Self-Care

There is often a connection between mental health challenges and how people care for themselves. As a result, the O-School places significant emphasis on developing proper hygiene. Proper hygiene facilitates being part of a social group and demonstrates respect for oneself and others. Through the milieu, the O-School incorporates hygiene into the students’ daily routines as a basic expectation to help students establish a practice of physical care.

Executive functioning skills (EFS), such as planning, organizing and scheduling, are essential for living an independent and productive life. These skills are developed over time through life experiences, but for many O-School students, this development may require more explicit teaching and training. EFS development is embedded in the O-School program in a variety of ways, including:

• The building’s unique design supports spatial planning and orientation.
• Students are engaged daily in planning activities and outings.
• The use of visual planners, color-coding systems, and postings throughout the school.
• Prescriptive assignment books, graphic organizers and supportive technologies provide learning supports that reinforce executive functioning skills.
   

The daily schedule at the O-School is consistent and predictable without being overly regimented or inflexible. While a staff member is always around to help remind or prompt a student about the schedule, it is designed so that there are many opportunities throughout the day for each student to be responsible for being on time and completing tasks or activities.

All O-School students are involved in group learning and socializing experiences throughout each day. A key aspect of getting along well with others, both authority figures and peers, is establishing healthy and adaptive interpersonal boundaries. These boundaries may include personal physical space, how to disclose and share personal information or what to expect from others. Often students arrive at the O-School having had earlier experiences at either extreme — either overly involved or overly isolated. We strive to help students establish a sense of balance and moderation in how they interact with others.