Authentic Connections

An inclusive and affirming group where your child can be themselves, gain skills, and
build friendships.

Looking for an inclusive space for your child to build the exact skills they need?

You are looking for a group program that both welcomes and accepts your child AND that can help your child to enhance their abilities to connect with others. You’ve found other “Social Skills” programs out there, but these programs target skills that may not seem appropriate or comfortable for your child (e.g., forced eye contact, sitting still to “listen,” not talking about special interests) or that use methods that you don’t agree with (e.g., rewards for good behaviour, consequences for being dysregulated or “bad behaviour”). You're looking for a place for your child to be social while also being their own unique self, while building their skills at the same time.

You want your child to be successful in groups and to connect with others positively, while staying true to who they are. If this sounds like you as a parent, you are looking for the Authentic Connections Group at Pathways. Authentic Connections is a weekly hangout, have fun, and build skills program designed for kids to have a place they can belong, build friendships, and learn at the same time!

What this program will build in your child:

Authentic Connections is a 6-week group program led by our Registered Speech-Language Pathologists, and is designed to offer kids a safe and inclusive space to be themselves while also building core social and friendship skills that will help them to participate in groups in successful and meaningful ways. Children can register in as many subsequent sessions as they want; they stand to gain new skills and new connections/friendships with each new group. Core skills targeted over the 6-week program are:

  • Following a group plan

  • Taking others’ perspectives

  • Navigating winning and losing

  • Self-advocacy skills

This group is led by a neurodiversity-affirming therapist using philosophies and methods that support, understand, and accept neurodivergent children within a safe and inclusive space.

Who should attend Pathways’ Authentic Connections program?

At Pathways, we care deeply about ensuring each child’s success and safety in each group program we offer. As such, choosing the right group for your child is important. Please read through the registration criteria listed below before registering your child. If you are NOT sure if this group is a good fit for your child, contact our team at: ally@pathwayslearning.ca

Your child is a perfect fit for the Authentic Connections program if:

  1. They are 8-to-11 years old (if your child falls outside this age range but you are interested in this programming, please contact us directly as we may have alternative programming options for your child)

  2. They can be uneasy in groups, or seem hesitant to interact with new people or in new environments/situations, but overall are interested in participating in group activities.

  3. They struggle to participate in groups such as organized activities, sports, recess, or other environments involving multiple people/children.

  4. They have trouble playing games with others, sharing with others, and/or winning/losing fairly

  5. They have trouble taking the perspective of another person/child, and can be known to dominate or control play more than others

  6. They can be safe and successful in a group setting with a 1:4 adult-to-child ratio. (e.g., they are not destructively, uncooperatively, and/or aggressively dysregulated when participating in groups). Please note that we care deeply about the safety and success of every child and so this criteria is very important to follow, as we are not able to provide 1:1 support in this program.

  7. They are able to effectively communicate (either via speech or augmented modalities) for a variety of purposes (e.g., making requests, protesting, commenting, asking/answering questions) to ensure that they can follow along, engage in conversations and group activities, and so that our team can ensure their emotional and/or sensory needs can be met.

    Please read this criteria carefully and ensure your child is the right fit for our program. We respectfully need to ensure that all participants are able to be safe and successful at the staffing ratio and benefit from the programming. We reserve the right to discontinue children from the program who do not meet the registration requirements due to safety and/or participation concerns.

The Important Details:

How it works:

Authentic Connections offers weekly 60-minute sessions over a 6-week block. Your child will attend our group classes on each scheduled day of the program; a caregiver does not stay with them. They, and a group of same-aged peers, will work together with our team to participate in a variety of fun and engaging activities all while learning about perspective taking, winning/losing gracefully, conversation skills, flexible thinking/problem-solving, advocating for their own needs, and sharing about special interests.

Each class will be led and facilitated by a Registered Speech-Language Pathologist, along with additional support staff from our Centre.

Investment:

The program fee for the six weeks is an investment of $390; this equates to $65 per 60-minute session.

Receipts will be provided so you can claim up to the full amount* on your health insurance under private speech therapy coverage (*depends on individual family coverage amount). Additionally, the Speech-Language Pathologists running the Authentic Connections programs are listed service provider on the provincial Autism Spectrum Disorder Individualized Funding registry.

Please note: The program fee is refundable, less a $75 cancellation charge, until three weeks before the program’s start date. Cancellations made within three weeks of a program’s start date WILL NOT BE REFUNDED. Missed sessions during the program are not eligible for reduced fees or refunds. Programs may be cancelled if sufficient enrollment is not achieved; refunds will be given in such a case.

WINTER 2023 Authentic Connections Sessions

  1. THURSDAYS, 6:30-7:30PM, January 11th - February 15th (no missed dates)

How to Register:

Registration will occur online through our Jane Online Booking site. Click the REGISTER HERE button below, click on Authentic Connections, and select the SPECIFIC START DATE for the session in which you wish to register your child.

**IMPORTANT** You only need to select just the start date and complete the booking for your child in that single session; our team will complete your booking for the remaining 5 weeks of the program.

Once you have completed the booking you will receive an intake form via email from our booking system Jane. You will need to complete this form AND ENSURE you provide your credit card onto your Jane account. A FULL PAYMENT will be collected at the time of registration once our team receives your booking and processes the charge on your credit card. The full $390 will exist on your Jane account as a credit until the sessions are completed, then the credit will be applied $65/class after each class is completed.

** You will NOT receive session receipts (for insurance/funding) until AFTER each session is done. Session receipts, to show therapist details and service dates, will be automatically emailed after each session. We can NOT provide service receipts in advance of the service.