Ascend Training Institute Partners with Forsyth County Schools to Support Individual Student Success
The Ascend Training Institute recently provided a targeted Interpersonal Whole-Brain Model of Care®(IWBMC™) training session at a local public high school in Forsyth County. While initially focused on sharing specialized strategies to support a specific student who also receives services at Jacob’s Ladder, the training has sparked interest in how these approaches might benefit additional students in the program.
From One Student to Many
The partnership began in the summer of 2024 when a family relocated from Arizona to Georgia. Their child was both a student in a vocational learning track for special education students at Forsyth County High School and a client receiving therapeutic care at Jacob’s Ladder, where the IWBMC™ is the foundation of all services. Recognizing the benefits their child experienced through this model, the family requested that Forsyth County Schools invite Ascend to share these therapeutic strategies with the student’s educators.
What started as support for one student quickly demonstrated broader potential. Allegra Saunders, Chief Clinical Operations Officer, and Sarah Smith, Director of Training and Customer Education at the Ascend Training Institute, led a comprehensive session for a team of educators, including the program coordinator, behavior analysts, therapists, teachers, and paraprofessionals.
Beyond Behaviors to Understanding
The training translated the student’s neurobiological needs into practical classroom approaches, emphasizing requirements for movement and processing adaptations. Rather than simply addressing behaviors, the session explained the “why” behind them.
The training addressed specific behaviors while providing global strategies that teachers could incorporate for all students in the classroom.
Positive Educator Response
Teachers responded enthusiastically, particularly valuing how the approach connected neurobiology with behavior. One educator remarked that the IWBMC™ approach “was connected to the why and not just the how.”
Expanding the Impact
Following this success, discussions are underway to provide training to all 22 staff members. Future plans may include classroom observations and recommendations for environmental modifications to support student success.
About the IWBMC™
The Interpersonal Whole-Brain Model of Care® represents a “cutting-edge movement to change how we educate and support individuals with neurobiological needs.” Through Ascend, this approach is taught to educators, families, and professionals working with individuals with neurobiological disorders.
By addressing underlying neurobiological factors that influence behavior and learning, the IWBMC™ provides a comprehensive framework focused on the whole person.
This focused collaboration between Ascend and Forsyth County Schools demonstrates how specialized therapeutic approaches can be shared across settings to provide consistent support for a student receiving both educational and therapeutic services.
