Social Groups

Group sessions are a means for children to engage with peers in a facilitated environment, closely supervised by facilitators of The Wanna Play Program. With increasing challenge, The Wanna Play Program is creating practical situations for the child to use the skills he or she learned, as the child progressed through each stage of the program. Each child is placed into a group based on several factors, including language ability, social interactive ability, and age. Facilitators attempt to tailor each group to the specific needs of the children. Groups often have a focused curriculum.  For instance, children with a marked delay in language may be grouped together to form a language focused group, concentrating on social communication, whether it be verbal or non-verbal communication. Other groups may focus on play skills, in which facilitators will use a variety of instructional techniques to increase flexibility and expand play themes. For older children, increasing social awareness may be the focus of group activities. Each group, however, regardless of the focus or concentration, continues to integrate the primary facets of behavior support and social skills, including interaction and eye contact, flexibility and appropriate behavior and play skills and social awareness.