What is Early Steps?
Our Parent and Child Groups
We offer two classes - Early Learners and Social Learners.
These classes are for children age 18months to 5 years to attend with their parents.
Some children who attend have a diagnosis, for example of Autism or Down Syndrome, other children are waiting for referral to specialists.
Some families may simply have concerns themselves or their preschool has suggested their child may benefit from extra support
Early Learners
These sessions are for children who have not yet developed an effective way of communicating. You may have noticed a difference in their engagement with what other people are doing or their eye-contact. They may find playing alongside other children challenging.
Social Learners
Our Social Learner sessions are for children who find friendships difficult, may have difficulty following instructions or need support to join in or cope in their preschool or nursery setting.
What we do:
We develop:
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Communication
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Play
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Joint attention (sharing enjoyment)
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Joining in
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Getting along with others
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Waiting and taking turns
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Sharing
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Friendship skills
We also support parents with behaviour that challenges
What do sessions look like?
Parents and caregivers attend our sessions with their child. We help you learn techniques to encourage your child to engage in activities with you and begin communicating their wants and needs
Each session involves a mixture of group activities and child-led play. Our team will work with your child on a 1:1 basis and guide you in the techniques we are using
Parents will be given a learning journal and weekly tip sheets, plus access to our WhatsApp group where we keep you up to date with information and creates a community of support for you and your child
Pre-Course Info:
When you have been in touch and decided that Early Steps is for you, we will send you a brief registration form and questionnaire to understand a bit more about your child
You will then be able to come along to a free trial, to see if the group is what you are looking for
We ask that parents book for the whole 6-week course (free trial plus 5 weeks) to maximise the benefit to their child, although exceptions can be made for prebooked holidays or appointments.
Younger siblings are welcome to attend too at no extra cost
After the initial 6 weeks, many of our families continue coming for subsequent courses
Initial 6 week course (including trial session): £60 per family
Subsequent courses: £70 per family
Financial assistance available - please contact us for more details
See our Facebook Page for current session information