Middle School Winter/Spring OTB Dates

Happy New Year! We are excited for our winter/spring schedule for our middle school group.   If you are new to our group, please click here Registration for Middle School OTB Club Winter_Spring 2018 to complete a registration form. We need at least one registration form for you child.

Middle school can be a challenging time socially. It can be especially challenging understanding the “hidden” social rules, nonverbal language and all of the “grey” areas that exist. Beginning in January, we will host a middle school hang out for teaching, learning, and practicing all of those grey areas in a fun environment. The group meets from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Each class, of no more than ten, will be a diverse group of students. The mixture of 6th-8th graders will be students who need to strengthen their overall social skills with kids who have strong social skills. We feel it is important to be able to support this age range in more of a natural environment with peers so they can have help in bringing awareness and strengthen self-monitoring skills to “grey” area situations. For example, grey areas may consist of times such as losing a game, having someone being perceived as “cheating”, or knowing how to start and hold a conversation socially with a peer or group of peers.

The cost for each class is $25.00 and we welcome you to drop your middle schooler off and pick him/her back up at 8:00 p.m.  Upcoming dates are listed below. Registration will remain open unless a class becomes full. Any full classes will be listed on our website. You may register ahead of time to reserve your child’s spot. You also have the option of registering the week of the class (as long as it is not full). Please e-mail, call or text us prior to 24 hours of each class date to confirm your child’s spot.  Please reach out to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com with any questions.

To register, please fill out at least one registration form found in the link above and e-mail it to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com. We will send you a PayPal link to complete your registration. All classes are held at University Ridge Office Center, 1905 JN Pease Place, Suite 201, Charlotte, NC 28262

All classes meet from 6:30-8:00. Upcoming Dates:

January 26th

February 9th

February 23rd

March 16th

April 13th

April 27th

May 11th

 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to drop us a note at confidentsolutions7@hotmail.com. We look forward to seeing you!

With Appreciation,

Wendy and Christina

 

Practicing Social Skills

When our children are learning multiplication, we often quiz them on the facts.  For upcoming spelling tests, we help teach our children word patterns and chunking strategies so they can learn them.  When building reading fluency, we practice reading with our children at night on books of interest and talk about the story to build their comprehension.  It’s beautiful and rewarding when we get to be a part and see our children begin doing these skills on their own.  They have now learned them.

Teaching social skills is no different.  When a child is missing strategies and hidden social cues, often times, adults get frustrated around him/her because we expect the child to know what to do.   We think….why is my child struggling socially when we’ve talked about this so many times?

The fact is, some children miss learning those social skills intutivitley.  We often take for granted that we have these skills so we wonder why our child is struggling?  Tthe good news is that a child can be taught social skills cognitively.  Just like teaching a child a chunking strategy for remembering a longer spelling word, he/she can be taught strategies on how to find those “hidden” social cues in different environments and be taught skills on how to navigate them. It’s beautiful and rewarding when we get to be a part of and see our children begin using these skills on their own.  They have now learned them and continue to grow their social thinking.

Our next set of social classes begin next Sunday, October 8th.  Each session is six-weeks. You can find specific details here Registration for Social Skills Classes October 8th-November 12th

Our door is always open. If you have questions or would like to find out more about our classes to see if it’s a good fit for your family, please reach out to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.

With Appreciation,

Christina and Wendy

Registration for Social Skills Classes October 8th-November 12th

Registration for our next six-week session of social skills classes is now open. Classes begin on Sunday, October 8th and run through Sunday November 12th.

To register, please fill out this form and e-mail it to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com

Registration form Registration for October 8th-November 12th

For some students, obtaining and utilizing good social skills do not come naturally. They move through their environment having a difficult time communicating and understanding more than just direct language-based interactions. We typically begin intuitively learning key social skills around age three through observation and parallel play. When these skills are not intuitively understood, they can be taught cognitively. For example, good social skills include eye contact, conversational turn taking, and flexible thinking. For some students, these skills need to be taught and practiced in a non-judgmental environment. Previous posts about Social Learning can be found here Social Learning and Who Benefits From Social Skills Classes?

We are offering three different sessions so please read the specifics below. As always, reach out to us with questions at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com. We believe that empowering the parent/guardian is equally important in empowering the child. Please plan on staying for the parent session of your child’s class to learn what your child is learning and how to help your child at home. For session one and session two, teacher letters will be e-mailed weekly to each parent. This gives you the opportunity to share what your child is learning with his/her teacher so we can collectively help your child practice these skills within their different environments. We encourage you to let your child’s teacher know that he or she can also reach out to us for extra support or questions for your child in the classroom. We’re all here to help your child grow in his/her social learning.

All classes are held at University Ridge Office Center, 1905 JN Pease Place, Suite 201, Charlotte, NC 28262.

