Inclusive Recreation Programs

The SCDSB offers a variety of inclusive social and recreational programs for students with a developmental profile consistent with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The programs focus on using recreation, music, coding, problem solving, and play to support social skills development. Programs are typically run in fall, winter and spring sessions.

Parents/guardians are an important part of the programs and will receive resources and support to help the children develop and practice new skills at home and at school.

Information regarding each program is outlined below. When available, information and applications for upcoming sessions are posted on this page as well.

Upcoming session details

Coding and Robotics Club

Wednesday, Jan. 24 to Feb. 21, 2024, virtual

Session One - 4:30 - 6 p.m.
Session Two - 4:30 - 6 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 25 to Feb. 22, 2024, virtual

Session Three - 4:30 - 6 p.m.

Apply for the Coding and Robotics Club.

Escape Room Social Skills Program

Tuesday, Jan. 23 to Feb. 27, 2024, virtual
Session One - 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Apply for the Escape Room Social Skills Program.

Music Social Skills Program

Wednesday, Jan. 17 to March 6, 2024, Orchard Park PS, Orillia

Session One - 4 - 4:45 p.m.

Apply for the Music Social Skills Program.

Recreation Social Skills Program

Tuesday, Jan. 16 – March 5, 2024, Assikinack PS, Barrie
Session One - 4:15 - 5 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 17 – March 6, 2024, Sunnybrae PS, Innisfil
Session Two - 4:15 - 5 p.m.
Session Three - 5:15 - 6 p.m.

Apply for the Recreation Social Skills Program.

Applications for the above sessions will close on Dec. 15, 2023.

Limited spaces are available. Interested parents/guardians should complete the initial application form and submit it to the SCDSB. This does not guarantee enrolment into the program. You may be contacted for an initial telephone interview or virtual screening session to assess if the program is appropriate for your child.

The Coding and Robotics Club is a five-week program focusing on providing children with a developmental profile consistent with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) an opportunity to engage in social interactions and build friendships through a shared interest in computers, coding and robotics through a highly scaffolded progression of robotic themed activities.

A significant portion of each session is devoted to collaborative robotic and coding themed social games, designed to encourage joint engagement, conversation, turn-taking, and cooperation, while building behaviour regulation skills, patience, and perseverance.

Parents/guardians will receive information and strategies to help develop and practice new skills at home and at school.

Topics of instruction

Introduction to coding skills (sequences, loops and events)
Computation problem-solving strategies
Looking for patterns
Finding and fixing errors
Robotic themed assistive technology literacy and math activities
Online and robot graphical activities
Action songs and crafts
Unplugged computational thinking
Coding games

Participation requirements

Child must have a developmental profile consistent with ASD
Child is able to attend weekly virtual sessions for a five-week period
Demonstrates emerging social skills and an interest in building relationships with same-aged peers or peers with common interests

The program will be fully subsidized by the SCDSB and facilitated by LEARNstyle Coding and Robotics Trainers and SCDSB staff.

The Escape Room Social Skills program is a six-week, virtual escape room designed to improve the conversational skills and problem-solving skills of children with a developmental profile consistent with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by focusing on teamwork.

The virtual escape room program includes take-away resources for the student and their parent/guardian to continue their learning and sustain the impact of the goals and outcomes. Each session will be guided by a recreation therapist, to improve the individual person-centered growth.

Workshop goals

Participants work through a series of puzzles, codes, games and tasks to solve their way through the virtual escape room
Problem solving
Communicating
Teamwork

Participation requirements

Child must have a developmental profile consistent with ASD
Child is able to attend weekly virtual sessions for a six-week period
Demonstrates emerging social skills and an interest in building relationships with same-aged peers

The program will be fully subsidized by the SCDSB and facilitated by Recreational Respite.

The Music Social Skills program is an eight-week, multi-component music platform designed to improve the emotional understanding and social skills of children and is suggested for children with developmental profile consistent with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Music captivates children with its hands-on learning environment and variety of rhythm and songs. Each session provides movement, composition, singing, playing instruments, and is designed to help children learn new social and emotional skills in a fun environment.

Parents/guardians will receive information and strategies to help young ‘musicians’ develop and practice new skills at home and at school during the parent/guardian information session.

Topics of instruction

Impulse control, taking turns, and waiting
Following instructions
Talking and playing with others
Joining in conversations and activities with others
Labelling emotions
Developing an understanding of how situations make them feel
Identifying appropriate strategies to manage unpleasant emotions
Solving social problems

Participation requirements

Child must have a developmental profile consistent with ASD
Child is able to attend weekly in-person sessions for an eight-week period
Caregiver must be able to attend one parent/guardian session (date to be confirmed)
Demonstrates emerging social skills and an interest in building relationships with same-aged peers or peers with common interests

The program will be fully subsidized by the SCDSB and facilitated by Music Therapy Services of Simcoe County Music Therapists.

The Recreation program is an eight-week, multi-component recreation intervention designed to improve the gross motor skills and social skills of children with a developmental profile consistent with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

This recreation program captivates children with its hands-on learning environment and opportunities to practice and learn new skills each week. Each session provides scaffolding, land marking, and cooperative games designed to help children learn new gross motor and social skills in a fun environment.

Parents/guardians are an integral part of the group program and receive support to help young athletes develop and practice new skills at home and at school.

Topics of instruction

Talking and playing with others
Joining in conversations and activities with others
How to cope with making mistakes, changes in routine and feelings of uncertainty
How to handle new situations and learning to ask for help
Solving social problems
How to recognize simple and complex emotions in themselves and others
How to express feelings in appropriate ways
How to cope with feelings of anger and anxiety

Participation requirements

Child must have a developmental profile consistent with ASD
Child is able to attend weekly in-person sessions for an eight-week period
Demonstrates emerging social skills and an interest in building relationships with same-aged peers

The program will be fully subsidized by the SCDSB and facilitated by Shawn Delaire, Level 1 Coach and SCDSB staff.