IN PERSON SUMMER SOCIAL GROUPS
Summer is a great time to give special attention to communication and social language skills! Groups will be held indoors and outdoors this summer!
TINY THINKERS
Ages 2-5
Tuesdays 9am
This small group is designed for our youngest thinkers to develop pre-linguistic skills, play skills, social communication, and overall vocabulary in a nurturing environment. Each child's goals are individualized and targeted through play, books, songs, and creativity. Children in groups may have goals that target expressive and receptive language, social skills, phonology, articulation, and or fluency. Clinicians will promote increased:
-Communication Skills
-Speech Intelligibility
-Pre-linguistic Skills like Joint-Attention, Engagement, and Imitation
-Play Development
-Sharing
-Turn-taking
-Self-Regulation
-Attention Span
Children are encouraged to engage in group learning, initiate, respond, and maintain verbal interaction and take turns during play routines. Circle time, guided play, arts and crafts, and social games will be used so children can practice appropriate language and behaviors with peers. Parents are required to remain at the facility for the duration of their child's therapy (in cars).
Led by Demi Fritz, SLP
GROWING REGALLY
Ages 7-10
girls group
Tuesdays 11 am
Do you have a young lady between the ages of 7 and 10 with a pragmatic language deficit? Let’s start her summer weeks off the right way by working on our social language in a group through empowering one another as self-sufficient and supportive girls. Every week we will focus on different aspects of social language like humor, hobbies (including more traditionally male hobbies), fashion of all kinds, and kindness. We will learn to be assertive in our own interests and skill sets while being appreciative of the skill sets of others. Learning to connect through language with other girls in a way that isn’t exclusionary reduces the social impact of being excluded. Our motto: All girls rule, including me! This group needs 5 to run.
Led by Krissy Baker, SLP
Outdoors at Ty Warner Park
LITTLE THINKERS
Ages 4-7
Tuesdays 9am or
Thursdays at 9am (2 options)
Tuesdays-It’s time to have a good time and learn how to play collaboratively! Part of the joy of learning through play is being exposed to the input of others. For kids who have had challenges understanding other people it can be hard to remain open to ideas from other kids. Luckily these flexibility skills are skills we can practice! Each week we will meet with a specific theme in mind and these themes will include the interests of all participants. Every kid will have a turn with the topic that is closest to their heart and we will all learn how to include others in our play schemes. It’s important to learn to be both the idea-driver and how to merge into someone else’s play plan in a way that brings joy for everyone. This group is for ages 4 through 7 and requires some planning so that kids can bring toys to participate. Groups will meet at 9:00am on Tuesdays for 45 minutes at the Gazebo in Ty Warner Park rain or shine with masking and social distancing. This group requires five confirmed attendees to run.
Thursdays-
This small group is designed for our young thinkers to develop skills to make Kindergarten a little easier. We will focus on linguistic skills, play skills, social communication, and overall vocabulary in a nurturing environment. Each child's goals are individualized and targeted through play, books, songs, and creativity. Children in groups may have goals that target expressive and receptive language, social skills, phonology, articulation, and or fluency. Clinicians will promote increased:
-Communication Skills
-Speech Intelligibility
-Play Development
-Sharing
-Turn-taking
-Self-Regulation
-Attention Span
Children are encouraged to engage in group learning, initiate, respond, and maintain verbal interaction and take turns during play routines. Circle time, guided play, arts and crafts, and social games will be used so children can practice appropriate language and behaviors with peers. Groups will meet for 45 minutes. Parents are required to remain at the facility for the duration of their child's therapy (in cars).
Tuesdays-Led by Krissy Baker, SLP
Group will be outdoors at Ty Warner Park
Thursdays- Led by Demi Fritz, SLP
Group will be outdoors at Ty Warner Park weather permitting (group may alternate indoor/outdoor)
MY TEAM
Ages 10-13
Tuesdays at 2pm
This group is for kids of any gender between the ages of 10 and 13 who are ready to start to have friends beyond family connections and school. When someone asks them, “Who is your best friend?” they are ready and willing to be close to people, but need an opportunity that will provide judgement-free connections and a skilled communicator to facilitate connections. Much of this group will involve talking together, playing card and tabletop games, and building inside jokes and a sense of belonging.
This group requires 5 to run.
Led by Krissy Baker, SLP
Outdoors at Ty Warner Park
THINK SOCIAL THIS SUMMER!
Our social groups will be led by a speech-language pathologist both indoors and outdoors this summer.
Groups meet once per week for 45 minutes and run Tuesdays or Thursdays.
June 14- July 24, 2021
A formal or informal evaluation is required before a child is placed into a group.
A variety of strategies from different therapeutic approaches and models are integrated into our groups, including:
Social Thinking (www.socialthinking.com)
SCERTS (www.scerts.com)
Everyday Speech (everydayspeech.com)
Hanen Centre make play R.O.C.K
We are in network with BCBS PPO ONLY.
Out of pocket fee for 45 min groups: $47/week or $250/6 weeks (if paid by May 1, 2021).
ADULT PRAGMATICS
Ages 24-99
Tuesdays 4pm
Have you always felt like you were missing something in the workplace? Do you have trouble connecting with other adults in the community or in groups you have tried to join? Pragmatic language becomes more challenging the older we get and it can feel like we have missed the chance to learn the secret language of social interaction. Luckily, these can be learned at any age! This group is open to ages 24 to 99 and will involve some sharing and role-playing work and social scenarios in order to learn how to respond in a way that doesn’t leave us out or leave us vulnerable. Groups will meet at 4:00pm on Tuesdays for 45 minutes at the Gazebo in Ty Warner Park rain or shine with masking and social distancing, as well as occasional weekend Zoom happy hour connection opportunities. This group requires five confirmed attendees to run. A teletherapy option may be available later in the evening if the minimum attendee level is not met for face to face.
Led by Krissy Baker, SLP
Outdoors at Ty Warner Park
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING: BETTER LIVING THROUGH PLANNING
Ages 13-18
Tuesdays 3pm
Does your teen have great intentions and then fall apart in the production phase of life? Do you have a child who seems to require more supervision and guidance than his or her peers? Executive functioning challenges require concrete plans for skill developments and practice in order to make the self-sufficiency dream a reality. Come meet with peers once a week to share frustrations and ideas as well as receive training on how to organize school and home in such a way that starts to prepare teens for life on their own. Skill sets will be delivered in a way that is judgement-free and practical. This group is for ages 13 through 18 and requires some minimal parent participation via Zoom. Groups will meet at 3:00pm on Tuesdays for 45 minutes at the Gazebo in Ty Warner Park rain or shine with masking and social distancing.
This group requires five confirmed attendees to run.
Led by Krissy Baker, SLP
Outdoors at Ty Warner Park