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| Good Times Groups - A "social skills" group for children ages 2-16 |
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We are pleased to offer our “Good Times Group!” as a means for further development of socialization, communication, sensory processing, executive functioning and Theory of Mind. Through highly enjoyable cooperative activities, students will learn the nuances of social interactions from maintaining conversations to reading nonverbal cues to empathizing. In groups of 5-8 members, students will uncover the underlying causes of their social deficits and learn practical strategies to help them become more confident and competent communicators. Both parents and teachers report that students who leave our groups generalize information to home, school, and the community. |
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| What does "Pragmatic" Mean? | ||
The word "Pragmatics" refers to "social speech" but in the field of disabilities it has taken on a wider meaning --encompassing all skills that involve social interaction. In order to have meaningful interactions with people, one must have a desire to interact, recognize people as separate beings from one's self, have the capacity for joint attention, physical perspective taking, mental perspective taking, tolerance for differences on the most basic level, understand the giving and receiving nonverbal cues, and have the ability to rapidly interpret and integrate all of this information. When two people communicate, they generally use both verbal and nonverbal language to give and receive information (pragmatic language). Interpreting and understanding these signals and using inference enable us to predict what the other person is feeling or trying to say (Theory of Mind). By understanding this information, conversations happen, relationships build, and social relationships can flourish (social interaction). |
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Who Will Benefit from the Group? |
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Students who have socialization difficulty and a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome, Nonverbal Learning Disabilities, PDD, Attention Deficit Disorder, Tourette’s Syndrome, Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and other related disorders. |
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| What Methods do You Use to Teach? | ||
Our social pragmatic groups incorporate multiple methodologies including Bateson Therapy and Cognitive-Behavioral approaches. In order for lessons to generalize, information is taught both cognitively and practically. First children learn the skills, then put the information into practice, and finally, teach the information to others. We find by utilizing this full circle approach, students truly understand what they are being taught and are better able to apply, and generalize the information. |
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| Goals Addressed | ||
Each session offers rewarding activities filled with laughter and learning. Two highly trained ECN, Inc. staff members run each group. Each session has a specific theme or focus such as: Making and Keeping Friends
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Cooperative Learning
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Feelings
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Reading NonVerbal Cues
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Theory of Mind (perspective taking)
It is important to note that we tweak curriculum and children's individual goals based partially on parents' goals for their children's progress. We gather such information during the intake process. |
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| Staff Qualifications | ||
All staff members have a Bachelors or Masters Degree in Education or related fields. ECN, Inc. only hires staff with previous experience and they must demonstrate proficiencies in pragmatic therapies. Staff members also receive additional pragmatic training and are certified by ECN, Inc. Only then are they qualified to work with your child. ECN, Inc. never wants our valued clients to be "guinea pigs" – we believe our clients deserve the highest quality of services and for that reason hand pick every staff member. |
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| Current Schedule (afternoon groups only - this schedule does not include our special pragmatic summer programming. click here for the summer program.) | ||
We run groups all year long and have a rolling admission policy that allows families to join in at any time. Families pay for as many or as few sessions as they want. The more your child attends the greater the benefit. 2007/08 groups start October 2, 2007. All groups run 4-5:30pm at our office in Waltham.
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| Intake Procedure (click here for application) | ||
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| Cost (afternoon groups only - this fee schedule does not include our special summer programming. click here for the summer program.) | ||
The cost for an 8-week session: $629.00. |
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Educational Consultants of New England, Inc. |
