In-person activity

Inclusive Playgroups - Autism

Recess Collective

97% positive reviews

(125)

San Francisco, CA

Overview

Ages

up to 4 years

Attendance

Required: an adult must stay

Frequency

Weekly

Discounts

$10 sibling discount

What your child’s day will look like

Our unique playgroups provide an exciting opportunity for children of all abilities to come together to learn, play, and grow. The groups will be led by experienced play facilitators, who will plan creative and engaging activities. The play will give the children a chance to interact with each other, practice social skills and communication, pretend, and explore a variety of different toys and materials. The Recess Collective play space features toys and equipment for gross motor play, manipulation and sensory play, cooperative games, and pretend play. The space will be sensory friendly and the routines will be predictable and safe for children of all ability levels.

Meet our instructors

Janelle Franco
Instructor
I am an independent Autism Specialist, providing direct support to people with Autism, their family and friends, and their service providers in California's Bay Area. It is my mission to connect people with Autism with resources that are necessary for personal success within their community. Using a variety of evidence-based practices, I offer direct support in any environment. By providing families, educators, friends, and other community members with individualized services, I empower people with Autism to be more successful in all areas of daily living. I am also able to help build collaborative communities around the person with Autism in order to have a strong and reliable network of support. People with Autism and their families are presented with an onslaught of information and recommendations when they are first diagnosed. They can spend hours reading through all of the paperwork and meetings with professionals, but at the end of the day, they are still on their own. They have a million and one questions, worries, and challenges. They experience daily successes and struggle to celebrate them. Their therapists go home and they're expected to do all the things they were taught with consistency, enthusiasm, and reliability. I have found that for a person with Autism to be truly successful, they need an entire village to support them. I can help you and your village with life's daily questions, big and small. Let me help you address some of these everyday questions: "How do we approach a family gathering?" "What can we do to make birthday parties more fun?" "How do we cut his hair? Nails?" "How do I prepare for a job interview?" "How can we teach her school about her strengths?" "When will he make friends?" "Who should tell his brother/sister?" "Can we go out to eat at a restaurant?" "Should we have ABA? OT? Speech? PT? Music Therapy? Horse Therapy?..." Anything else that comes up????

Reviews

97%

121

Based on 125 reviews

We paid for 3 sessions and 2 were cancelled. I don’t think we got a refund. The one class was great though
CS
Chelsea S.
09/27/2023
I could go on and on about how great it was but you can just assume that we loved the group and I will just list a couple of constructive thoughts here – There was a knitting group at the bottom of the stairs during one of our circles and the sound amplifies up the stairs super loud. I actually think most people didn't mind, but I'm not able to tune out background noise so I basically couldn't focus at all on what everyone in our group was saying! When groups get above probably 8 people I personally get really shy and the dynamic changes for me. I don't know if it's realistic or sustainable or even a good thing for most, but smaller groups or sub-groups are much better for someone like me. Our second group was really focused on birth plans (or whatever I'm supposed to call them). My wife and I had a couple of fairly late miscarriages after which our only "plan" was to have a baby. So we got less out of that group than the first one. Probably the exact opposite for many parents, but just to share our perspective! I'm absolutely nit-picking. Space is great. Instructor incredible. Tons of warm support. Zero judgement. Would recommend to anyone.
DE
David E.
07/13/2023

Show all 125 reviews

Additional instructions

FAQs Who can join? Children between the ages of 0-4. We will group children together based on their age as much as possible. What if my child has behavior problems? The play facilitators are trained behaviorists and special educators, who have experience helping children with challenging behaviors. They will work with the family to develop a plan to prevent and respond appropriately to challenging behaviors as they come up. What if my child is nonverbal? We would love to have children who communicate differently join our group. We look forward to teaching their peers about sign language, gestures, and AAC devices. If your child is nonverbal because they are just not developmentally ready to speak, that is also great! We will be learning about social cues and communication for infants and toddlers. Who will facilitate? The lead facilitator will be Janelle Dowling, MA. She is the owner of Our Autism Specialist, LLC. She provides support for inclusive practices in preschools, elementary schools, and middle schools all over the Bay Area. She also organizes and leads several play groups for children ranging in age from 0-18. She has a masters and credential as an Education Specialist with a focus in Extensive Support Needs. She also has an endorsement from the California DeafBlind program, where she learned about working with children with multiple sensory challenges. Although Janelle’s business focuses primarily on providing consultation and direct support to families with children and teens with autism, she has taught and supported children who experience a variety of disabilities, including Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Angelman’s Syndrome, ADHD, and children who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Please do not hesitate to contact us and see if the group and the staff’s experience feel like a good fit for your child. Janelle will also be partnering with volunteers to support the groups and will be recruiting to find adults who are the best match for our participants. When do the groups meet? Every Wednesday except the last one of each month. There will be two groups. The first will meet from 10-10:45am and from 11:15-12pm. What will happen there? The agenda might vary slightly each week and depending on the group’s needs, but we will include greetings, music, snack, an organized group activity, and some free play before clean up. How much will it cost? The cost is $18 per session and we prefer that families pay for 3 sessions at a time in a $45 package.

Location