OUR PROGRAMS
- Early Learner Playgroups (ages 5-7)
- Social Skills Playgroups (ages 8-10)
- Pre-Teen Social Skills Groups (ages 10-12)
- Teen Groups (ages 12-13, 14-15, 16-17)
- Note: Groups placement is based on age and individual needs. We aim to pair participants with no more than 2 years difference in age or school grade level.
WHO WE SERVICE
- Children, teens, and young adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), learning and language disorders, and other related exceptionalities.
- Children, teens, and young adults who demonstrate challenges in the areas of communication, socialization, and/or peer relationships and require a structured, low ratio learning environment to learn new skills and make friends.
HOW TO REGISTER
- To register your child for an upcoming group, please complete our online registration form. Phone contact will be coordinated to further discuss groups, format, and curricula.
- Elaine Bissonnette: 613-722-4374 or ebissonn@magma.ca
SATURDAY GROUPS
1. Group for 5-6 or 6-7 yrs. old – Saturday 9:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
Through the use of cooperative games, direct instruction and other teaching methods we will explore:
- Verbal communication and increasing reciprocity
- Cooperative games and following the rules
- Group activities to increase participation/attending skills
- Basic science experiments to practice making smart guesses, taking turns, sharing, and communicating
- Zones of Regulation program to label emotions, define and cope with emotional triggers
- Small, Medium, and Big Problems and matching our reactions to the size of a problem
2. Group for 8-10 yrs. old – Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Through the use of cooperative games, direct instruction and other teaching methods we will explore:
- Conversational skills
- Understanding and using nonverbal language
- Cooperative games
- Learning to be more flexible – “social thinking”
- Feelings and emotions
- 3 C’s of teamwork: Communication, Cooperation and Courage
- Friendship skills: what makes a good friend vs. a bad friend, dealing with teasing and bullying
Early Learner Playgroups: Ages 5-7
These groups are designed for young girls and boys ages 5 to 7 years old, who experience challenges in areas of communication, play skills, and social interaction. Evidence-based strategies are used to teach skills required for group learning, increasing communication, play, and social skills. Participants will work on:
- Joint attention and attending skills
- Verbal reciprocity and communication skills
- Sharing, waiting, and turn-taking in small groups
- Initiating communication and responding to peers
- Cooperating in simple games with others
- Identifying and labelling emotional states based on physical sensations, body languages, and contextual clues (Zones of Regulation program)
Social Skills Playgroups: Ages 8-10
These groups focus on social skills for girls and boys, ages 8-10 who experience challenges with skills such as: communication, self-awareness and social reciprocity. Through the use of cooperative games, direct instruction, role-play, and other teaching methods, we will explore:
- Conversational skills
- Nonverbal communication
- Cooperative play and interactive skills
- Problem-solving skills during social interactions
- Recognizing, identifying, and expressing emotions (Zones of Regulation program)
- Perspective-taking
- Friendship: what makes a good friend vs. a bad friend, dealing with teasing and bullying
PRE TEEN & TEEN GROUPS – WEEK DAYS – AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS – 4:30 TO 6:00 p.m.
1. Teen Social Skills Group: ages 10-12, 12-14 and 14-16
This group focus on social skills for teens who experience challenges with communication, co-operation, and social reciprocity. Using direct instruction, discussions, and competitive games, we focus on:
- Respect, turn taking and social space
- Learn skills for self-regulation and reducing impulsivity
- How to cooperatively work and negotiate in dyads and groups
- Learn skills for problem solving and handling disagreements during social interactions
- Conversational rules and underlying skills – via role playing and discussions
- How to deal with teasing and bullying
2. Teen Chat Group: ages 16-17
This group focus on social skills for teens who experience challenges with communication, co-operation, and social reciprocity. Opportunities for learning occur in discussions, debates, presentations, and competitive games. The focus is on:
- Respect, turn taking and social space
- Learn skills for self-regulation and reducing impulsivity
- How to work cooperatively in dyads and groups
- Learn skills for problem solving and handling disagreements during social interactions
- Communication and repair strategies via role playing and discussions
3. Self-Advocacy Group: ages 16-17
This unique program developed by Lynda-Marie Trifilette, focuses on highlighting the boys’ strengths and helping them understand their challenges. It explains the purpose of Individual Educational Plans and explains accommodations vs modifications. The goal of this program is to teach the boys the skills they need to be successful pursuing post-secondary education and succeeding in the working world.
Using direct instruction, scenarios, role-play, and other teaching methods, we will explore:
- Individual strengths
- Individual needs and challenges
- Individual Education Plans (IEP)
- Learn skills for problem solving and handling disagreements during social interactions
- How to self-advocate
4. The Spectrum of Executive Functioning: ages 16-17
This unique program developed by Lynda-Marie Trifilette, focuses on the wide range of executive functioning skills and how they are not only intertwined with each other but also dependent on each other. Through self-assessments and discussions, the students will gain an understanding of where they need skills and strategies to be successful in their academically pursuits and in their daily lives
Using direct instruction, discussions and sharing of experiences we will explore:
- Executive Function skills
- The biology of how the executive functioning skills work together/depend on each other
- Strategies to improve executive functioning