Weekend Socialization Program LI, NY

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HELPING HANDS BEHAVIORAL OUTREACH, INC.

A behavior analytic environment for young people with Autism, developmental

disabilities and behavior disorders

WEEKEND SOCIALIZATION PROGRAM

When: Every Saturday from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM

Where: Glen Head, Long Island NY

For who: Young people with Autism and developmental disabilities aged 6 to 18.

Individuals are grouped according to age, skill level and diagnoses.

Cost: Socialization program is 75 dollars per day, clinical services are

additional.

The main goal of Helping Hands Behavioral Outreach's weekend socialization

program is to help people with Autism and developmental disabilities further

develop social and interpersonal skills in a unique recreational setting that

involves family members and peer models. Licensed Behavior Analysts, Special

Education teachers, personal trainers, etc. will be working to make each

experience fulfilling and rewarding to the participants.

Also, the participants must learn to transfer their learned skills to a variety

of different situations so that their individual growth is always occurring.

Many individuals with such special needs do not have planning for the

generalization and maintenance of their various skills. Therefore, they are lost

from one setting to another or from one person to another. Parents are

frustrated because they cannot do in school what they can do at home and

teachers/professionals are upset because they cannot do at home what they do in

school. Goals are worked on by various therapists that may not relate to each

other. Therefore progress may be slowed. We are here to utilize the " big

picture " to help each participant grow to their fullest potential.

If socialization skills are not developed self-esteem will suffer. If peer

relations are weak, learning and growing from peers is unlikely. Peer support is

vital for the developmental and social gains of every individual. We utilize

typically developing peer models as well as peer models with disabilities that

may be less in severity than their peer learners. Each peer model will have a

peer learner and a model for themselves. This is a hierarchal system where

participants learn form each other.

We teach family members of individuals with Autism and developmental

disabilities how to interact with their loved one in a fun and safe manner. We

arrange family trips to restaurants and places of interest to ease the social

pain that is put upon many families who have a loved one with a disability. We

create " family fun " that extends to the member with the special need.

If skills are learned in a particular setting (such as school) and there are no

plans to generalize those skills, typically the person with Autism and/or the

developmental disability will not carry over those skills to other settings or

with other people. We will plan for generalization and maintenance of skills by

using a skilled educational liaison to become familiar with all goals done in

all settings and then bridge the gap by working on them in our setting. We will

work with all programs to make success for the participant possible to the

fullest extent.

We have a variety of fun and creative events devised by a leader in the field of

recreation therapy. Such events include but are not limited to:

Practice and conditioning for Special Olympics, personal training (by certified

personal trainers), art therapy, guitar instruction, classical guitar concerts,

trips to major sporting events, trips to local parks, restaurants, exhibits,

hippo therapy, sensory integration activities, practice for talent shows,

computer play (using adaptive hardware), animal therapy, all in small groups.

Tutoring, pre-vocational work, daily living skills practice and social training

in a more academic environment are all available. Community integration trips

are also planned and are led by a community integration specialist.

There are clinical experts available for speech, occupational and behavior

therapy again to bridge the gap between programs and to foster success. All

participants will be extensively evaluated and objective goals will be devised.

Goal progress will be closely monitored by an extensive data keeping system

arranged by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Also, each participant will

undergo a preference assessment and his or her preferences will be provided

accordingly. Each consumer will have a unique socialization profile with

individual's goals and progress notes. Clinical services are offered in addition

to the socialization program. Counseling is available to family's in-group or

individual sessions. Educational and psychological evaluations are provided by

qualified psychologists and are charged separately.

** Behavioral intervention supports are always available by highly trained staff

therefore we do not reject participants who have challenging behavior problems.

Clinical services are priced separately, inquire within.

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