Group Programs

Through a combination of games, activities and discussions, participants learn about the power of community and connection, what healthy friendships look and feel like, and how they can access support and resources when required.

 

Over the course of this program, participants will:

• Explore the concept of connection, and what it means to live in community.

• Identify concerns and challenges that are common for their age group, and reflect on the importance of asking for help.

• Increase their mental health literacy, particularly around attitudes that promote help-seeking.

• Identify the barriers which might hold a young person back from asking for help, and consider what might motivate someone to reach out.

• Explore the concept of ‘strength’, and how family, peers, popular culture and the media influence ideas and perceptions.

• Explore real life scenarios and strategies for responding to problems, identifying the appropriate people to go to for help.

• Identify feelings associated with being helped, and helping someone else.

• Reflect on their own support network, identifying friends, family and other individuals who positively influence them, as well as resources and services that are available to them.

• Discuss the characteristics of healthy friendships/relationships, and consider how they can build a healthy support network.

• Expand their knowledge regarding the support services that exist for young people in their school and local community.

• Consider how they can use their own strengths to bring strength and encouragement to someone else.

Mini Masterchefs is a functional, hands on, creative learning program. 

Cooking is a significant tool for teaching across many curriculum areas while further developing life skills, independence and fine motor skills. Using food as our learning vehicle, Mini Masterchefs provides a structured program with goals/learning outcomes that addresses the learning and needs of each individual participant. 

Using an element of social thinking principals, we work together as a group to follow easy read recipes, allocate roles and resources, and follow our recipes from start to finish. 

This program also discusses important concepts such as nutrition and how to support your health & wellbeing.

What is Lego therapy?

Lego therapy is a social development program for autistic children and other children with social communication difficulties. It uses children’s love of Lego play, as well as their strengths and interests, to develop communication and social skills.

​

Who is Lego therapy for?

Lego therapy is for autistic children and other children aged 6-16 years who have social communication difficulties.

​

What is Lego therapy used for?

Lego therapy is used to help children learn skills like turn-taking, sharing, listening, conversation, teamwork, shared attention and problem-solving.

​

Where does Lego therapy come from?

Lego therapy was developed in the early 2000s by Dan LeGoff, a clinical neuropsychologist in Philadelphia in the United States.

LeGoff noticed that many autistic children were more interested in interacting with each other if they were playing with Lego. He set up groups for autistic children to learn social skills while playing collaboratively with Lego.

​

What is the idea behind Lego therapy?

When children play with Lego, they’re more likely to interact with each other through collaborative play. Children who might not be keen to go to a social group might go to a Lego group, because they like building with Lego. The shared focus on building uses children’s strengths and helps them practise communication and social skills while having fun.

​

What does Lego therapy involve?

Trained facilitators run Lego therapy group sessions. The sessions usually run once a week for 1-2 hours, often in schools or other everyday settings.

In each session, children work together to build a model following instructions. Each child is assigned a role. There’s usually:

• an engineer, who has the instructions

• a supplier, who has the bricks

• a builder, who builds the model

• a foreman or director, who makes sure everyone works as a team.

The children take turns playing the different roles, and together they build the model. Towards the end of the session the children have some time to build whatever they want.

This way of working encourages children to use verbal and nonverbal communication skills, take turns, share and use problem-solving skills.

FUNctional Movement is a movement program to help kids aged 3-6 years to improve their gross and fine motor skills and social skills. 

This program is specifically designed for young children. It is playful, fun and engages imagination adding mindfulness and meaning to movement. As the children participate in different activities, they are practicing core skills to prepare them for reaching their potential – socially, emotionally, physically, and academically.

With a focus on Balance, Coordination and Motor Skills, the children work with parents and peers to complete a range of interest based activities suitable for all stages and abilities. 

Functional Movement is also easily adapted to the home environment, providing you with lots of activity ideas which have all been designed by either occupational therapists, physiotherapists or psychologists to develop specific muscle groups, motor planning and fundamental movement skills. As parents/caregivers you are the primary educators for your children. FUNctional Movement gives you the tools to ensure that your child has strong foundation skills to maintain physical health and mental wellbeing, while working towards your individual goals.

Minecraft®, often described as ‘digital Lego’, provides an ideal forum to help children with autism and related conditions to develop social and communication skills. 

Minecraft Masters provides an engaging small group setting for children to work towards

• Social Communication

• Cooperation

• Friendship

• Problem Solving

• & Self Control
  
  This program uses Direct teaching, modeling and role playing to provide opportunities for contribution, discussion and practice of new skills in a safe, supported setting.  
  
  Using technology, such as an IPAD, children will work together in small groups to achieve common goals. Participants will work with their group and a facilitator to explore concepts such as having a conversation, showing interest in others and understanding anothers point of view. 

Using our 3 part process of Movement, Mindfulness and Creativity, this program provides a safe platform for children to improve their self awareness, understand their diagnosis, and build confidence and self esteem.

 
Through interest led activities we work together to 

1. Identify our strengths and interests

2. Identify areas that are challenging

3. Understand activities that make us feel good

4. Connect with others through common ground

5. Identify ways we can utilise our strengths and interests to participate in community

6. Build a support network

​

We also explore key concepts of Identity, Emotional Regulation, Social "rules" and Neurodiversity.