The total cost for a six-week session is $225.00. To register, fill out the registration form found at the top and e-mail it to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com. Each group will have no more than 5 students so we can practice “thinking” about thinking as well as individualize for each child.  Questions about our classes? Please e-mail us with your questions and we would be happy to connect with you to tell you more!

Session 1: Self-Awareness-Learning How To “Think” About Thinking Socially

This is the perfect beginning class if you are new to our social skills groups. This six-week session lays a foundation of skills that your child can continue to build upon and grow his or her social thinking. During this session, children and parents will learn the differences between self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-control. Students will learn about “hidden” social expectations in different environments, how to make social observations to learn those “hidden” rules, how behaviors are connected to emotions, strengthen observation/imitation skills, how to gain self-awareness with individual behaviors, move into self-monitoring tools for shifting negative behaviors into positive ones, how to identify if a problem is a big one or little one, and learn how to use your whole body to listen. As we continue to teach these skills, the group will begin to understand that people have a perspective that is different from their own and how to navigate a social interaction using this knowledge. Each child will choose a personal behavior goal and learn tools to help create a shift in awareness and behaviors.

This group meets every Sunday from 2:00-3:00

Session 2: Zones of Regulation

Zones of Regulation helps teach students  how to be more mindful of other people in their social circles. They will begin to make a connection between their actions, their own emotions,  and how others are feeling. Zones of Regulation teaches children how to consciously regulate their actions based on understanding their feelings. This will lead to increased self-control and problem solving abilities. During the class, they will learn how to use strategies or tools to stay in a zone or move from one to another.

This group meets every Sunday from 3:00-4:00

Session 3: Practicing of Social Skills

This session is designed for open practice of the social skills that have previously been taught. We will create opportunities for the students to practice social thinking, Theory of Mind skills, and executive functioning skills in a play environment. This gives us the opportunity to help each child individually navigate a challenging social scenario using their tools and knowledge from previous groups. This session will work on deepening the interpersonal skills to develop better problem solving skills which creates a scaffolding of increased social skills.  Due to the level of individualization, instead of a weekly teacher letter, we will give our contact information to your child’s teacher and can facilitate open communication on skills their student continues to strengthen as well as get feedback on what skills need continued practice in the school environment.

This group meets every Sunday from 4:00-5:00

 

If you’re not sure if our group is the right fit for your child or have any further questions, we would love to talk with you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.

With Appreciation,

Christina and Wendy

A New School Year

A new school year already! This can bring feelings of excitement as well as anxiety.  One thing you can to do prepare for the new school year is to begin communicating with your child’s teacher.  Who else knows him or her like you do? Communication is a critical piece in your partnership with your child’s school. We recommend writing an e-mail or a letter to your child’s new teacher telling them all about your child.  We previously wrote a post about this but feel it’s important to share again. You can find the past post here Communicating with Your Child’s Teacher which also includes a link for a template on how to write a letter and communicate.

As the year progresses, keep that communication line open.  Here is a  link to the Wrightslaw website on how to write an effective letter to your child’s school pertaining to any EC needs or concerns http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/letters.draft.htm

If you would like help on how to begin or tools for communicating with your child’s school, please reach out to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.

Cheers to the start of a fantastic year!

With Appreciation,

Christina and Wendy

 

Homeschool Classes: Orton-Gillingham Plus

Orton-Gillingham Reading Plus

Beginning on Wednesday, August 23rd, weekly homeschool classes lasting an hour and 15 minutes  will begin with Orton-Gillingham tutoring and moving into language acquisition of skills.  Students will be explicitly taught reading through a multi-sensory approach teaching phonemic awareness, decoding skills, encoding skills, blending, memory techniques, and handwriting.  The students will then make a smooth transition into language acquisition focusing on fluency which includes prosody, rate and accuracy of reading as well as comprehension skills.  Other specific areas targeted based on your child’s needs could be sequencing, categorizing, answering “wh” questions, and recalling details.

Orton-Gillingham (OG) is a language based, multi-sensory approach to reading. This will help your child if he/she is struggling with reading and spelling.  This enriches your homeschool reading curriculum.  When paired with language skills, your child will have a dynamic support of tools with direct teaching that benefits him/her in several areas of their life such as reading, writing, spelling, and communicating.

Confident Solutions, LLC is unique because we offer a combined approach in OG and language skills. This approach will not only focus on  finding your child’s strengths but will specifically address the areas that need improvement in the acquisition of language and literacy. Spoken language provides the foundation for the development of reading and writing. Spoken and written language build on each other which creates language and literacy competency. When language acquisition is paired with Orton-Gillingham tutoring we can help prevent written language problems by fostering language acquisition and emergent literacy.

75 minute classes are $75.00 per week and are grouped K-2, 3rd-5th, and 6th-8th.  If you currently have a high schooler that would benefit from these classes, please contact us.   All classes are held at University Ridge Office Center, 1905 JN Pease Place, Suite 201, Charlotte, NC 28262.  We need one registration form per family.  You may pay for one class at a time or for a full month.  Groups will consist of no more than 5 children.  Registration will stay open each week unless a group becomes full.

