Throughout the months of April to June, Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) offered students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) the opportunity to develop their social skills.
The After School Skills Development Program is made up of three individual programs, Robotics and Coding, Lego Club, and Board Game Club. About 60 students from across the Board between Kindergarten to Grade 12 took part in programs in-person and virtually for eight weeks. Each program focused on a specific social skill, including greetings, social cues, social play, perspective taking, and friendships.
“Lego and Board Game Club are the highlights of my week,” said a TLDSB staff member. “I enjoy the students’ enthusiasm, skill development, and seeing the friendships develop. The small groups allow you to work closely through play on social skills, which you don’t always have the same intentional practice opportunities during a regular school day.”
Below are two success stories that were shared with the Board:
Two students from the same class participated in the Board Game Club. When they first started the program they didn’t interact with each other. Now, the two students play soccer each recess and talk in class about what board games they might play that week at the club.
A student in the Lego Club didn’t say much during their first week. By the end of the program, the student was initiating conversation with program staff and beginning to ask for turns and lego pieces from other club participants.
“My child is greeting and waving at people in the grocery store,” said a parent of a student who participated in Lego Club. “His teachers report that he is communicating more with the other kids in the class. He takes a picture of his sticker each week to let his teacher know what they are working on in the club.”
“The other kids in the club are cool,” said a student who participated in the Board Game Club. “They are now my friends after eight weeks.”
“At first I didn’t want to come to Lego club, but now I want to come back next year,” said a student participant.
