/caretaker home but need assistance in one or more of the areas listed above, our Supported Living Service (SLS) Program will work on many of the same skills our Independent Living Service provides to allow the client to live as independently as possible in the client’s home.
Paid Internship Program (PIP)
Goals of this program include the acquisition of experience and skills for future paid employment or for the internship itself to lead to full or part time paid employment with the employer. By removing the financial cost and other risks to the employer, the PIP incentivizes employers in the community who might not otherwise consider hiring a client who lacks experience doing a particular job. The PIP allows both the employer and the client to decide if the job is right for them.