By Steve Miller
Does your child have difficulty with making eye contact; listening or engaging with others; interpreting facial expressions, body language, or nonverbal social cues; starting and maintaining a conversation; taking turns; compromising or cooperating with others; or coping with changes in routine?
The Buffalo Hearing and Speech (BHSC) Social Communication Program helps students ages 5 through high school with social communication deficits. They are children and teens whose skills may not have developed naturally or instinctively. BHSC therapists are highly successful in employing a unique approach that combines structured explicit teaching with student-centered activities, incorporating gross motor and sensory experiences. Rooted in the evidence-based DIR/Floortime model developed by renowned autism leader Dr. Stanley Greenspan, the program is comprised of student-centered activities that provide natural opportunities for youth to apply skills they are taught in a meaningful way with their peers.
BHSC therapists are trained to accommodate each student’s developmental and individual needs and differences. Programs are in Buffalo and Williamsville during winter, fall, and summer. The 2023 summer session is July 5 to August 16. Students engage in fun, gross-motor, multisensory activities during the 90-minute classes that help them with conversational, self-regulation, and cooperation skills. Parents or caretakers meet with class instructors at mutually convenient times to discuss progress, and to help students maintain their skills at home and across other social situations. Space is limited and offered on a first come first served basis.
Most major insurances are accepted at the Buffalo location, while the Williamsville location offers private pay only. Classes are staffed with speech-language pathologists and class aides. To learn more, call Vivian Logan at 716-885-8318 ext. 2300 or at vlogan@askbhsc.org. Learn more at www.askbhsc.org.
Steve Miller is Director of Specialized Programs at BHSC.
