Kohl's Autism And Related Disorders Program
Educational
Outreach - Kidspeak
KidSpeak
is an interactive workshop designed to foster
understanding and acceptance of individual differences,
specifically autism and Asperger’s syndrome,
among elementary-aged school children. The content
is compatible with the New York State Standards
for first and second grades.
Children
ages 6-8 years (K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd) in groups
of 20-40, along with their teachers, are the
target audience. Because KidSpeak is designed
as an interactive experience, with children
interacting with the puppets and puppeteers,
this program is most successful when presented
to one or two classes at a time.
The
workshop is approximately 30 minutes long
and is followed by a question and answer period.
It is best to inform the presenters if there
is a child with an autism spectrum disorder
in the audience, so that appropriate adaptations
may be made. It is advisable to inform the
child’s parents of the workshop, as
well.
At
the conclusion of the workshop, a one-page
worksheet providing information on autism
spectrum disorders as well as an age-appropriate
activity is left for the children to help
teachers reinforce the messages of KidSpeak.
Presenters
include professional staff from the Margaret L. Williams Developmental Evaluation Center
(MLW/DEC school psychologists, special educators,
speech pathologists) along with professional
puppeteers.
The
KidSpeak Workshop is sponsored by the Kohl’s
Autism and Related Disorders Outreach Program
of the MLW Developmental Evaluation Center
as a community service.
