Some programs seek out child who all have the same diagnosis or characteristics. If the goal is to teach a child about their diagnosis or specific coping strategies that only affect them, then this makes sense. Our model is different. In working on social skills, we are not trying to have, form example, kids with Asperger’s only socialize with and greet other children with the same disorder. We believe that, by combining individuals with differing problems, children act as appropriate models for one another.

We generally group the kids, as a result of our pre-assessment process, into “Externalizers” and “Internalizers.” Externalizers are impulsive, but they also say “Hi” easily and usually know how to tell a joke. In contrast, Internalizers are quieter and more inhibited, but they generally follow rules without difficulty. Each child’s strengths can act as a model for the other child.

Another reason to mix kids together is to teach tolerance. Children diagnosed with Asperger’s may react when asked to go to a restaurant that is unfamiliar or if they smell foods that are not to their liking. We believe that repeated, positive, supportive exposure to such events is a helpful intervention and this is supported by our past results. Children with ADHD or ODD may be prone to make fun of a child who reacts in such a manner over food. We teach them to not only inhibit such responses, but also help them practice seeking out another child’s more positive attributes. At the very least, we require, not that children like one another, but that they behave respectfully.

The most common diagnoses of the children we have accepted into the program include:

  • ADHD
  • Asperger's Syndrome
  • Oppositional Defiant Disorder
  • Social Shyness
  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder
  • Learning Disabilities
  • Semantic-Pragmatic and Nonverbal Learning Disorders
  • Mild to Moderate Depression
  • Social Anxiety Disorder
  • Selective Mutism

We have five exclusion criteria:

  1. Cognitive level must be within the average range or higher;
  2. Reading must be at a second grade level or higher;
  3. Child must be able to read and understand pedestrian signs and signals
  4. No active psychosis or substance abuse
  5. No violent behavior at school within the past six months