ACE Institute

08/22/2026

Erika's top 3 tips for staff success! Drop your tips or questions in the comments!

07/30/2026

Many of ACE’s art students are learning about the life and work of Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh died 136 years ago, on July 29, 1890 leaving behind a legacy of work and talent yet to be discovered.

On the anniversary of his passing, The Vincent Van Gogh Museum posted a remarkable post about how Vincent doubted his talent and technique. This sparked a conversation at ACE about how many times something new or an idea that breaksdown barriers is often misunderstood or discounted.

Landon and Matthew weighed in on how this and shared some positive thoughts for those doubting themselves or their journey.

07/21/2026

We have reached a fan favorite in woodworking.. staining!

The guys really enjoy this process and know they are one step closer to having a finished project!

We can't wait to share their finished Co****le Boards with you!

07/17/2026

We all know working with your students outside of their comfortable, known space can present different challenges. Today, we had the opportunity to check out a cowboy exhibit at a local museum. They had an activity set up to make a collage using prints of old cowboy photos and supplies like markers, colored pencils, and magazines for us to use. Our staff worked with their individual student’s skills to complete this task. Some examples that we used today (you can see some in our pictures) include holding their project up on a clipboard, creating a barrier when coloring, and taking turns with longer tasks like coloring. It’s also important to remember to think about tolerance levels in these situations. Just because your student has open communication doesn’t mean it’s wrong to use written choices in a time like this. If magazines can be distracting, cut out some pictures and have them choose from those. The overall goal is participation!

07/10/2026

ALL response modes in RPM are valuable. People often think that once a student becomes proficient in the later RPM stages, the earlier stages are no longer necessary. Some families even worry that their child/student will get upset doing stages that are “beneath” them. Here at ACE, we see value in all modes of responding even when a student is further along in the RPM process. This is why we continue to use all stages. We don’t want them to think any stage is BAD. Being able to go back to choices or fewer lines on a letter board can be helpful when a new staff member starts, when a student is going through a difficult time, in a new environment, or when working on a new skill like independent typing.

06/26/2026

Important information from SOMA RPM

06/21/2026

Happy Father's Day from all of us at ACE!

06/19/2026

We (Amy and Erika) just finished a wonderful 3-day RPM and Art workshop in California. We are so proud of all our students. They worked very hard and made a lot of progress! Here is a creative writing piece and some completed art projects from the weekend!

06/18/2026

Every person has the ability to understand if taught in the right way.
A reminder that presuming competence begins with providing opportunity.
Developing Communication for Autism Using RPM - Soma Mukhopadhyay (Green Book - 2013)

Every person has the ability to understand if taught in the right way.
A reminder that presuming competence begins with providing opportunity.

Developing Communication for Autism Using RPM - Soma Mukhopadhyay (Green Book - 2013)