PEERS PLAY

IT'S NEVER ONE SIZE FITS ALL

Given that each family and child is unique, there is not a one size fits all approach to support child development. This is why we use a multi-faceted approach to helping young children be socially successful.  We draw from the fields of early childhood, early childhood special education, developmental theory, applied behavior analysis, and attachment based interventions.

ALL BEHAVIOR IS COMMUNICATION

Many families come to us with a history of their children being labeled naughty or challenging.  First and foremost, we believe that all behavior is communication.  That children are telling us something. The challenge is not the child, but rather the challenge is for us to seek to understand and support the unique needs of each child. For example, the child who bumps into their classmates may be communicating that he wants to play but doesn’t know how. In this case, therapy would focus on teaching your child play skills to join in and sustain interaction.  Or you may have a child that goes from 1-10 when upset in a brief second.  For this child, she may be communicating that her regulatory skills are immature and her frustration tolerance is low.  In this case we would focus on teaching such skills. It is important to use this lens and attempt to understand the child when discussing "challenging" behavior.

A CHILD IS NOT THEIR DIAGNOSIS

Lastly,  we believe that all children should be viewed as children first, not defined by their challenges or diagnoses. We take a strengths based approach and take into consideration typical development and high quality environments for young children when creating a place and opportunities to help them learn and thrive.