Developmental Learning Program (DLP)

In alignment with the District 58 Mission statement, The Developmental Learning Program (DLP) works together in partnership with district, parents and community to challenge and engage each child by providing quality educational programming and services in a safe, nurturing and child-centered environment that best meets their needs.

DLP is a highly individualized special education program designed to serve the unique and intensive needs of students with known or suspected intellectual disabilities who require intensive and/or alternate academic instruction at their level. Together with academic needs, the program is designed to support intensive communication needs, limited adaptive and functional skills, limited social skills, and/or behavioral difficulties or manifestations.

Essential Elements of DLP include:

  • Low student to adult ratio
  • Alternative curriculums
  • Opportunity to create connections with grade level peers (lunch, recess/PE, specials/exploratories, fruit-break, classroom parties, field trips, general education content area classes (typically Science and Social Studies) as appropriate
  • A high level of integrated related services to support transfer of skills
  • Intensive communication supports including assistive technology
  • High intensity and frequency of behavioral reinforcements (i.e. task strip, first/then, positive reinforcement)
  • Flexible space and classroom areas to serve unique needs (i.e. sensory/quiet space, changing/bathrooming)
  • Direct adaptive/functional skill instruction with authentic application.  These are integrated throughout the school day (i.e. hygiene, pre-vocational, self care skills and toileting) and generalized through community based instruction. (i.e. consumer skills, safety skills, community etiquette)
  • Highly structured activities and predictable routines
  • Providing a comprehensive approach to supporting families and collaborating with outside services to support future-thinking programming

Core Curriculum

  • Unique Learning Systems (ELA)
  • EQUALS Math

Possible Supportive/Supplemental Curriculums:

  • Reading A-Z
  • Reading Milestones
  • Corrective Reading
  • Reading Mastery
  • News 2 You
  • Teachtown
  • L3 Skills
  • IXL
  • Connecting Math Concepts
  • Number Worlds
  • Saxon Math

Community-based field trips may include:

  • Community: Library, police and fire safety,  hair care, 
  • Shopping: The Dollar Tree, Five Below, Jewel, Walmart, Target, Yorktown Mall
  • Dining: Steven’s Family Restaurant, McDonalds, Egg Harbor, and Panera Bread
  • Leisure: zoo, Bengston’s Pumpkin Farm, bowling, 

Resources

Prioritization of Urgent Need for Services (PUNS)

PUNS (Prioritization of Urgency of Need for Services) is a database of Illinois infants, children, adolescents, and adults with developmental disabilities who have needs for developmental disability services or supports.  Students who participate in DLP could be eligible for funding through PUNS.  Contact the district's PUNS coordinator, Tiffany Williams (tiffanywilliams@dg58.org), for more information regarding Illinois's enrollment process or review the Illinois Department of Human Services information here.