At Dandelion Kids Club our goal is to increase social connections in natural and meaningful ways. Our groups utilize play, STEM, and creative arts to inspire these connections. When kids learn to engage in natural learning environments, they will eventually transfer these social skills into realistic settings outside of our groups. On the contrary, when children learn within controlled environments they often struggle to transfer the skills or understand how to apply them in real-life settings.
At this point, it may be helpful to discuss and define ABA. Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is a behavioral therapy that is mostly utilized with children who are on the autism spectrum. ABA is a very incentive-based therapy that is focused mostly on daily living skills, but it has also been used heavily for social skills. Research demonstrates that ABA is most effective long term with children who have level 2 or 3 autism. For children with level 1 autism, learned social skills often don’t transfer naturally and make them appear robotic or scripted (like their conversations are read from a script like an actor). Often times, children who have had ABA therapy and attend our groups have very unnatural connections with peers.
Here at Dandelion Kidz Club we are NOT just focused on learning basic social skills, but we want our kids to make CONNECTIONS. The connections are what build relationships and what increase positive peer relationships and that is what children are seeking at this age. They want meaningful connections and to feel confident in social settings. If children simply learn basic scripts or rehearse curriculum-based social skills, they may acquire some social knowledge, but when peers do not respond to their engagement, then their self-esteem and confidence suffer. On the other hand, when children notice and appropriately respond to the desire of others to interact with them, the resulting healthy social interaction will encourage them to continue to seek out relationships. It is often wrongly assumed that children with autism do not like to play with other children, but that is not the case. Most children with autism want friendships, but struggle to make meaningful connections.
Here at Dandelion Kidz Club we strive to help children make meaningful relationships and hope to work with your children who desire friendship and connections. Check out our Dandelion Kidz Club page to learn more about our groups.