Logo, A.C.E. Teaching & Consulting - Academic Services

(920) 884-2990
Green Bay, WI 54304

Biographies

Amy Campbell

Amy holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Business with a concentration is small business management, from the University of Phoenix.  As the Executive Director at A.C.E. Amy is responsible for the business and management of the clinic.  She enjoys working closely with families to get them prepared to work with Erika; along with help families continue their RPM journey.

 “Seeing the impact RPM and Erika have in these parents’ and students’ lives is very rewarding.  The A.C.E. students really do bring a little bit of sunshine with them on every trip to the clinic.” – Amy
Girl on Floor - Distance Learning

Erika Anderson

Erika holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Human Development from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay.  She started her career in the field of Autism working three years as an ABA therapist for Fox Valley Autism.  Erika began teaching students with RPM in 2005 after which she attended and completed Soma® RPM level I training in 2006.  In 2007, she began her three - year apprenticeship learning and working under Soma Mukhopadhyay in Austin, TX.  Over the course of those three years she has worked with verbal and non – verbal students ranging from four years to 40 years in age.  In 2010 Erika completed her apprenticeship and is currently is the only certified level 3 Soma-RPM provider and co-owns and operates the HALO affiliated A.C.E. Teaching & Consulting clinic in Green Bay, WI.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Soma® RPM?
The Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) is an academic teaching method that leads to communication for persons with Autism and similar disorders. The goal of each session is to bring the student to maximum learning potential through the open learning channel (ex. visual or auditory) aiming to stimulate left brain learning and provide them with an appropriate mode of response. Through the use of written choices, stencil boards, laminated letter boards, and eventually, a keyboard and/or handwriting, RPM uses prompting to initiate a student’s independent response without physical support.

How is RPM unique from other methods?
• RPM is distinct from other methods as it is academic teaching method based upon how the brain works.
• An RPM session focuses on learning despite a student’s stims/behaviors.
• RPM works up to and then maintains the use of age appropriate academic material for all age students.
• RPM does not require students to sit (although this may be a goal over time) and RPM providers will work with aggressive students

Is RPM for only non-verbal students?
No. RPM has been used by various students on the autism spectrum and with similar disorders including verbal and non-verbal students of all ages. Non-verbal students are given a way to communicate their academic abilities as well as wants, needs, etc., while verbal students are given a way to extract the appropriate responses at the right time.

What is the common progression for students using RPM?
• All students begin by learning how to choose and what to choose; through the use of empirical and rational teaching and the use of factual,
   academic information. This occurs through the use of 2 choices and progresses to 3 and 4 choices.
• As the student’s motor skills, level of concentration, and spelling skills improve the use of letter boards/stencil boards are introduced.
• As students gain the confidence, feel successful, and become proficient in academics and open ended communication students eventually
   progress to keyboards, handwriting, and in some cases verbalization.

Can RPM be used with students with other diagnosis or with duel diagnosis?
RPM has been used for students with Angelman Syndrome, Williams Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Chromosomal abnormalities, Fragile X, Dyslexia, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, blind, and deaf. Parents who use RPM with their ASD child have even reported borrowing some RPM concepts to teach their neuro-typical children.

Can parents be successful using RPM?
Yes! At A.C.E. we strive to teach parents and professionals the basics of RPM and how to implement the method in their home environment. We strongly encourage parents to work with their children outside of clinical sessions and to take advantage of our consultation services to ensure they are on the right track. RPM will give families a means in which to teach and communicate with their children.

“Learning RPM is one of the best things we have ever done for our teenage daughter. Erika Anderson is very knowledgeable about autism and RPM and quickly zeroed in on the best method for working with our daughter’s challenges and strengths. She has high expectations and is able to push it to the next level. Our only regret is that we did not start RPM sooner. We are ecstatic about our daughter’s progress! She is eager to give us her opinions and spelled out that her dream is “to talk”. She is able to tell us things that we only guessed at in the past, such as what type of prom dress she would like. We are so glad we discovered ACE!”

Bob and Sue Hamlin

I do not live in Green Bay are there still RPM session options for my child?
Yes, A.C.E. offers a variety of session options for families that are traveling a longer distance or cannot travel. 

• RPM sessions are held on Friday and Saturdays for students who live in the Tri-state (WI, IL, MN) area, generally attending sessions once per month.
• If you are from a further distance A.C.E. offers camps in Green Bay where students receive two sessions a day for four consecutive days.
• If you are unable to travel or have a group of people interested in RPM A.C.E. offers weekend and week workshops where A.C.E. will travel to you to hold RPM sessions.

Can RPM be used in a school setting?
Yes, A.C.E. has worked with many school districts to successfully implement RPM. We offers in-person and Skype school consulting services to aid teachers and Para Professionals in learning the method and utilizing RPM with their students. During an in-person school consulting Erika will come to your school and teach the basics of how to get started with RPM, work 1:1 with students and observe teachers/Paras conducting 1:1 RPM sessions to give constructive feedback. During all school consulting A.C.E. takes into account the specific needs of each school and builds a consultation to meet those needs. Follow - up consulting can be conducted through a video conferencing program, Skype, where Erika will help the school stay on track by virtually observing their teachers/Paras working with students, give feedback, and answer all RPM questions.

Julia has been successfully using RPM since 2nd grade and this teaching tool allowed her to access grade level general education curriculum. RPM instruction led to meaningful and functional communication. Now in high school using RPM has resulted in a better quality of life and an avenue to job skills that would not have been possible without this unique teaching method.

Vicki Martin

Contact us in Green Bay, Wisconsin, for more information about our accessible distance learning and teaching workshops.