Were you ever in public with your child and his/her behavior made you wish the floor would open and swallow you whole? Ever been without words following your child’s painfully truthful comment? Remember that time when no matter what you said or what you offered your child she/he could not and would not get his/her mind off of the one little thing that made them upset and therefore ruined the event/day/situation?
We have have experienced these ‘moments’ in life and for most these situations are not a daily occurrence, however for some these ‘moments’ happen daily. The ability to communicate, verbal or non-verbal, as well as interact with those in our environment in a socially acceptable manner is called social skills. Social skills are typically not taught in an out right manner, rather a child ‘picks’ up these rules and skills by watching adults interact. For example, chances are you were never sat down and given a full explanation as to why when you meet someone, you extend your hand. There’s a pretty good chance that you had seen this occur enough times that without really thinking about it, you appropriately responded when an adult extended their hand to shake yours. All children require some level of direct instruction (formal or not) when being ‘taught’ social skills. How many times have you said under clenched teeth in an audible whisper, “Get your finger OUT of your nose immediately. HERE is a tissue!” or “Please, when you are at your grandparent’s house, please to not burp at the table, please!!! For some children (and adults) these social nuances are not easily ‘seen’. For some, these social skills, social graces, manners, whatever you want to call them, are very difficult skills to learn, remember and execute.
We are proud to offer the small group program based on the Superflex: A Superhero Social Thinking Curriculum by Stephanie Madrigal and Michelle Garcia Winner. Your child will experience the adventures of our hero Superflex conquering the dastardly Team of Unthinkables such as “Rock Brain” , “WasFunnyOnce”, and “Glassman”. All of the villains embody different challenges or behaviors that your child may experience everyday. Using ‘Superflex” as an example, your child will learn techniques and acquire ‘super powers’ to manage these villains!
Julie Ruddy will be leading our band of Superflex Heroes into battle against the Team of Unthinkables. Julie brings 24+ years of experiences working with children with special needs grades K through 12 as an Intervention Specialist. Julie received her Masters in Curriculum Instruction and is a proud graduate of Ohio University. Julie has super powers of her own which she will share at Lakeshore’s Superflex Main Command Room in a six week program on Tuesdays from 6:30pm – 7:30pm. Class size is limited to 6 SuperHeros in training. Registration is open until Wednesday, September 12, 2018. Find more information at https://www.lakeshorespeech.com/events/ .
Yours in Speech,
Lakeshore Speech Therapy, LLC