What Is Community Connections?
Summer programs for children with social cognition delays have been significantly lacking in the community. Children with these challenges often require structured and direct social opportunities to acquire fundamental social and communitive skills. Camp Puzzle Peace is excited to offer the Community Connections summer program. This program targets development of key social competencies using direct instruction, fun and engaging practice exercises, and recreational activities in a summer camp format.
Community Connections is designed for children and adolescents entering grade 1- age 17 with social interaction difficulties. This program is open to the public (no diagnosis needed), and has been proven especially effective for individuals with autism and related disabilities through a series of research studies conducted with Canisius College and University at Buffalo.
Community Connections provides 4 weeks (approximately 150 hours) of individual and group-based social skill instruction. Direct instruction focuses on role play with immediate feedback as well as fun, therapeutic group activities that allow a child to practice skills in a social setting.
Community Connections 2024:
Dates: Monday - Friday, July 8 - August 2, 2024
Time: 8:30a-2:30p
Cost: $2540 for Full Day program, $1385 for Half Day program
Location: Klem North Elementary School, 1015 Klem Rd, Webster
Eligibility
Community Connections is designed for children and adolescents entering grades 1-12 (approx. ages 6-18) with social interaction difficulties. This program is open to the public.
Community Connections provides 4 weeks (approximately 150 hours) of individual and group-based social skill instruction. Direct instruction focuses on role play with immediate feedback as well as fun, therapeutic group activities that allow a child to practice skills in a social setting.
This program has been proven effective for individuals with autism and related disabilities through a series of research studies conducted with Canisius College and University at Buffalo.
In addition to group-based program, each child receives an individual daily note (IDN) which targets specific skills and/or behaviors and is tailored to meet the child’s individual needs.
These are evaluated weekly or more often if needed. This note is sent home each day providing daily feedback on your
child’s progress.
Throughout the day, children are positively reinforced for using appropriate social and friendship skills and are rewarded for positive behavior.
A Typical Day….
Each day, children participate in multiple small, group-based social skills sessions, followed by age-appropriate recreational activities designed to practice targeted social skills. Some common areas that are targeted are:
- Following directions
- Attending to and participating in group-based activities
- Requesting and accepting assistance
- Staying organized
- Completing homework
- Joining a group
- Work based social skills for older students
Weekly parent sessions provide caregivers with strategies to promote their child’s social interactions and extend the gains of the program to other settings.
Sample Daily Schedule
8:00 - Arrival
8:40 - Social Skill Lesson 1
9:00 - Skill Practice Activity 1
9:50 - Break
10:00 - Social Skill Lesson 2
10:20 - Skill Practice Game/Activity 2 or CLAS
11:10 - Break
11:20 - Lunch
11:50 - Social Skill Lesson 3
12:10 - Skill Practice Game/Activity 3
1:00 - Break
1:10 - Social Skill Lesson 4
1:30 - Skill Practice Game/Activity
2:00 - Review Day
Staffing
The student staff ratio is 8:3 with a Special Education Teacher running the CLAS sessions. A Behavior Specialist will be on site at all times during camp.
Interested? Have questions? Please complete this form to receive more information or to be notified when we open registration.