Social Detectives & Cadets

A TLC and mASCot collaboration

Due to lack of funding mASCot can't subsidise The Social Detectives & Cadets so they are on hold at the moment until further notice. The TLC are still running courses, so please contact them direct if you wish your child to attend.

The TLC and mASCot historically teamed up to deliver The Social Detective and Cadets Courses. These two groups often ran together, but separate for age appropriate activities. All the information you need about these courses are below.

Contact TLC

"When a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower"
- Alexander Den Heijer

Social Detectives

Children attending this group are approx 7 - 12 years old, are able to read, and take part in activities that explore more of the complex subtleties of social interaction e.g. going with the flow of a conversation, body language, the differences between what people say and what they might mean or feel etc.

What

The main objective of this programme is to help children on the autistic spectrum develop and enhance some specific social skills. Understanding what personal space is, how to interrupt, reading body language, making jokes, coping with demands/transitions, compromising, taking turns, being a good friend, being in a group situation, playing a game and so on, are all skills that most children seem to just ‘learn’ but children with ASC often find hard and that’s what we aim to help with. The Social Detectives programme combines carefully structured sessions within a fun-filled, creative, engaging and interactive learning environment. It utilises teaching, principles and strategies derived from the leaders in the field of social skills eg Pamela Wolfberg’s integrated play therapy, Michelle Garicia-Winner’s Social Thinking and Autism.

Social Detectives help Increase key skills; self-monitoring, independent & interactive play and leisure,

Emphasis on strengths and skill building; using positive reinforcement, rapport building and enjoyment.

Cadets

Cadets has been developed to cater for children of a younger age and stage (approx 4 - 6 years old) as a prequel to the already up and running Social Detectives programme, building the foundation skills of listening and responding, learning to learn, sharing, taking turns and playing with or alongside peers. It is not necessary for Cadets to be able to read.

What

Cadets is designed to encourage children on the spectrum at a younger age and stage to develop the prerequisite skills they need to be able to play with and alongside their peers in small group setting. Cadets is a programme of structured play and learning activities supporting the development of these pivotal skills in an innovative and fun filled way. Activities range from experimental preschool science, to structured outdoor games with a big focus on promoting independence, creativity and the exploration of new things. Children will move at their own pace through the stages of play development from parallel play (next to or alongside peers), through to playing and working cooperatively with fellow cadets, completing fun, age appropriate challenges and tasks together. The Cadets programme focuses on developing some of the key foundation skills of: sharing and taking turns, coping with transitions, attending to a task, listening and responding to others and also learning to cope with demands. At Cadets we believe in creating learning experiences that are positive and are committed to being child led in everything we do.