Children's Learning Connection - Orange County, CA

CLC Program Design

CLC utilizes a developmental sequenced curriculum taught through behaviorally based teaching methods (ABA), combined with an intensive focus on teaching the child key learning strategies which underlie the development of cognition and language (CLC Learning How to Learn Curriculum) which will allow the child to learn from the environment on his/her own.

CLC’s interdisciplinary team addresses deficits in all developmental domains. Our interdisciplinary team design overlaps each of these domains to ensure a more cohesive and comprehensive program:

• Cognition and learning style
• Speech-Language-Communication
• Sensory-Motor Domain
• Social-Emotional-Behavioral
• Self-Help and Feeding

Goals within each domain may address the following deficits, based on the individual needs of the child:

Cognitive and Learning Style Domain:

• Learning readiness (attention, memory, motivation, responsiveness)
• Learning strategies that underlie speech, language and communication
• Play skills
• Problem solving
• General knowledge and comprehension

Speech-Language-Communication Domain:

• Develop and improve speech skills
• Motor speech disorders including Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)
• Articulation/Phonological Disorders
• Increasing initiation of communication and range of reasons to spontaneously communicate*
• Receptive and Expressive Language Disorders (comprehension and formulation of language)
• Auditory and language processing
• Social language skills/Pragmatics

* A strong emphasis is placed on communication skills. The development of these skills gives a child power to control his/her environment. In the beginning stages of therapy, the treatment focuses on how to get the child to understand communicative intent. When the child understands how to use communication, the focus turns to developing receptive language, building vocabulary, and use of the language to control his/her environment.

Sensory-Motor Domain:

• Fine motor skills
• Gross motor skills
• Visual-motor integration
• Development of coordination and motor planning skills

Social-Emotional-Behavioral Domain:

• Relationship attachment, engagement, and interaction*
• Behavioral Management **
• Self Motivation
• Self Regulation
• Self Monitoring
• Stress Management
• Peer and social skills
• Perspective taking/social thinking
• Developing friendships

* Before a child is able to learn, he/she must become aware of what the world has to offer. At CLC, we believe that programs must focus on attachment, engagement and interaction in the early stages of therapy. When teaching a child any new skill it is our belief that it is not enough for the child to simply generate a correct response. The response must occur in the context of engagement, attention, positive affect and ultimately in context of reciprocal interaction. Our goal is to build reciprocal interactions between the child and the people in the world around them.
** Each child’s program includes an individualized Positive Behavior Management program based on a functional analysis of behaviors.

Self-help and Feeding Skills:

• Age-appropriate functioning within daily life
• Sleeping and Feeding issues
• Independence
• Reducing rigidity and increasing flexibility within daily living routines.