The Community Connections Program is a community replication and adaptation of the evidence based Connections Program developed and evaluated by staff and faculty from The Summit Center, University of Buffalo and Canisius College.  Explicit instruction of fundamental social and communication skills has been lacking from many school based programs.

Community Connections utilizes a highly structured program that targets and promotes the specific social and communicative skills that characterize individuals with social cognitive delays. This is also known as Skillstreaming. The program uses direct instruction and then a therapeutic activity to allow individuals to practice these skills in a more natural way. High levels of positive reinforcement are given when individuals display targeted skills with independence. 

Skillstreaming is a prosocial skills training program that builds social-emotional competence. Skillstreaming employs a four-part training approach—modeling, role-playing, performance feedback, and generalization—to teach essential prosocial skills to children, adolescents and young adults. This research based approach to teaching and learning skills has impacted countless individuals for many years. 

Our Summer Community Connections Camp has been such a success in the past few years.  We have heard your requests for skillstreaming programming through the year, so we are thrilled to introduce Fall Community Connections Classes!  These fall classes will provide our friends a way to continue developing the skills they want to work on.  

Early Elementary Social Skills

Targeted age 5-7

Days: Thursday 9/25,10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 10/30

Time: 5:00-6:00pm

Instructor: Emily Blazey emily@camppuzzlepeace.org

Cost: $270 

During this class students will target specific skills to help them build school readiness and to support their access to the larger community. Examples of targeted skills:

• personal space
• sharing
• dealing with frustration
• dealing with disappointment
• whole body listening
• waiting
• asking for help
• feelings

Elementary Social Skills

Targeted age 8-12

Days: Tuesdays 9/23, 9/30, 10/7, 10/14, 10/21, 10/28

Time: 5:00-6:00pm

Instructor: Jen Lambert (Hackett) jen@camppuzzlepeace.org

Cost: $270

During this class students will target skills to support emotional regulation and social skills to help foster friendships. Examples of targeted skills:

• Dealing with frustration
• Dealing with disappointment
• Losing
• Knowing what others are thinking
• Knowing what others are feeling
• Joining a conversation

**This class is full.  Please register below to be added to the waitlist**

Adolescent Social Skills

Targeted age 13-17

Days: Thursday 9/25,10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 10/30

Time: 6:00-7:00PM

Instructor: Emily Blazey emily@camppuzzlepeace.org

Cost: $270

During this class students will target more skills related to friendships, boundaries, and relationships. Examples of targeted skills:

• Joining a group, when and how
• Maintaining a conversation
• Small talk
• Who is a friend
• Knowing the feelings of others
• Dealing with disappointment
• Boundaries with technology
• Apologizing
• Offering help
• Asking for help

Young Adult

Targeted age 18-26

Days: Tuesdays 9/23, 9/30, 10/7, 10/14, 10/21, 10/28

Time: 6:00-7:00PM

Instructor: Jen Lambert (Hackett) jen@camppuzzlepeace.org

Cost: $270

In this group students will work on skills needed to support the workplace environment. We will also target skills to support greater independence in the larger community with an emphasis on “adulting”.  Examples of targeted skills:

• Small talk
• Friendships
• Technology rules
• Things we talk about at work
• Relationship boundaries
• Greetings
• How to talk to your boss
• How to talk with coworkers
• How and when to call in sick
• Work hygiene

Register for Classes HERE