Pottstown Families Have New Options For Kids With Autism

POTTSTOWN, PA — New social skills groups for kids and teens with autism spectrum disorder are part of First Children Services programs added in Pottstown.

First Children Services is a premier provider of behavioral health and special education services for children and families across New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania. A new Pottstown First Children Services center opened in November 2020 and now registration is open for two new social skills groups for kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) being offered through its STRIVE Autism Care Continuum.

Slated to begin later this month, the two new groups are tailored by age. A group called Let's Play is suited for children ages 4-7 and 7-11. Another called the Program for the Evaluation and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) for Teens is geared toward adolescents and teens ages 12-16.

Let's Play

he Let’s Play skills groups will meet every Wednesday for eight weeks from Sept. 29 through Nov. 17. They'll be offered at First Children Services' Pottstown, facility at 500 Creekside Drive, Suite 511, and its Montgomeryville facility, 601 Bethlehem Pike Bldg. D, Suite 100.

First Children Services explained Let's Play will help kids on the spectrum practice taking turns, participate in imaginative play, and continue to develop their social awareness. Registration is now open for both age groups (4-7 and 7-11) and will close on Sept. 24.

PEERS for Teens

Also at First Children Services’ Pottstown, Pa. facility, PEERS for Teens will meet every Tuesday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. for 13 weeks from Sept. 21 through Dec. 14.

PEERS for Teens is an evidence-based social skills group that will teach teens important social skills that will aid in making and helping keep friends. It's tailored for teens with high-functioning autism, Asperger’s, ADHD, social anxiety, executive functioning weaknesses, and nonverbal learning disorders, First Children Services explained.

The program also engages their parents with separate concurrent meetings where they will learn how to assist their teens in making friends through weekly socialization assignments.

Registration is now open for adolescents and teens, 12-16, and will close on Sept. 17.

"In addition to the comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services we provide for children with autism spectrum disorder, another key component of our STRIVE Autism Care Continuum is the range of social skills groups, free community events and support services we offer to not only the children and families enrolled in our services but also for the surrounding communities beyond the four walls of our facilities," said Dr. Jeffrey Selman, PsyD, BCBA-D, VP, Chief Operating Officer for First Children Services.

"Our new Let's Play and PEERS for Teens social skills groups are the latest additions to our growing STRIVE Autism Care Continuum which we look forward to building upon and enhancing in the months to come," Selman added.

The new social skills groups are part of First Children Services' STRIVE Autism Care Continuum, which takes an interdisciplinary, integrated approach to address the unique needs of children on the spectrum and their families.

Offering a community-centric, comprehensive suite of on-site diagnostic, assessment, and treatment services, First Children Services' STRIVE Autism Care Continuum utilizes ABA therapies as its primary evidence-based practice to provide customized intervention treatment plans for each child.

Led by an interdisciplinary team of clinical psychologists, Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), school psychologists, clinical counselors, social workers, and behavior specialists, the expert staff at each of First Children Services’ center locations work together to create specialized, interactive treatment plans designed to make learning fun and improve social behaviors in a positive, meaningful way.

Registration for the Let's Play and PEERS for Teens social skills groups is open to all and the child or teen does not need to be enrolled with First Children Services to participate.

The cost to register for the Let's Play group is $200 for eight weeks. The cost to register for PEERS for Teens is $500 for 13 weeks. Scholarships are available, First Children Services said.

For more information or to register today, email referrals@firstchildrenservices.com or call (888) 966-0746.

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