Peer Buddies: Cawn/Krantz & Associates: Speech Language Occupational Therapy

The goal of all our Peer Buddies groups is to enhance a child's self-esteem, increase his/her social awareness, and encourage the child to learn how to be a friend. Our programs emphasize the process of developing meaningful relationships, enabling children to form successful social interactions through play while therapists support each child's individual needs. By creating a positive and supportive environment, Peer Buddies provides opportunities to practice social situations with a safe and supportive peer—participants learn about others and themselves.

Cawn/Krantz offers three unique Peer Buddies experiences:

Dyad (2 therapists and 2 children): Dyads are often the initial stepping stone for a child to develop the ability to engage in a reciprocal interaction with a peer. Therapeutic support is provided by a combined team of specialists, including a speech-language pathologist, an occupational therapist, a social worker, and a developmental therapist. Therapists facilitate children's verbalizations, guide movement, support social-emotional development in play, and help initiate ideas and interactions with a peer. Each child's individual differences are considered and applied to ensure a positive and progressive therapy match for both participants.

Year-round Peer Buddies (3-4 children and 2 therapists): Our year-round groups allow children the opportunity to experience a wider range of interactions and build stable, foundational friendships. As children develop stronger relationships through time, we often see greater emotional investments and greater flexibility with play themes. Important processes of the Peer Buddies experience are meaningful usage of non-verbal cues; increasing sensory awareness, leading to more consistent self-regulation techniques around peers; and improved social language skills. We recognize the importance of process and allow our group members the time and opportunity to develop a bond with one another based on their own sensory needs. This creates a much more meaningful experience for all group members.

Summer Peer Buddies: Participating in daily camp programs can be very fun but also quite challenging. Summer Peer Buddies promotes and supports social initiations and engagement by providing participants with the opportunity to express and interact with a smaller group of peers. The program concentrates on awareness and usage of non-verbal and pragmatic language, and provides lots of enriching sensory experiences. Activities may include playing in our outdoor mini-pool, tie-dying, dress-up, and much more. Parents are provided with weekly feedback sheets to reflect on their child's social experiences.

All Peer Buddies programs are carefully grouped based on our initial consultation with the child and parent.

T learn about our Parent Support Groups, click here.

Contact Alyssa Kligman (847-480-8890 x21 or email) for more information on Peer Buddies.