Groups run every Wednesday, beginning on August 23rd. The full list of dates can be found on the registration form.

K-2 meets from 10:00-11:15

3rd-5th grades meets from 11:30-12:45

6th-8th graders meet from 1:00-2:15

To register your child, please fill out this form Registration for Homeschooling Classes-Fall semester and e-mail it to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.

If you would like more information about our homeschool classes, please send us an e-mail.  We would love to schedule a time to talk with you!

With Appreciation,

Christina and Wendy

Registration for School Age Social Skills Classes August 20th-October 1st

To register, please fill out this form and e-mail it to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com

Registration August 20-October 1 New Registration

 

For some students, obtaining and utilizing good social skills do not come naturally. They move through their environment having a difficult time communicating and understanding more than just direct language-based interactions. We typically begin intuitively learning key social skills around age three through observation and parallel play.  When these skills are not intuitively understood, they can be taught cognitively. For example, good social skills include eye contact, conversational turn taking, and flexible thinking. For some students, these skills need to be taught and practiced in a non-judgmental environment.  Previous posts about Social Learning can be found here Social Learning and Who Benefits From Social Skills Classes?

Our six-week session begins on Sunday, August 20th.  There will be no classes on Sunday, September 3rd over Labor Day weekend.  We want to begin teaching these skills just before or as school is beginning so your child will have tools to begin the new school year.

We are offering three different sessions so please read the specifics below.  As always, reach out to us with questions at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.   We believe that empowering the parent/guardian is equally important in empowering the child. Please plan on staying for the parent session of your child’s class to learn what your child is learning and how to help your child at home. For session one and session two, teacher letters will be e-mailed weekly to each parent. This gives you the opportunity to share what your child is learning with his/her teacher so we can collectively help your child practice these skills within their different environments.  We encourage you to let your child’s teacher know that he or she can also reach out to us for extra support or questions for your child in the classroom.  We’re all here to help your child grow in his/her social learning.

All classes are held at University Ridge Office Center, 1905 JN Pease Place, Suite 201, Charlotte, NC 28262. 

The total cost for a six-week session is $225.00. To register, fill out the registration form found at the top and e-mail it to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com. Each group will have no more than 5 students so we can practice “thinking” about thinking as well as individualize for each child.

 

Session 1:  Self-Awareness-Learning how to “think” about thinking socially Grades K-2nd

This is the perfect beginning class if you are new to our social skills groups. This six-week session lays a foundation of skills that your child can continue to build upon and grow his or her social thinking. During this session, children and parents will learn the differences between self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-control. Students will learn about “hidden” social expectations in different environments, how to make social observations to learn those “hidden” rules, how behaviors are connected to emotions, strengthen imitation skills, how to gain self-awareness with individual behaviors, move into self-monitoring tools for shifting negative behaviors into positive ones, how to identify if a problem is a big one or little one, and learn how to use your whole body to listen.   As we continue to teach these skills, the group will begin to understand that people have a perspective that is different from their own and how to navigate a social interaction using this knowledge.  Each child will choose a personal behavior goal and learn tools to help create a shift in awareness and behaviors.

This group meets every Sunday from 2:00-3:00

Session 2:  Self-Awareness-Learning how to “think” about thinking socially Grades 3rd-5th

This is the perfect beginning class if you are new to our social skills groups. This six-week session lays a foundation of skills that your child can continue to build upon and grow his or her social thinking. During this session, children and parents will learn the differences between self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-control. Students will learn about “hidden” social expectations in different environments, how to make social observations to learn those “hidden” rules, how behaviors are connected to emotions, strengthen imitation skills, how to gain self-awareness with individual behaviors, move into self-monitoring tools for shifting negative behaviors into positive ones, how to identify if a problem is a big one or little one, and learn how to use your whole body to listen.   As we continue to teach these skills, the group will begin to understand that people have a perspective that is different from their own and how to navigate a social interaction using this knowledge.  Each child will choose a personal behavior goal and learn tools to help create a shift in awareness and behaviors.

This group meets every Sunday from 3:00-4:00

 

Session 3: Practicing of Social Skills

This session is designed for open practice of the social skills that have previously been taught. We will create opportunities for the students to practice social thinking, Theory of Mind skills, and executive functioning skills in a play environment. This gives us the opportunity to help each child individually navigate a challenging social scenario using their tools and knowledge from previous groups. Due to the level of individualization, instead of a weekly teacher letter, we will give our contact information to your child’s teacher and can facilitate open communication on skills their student continues to strengthen as well as get feedback on what skills need continued practice in the school environment.

This group meets every Sunday from 4:00-5:00

 

If you’re not sure if our group is the right fit for your child or have any further questions, we would love to talk with you.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.

 

With Appreciation,

Christina and Wendy