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Welcome to February! Well, we have made it through another month of winter. Punxsutawney Phil, the infamous Pennsylvania groundhog who predicts whether or not we will bypass winter and jump straight to spring, had sadly informed us that the cold and snow is here to stay for a while. On this chilly day, we’d like to take some time to address another common question about the Healthy Relationships Curriculum as promised in our last blog. Who benefits from the Healthy Relationships Curriculum?

As we shared previously, our curriculum’s 37 lessons are easily adaptable by the instructor. They have been written in such a way that will support children, adolescents and young adults whose varying diagnosis or ability presents challenges in their capability or sometimes their desire to practice good hygiene, understand physical and/or emotional changes in their bodies, and to initiate or develop safe, meaningful and healthy relationships.

Originally designed as a curriculum that provided benefit to young children and adolescents with a form of autism or other pervasive developmental disorder, over the years our curriculum has been used to teach healthy habits to elementary school students and relationship development to young adults in post-secondary or vocational settings. Those include and are not limited to young adults who face:

• A Behavioral or a Mental Health Disorder
• Emotional Disturbance
• Global Developmental Delay
• Intellectual Disabilities
• Juvenile Deliquency
• Social Pragmatic Disorder

Whatever an individual’s age or challenge may be, data collected and outcomes measured by our team show improvement within all three general areas upon completion of the coursework. Some of those outcomes include, and are by no means limited to:

• Practicing healthy hygiene habits (daily showers, proper tooth brushing, bedroom organization)
• Understanding the difference between a friend, an acquaintance and a bully
• How to use social media safely and appropriately
• Engaging in small talk and when to use private talk
• Respecting personal space and social boundaries
• Perceiving appropriate physical affection for different relationships

An old proverb says “there is no harm in asking” – and we wholeheartedly agree! If you aren’t sure if the Healthy Relationships Curriculum is right for your classroom, group or practice, we are here to answer those questions for you. Click on the Contact Us page to request a sample packet, ask a question, or to schedule a presentation for your team. When you schedule a presentation with us before 4/30/18, your team will qualify for our “Healthy New Year” offer and can earn a curriculum binder for FREE with any purchase of the starter pack and license. The time to ask questions is now!

Who benefits from the Healthy Relationships Curriculum? When should a school or organization begin to introduce content from the curriculum to youth? These are two common questions that our team are asked frequently, and we are addressing one of them in today’s blog post to help the community better understand the “when” of implementation.

Is there a “right answer?” Is there a “concrete answer?” In our experience, there is no magic number and there is no “right time!” This curriculum – with 37 comprehensive and lessons across three units – uses adaptable visual lessons accompanied by 35 video demonstrations, opportunities for role-playing, takeaway materials to facilitate conversations and generalization in the home, and tools that measure outcomes and progress.

Suggested content by age group is as follows:

Elementary School – Hygiene, Privacy, Types of Relationships, Simple Communication Styles

Middle School – Elementary School Topics + Puberty, Social Media, Small Talk, Personal Boundaries, Consequences to Breaking Social Norms, and Building Significant Friendships

High School – Elementary and Middle School Topics + Job Readiness and Life After High School, Developing Personal Relationships and Dating, Understanding Their Bodies, Complex Communication Styles, Navigating the World Around Them

Though we believe that there is no magic number or right time, what we do believe is that there is value is introducing the curriculum at an early age to build upon skills each year as children grow. As individuals who have autism or a developmental disability reach transition age, there is a dire need for them to be armed with information to initiate and sustain healthy relationships to become strong self-advocates. Adolescents and young adults with such diagnoses thrive on repetition to learn and retain knowledge, and therefore would benefit from having the opportunity to build on their skills each year. However, given how adaptable these lessons are, we want to also stress and remind you that we believe it is never too late to introduce the curriculum. It is never, ever too late to learn, nor is it ever too late to promote autonomy and achieve ultimate success.

In the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, “One thing is sure. We have to do something. We have to do the best we know how at the moment. If it doesn’t turn out right, we can modify it as we go along.”

Ready to “do something” for the population you serve? Contact Us and request a sample packet, or schedule a presentation for your team. See if the Healthy Relationships Curriculum is right for you!

For students with autism and other cognitive challenges, the #1 unmet need is stronger social skills.

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