By Lisa Greenman & Monica Adler Werner | Co-founders
It’s August. The campers have left and Take 2 is winding down after its seventh summer season. A Project Update on this year’s achievements will be posted in September. For now, as we pack up, we thought we’d share this photo reflecting some of the core concepts Take 2 builds upon each day.
Though intellectually very capable or even outstandingly talented, Take 2 campers struggle with the give and take required to be “team players.” Skills that are intuitive or easily acquired by typically-developing children can be mystifying and pose enormous obstacles for those with autism spectrum disorders. As a result they are excluded from activities of childhood that others take for granted.
The Take 2 curriculum teaches strategies to compensate for weaknesses in social understanding. The first step in this process is establishing a common vocabulary. The language on the “Team Player Board” you see here helps campers better understand both themselves and the world’s expectations. With this knowledge, and with lots of practice in a supportive environment, Take 2 campers learn they can use their cognitive abilities to navigate difficult and uncomfortable situations. For example, instead of getting upset and having a meltdown when something unexpected happens, campers learn they can always come up with a “Plan B.”
The end of summer also marks one year since Take 2 joined the Global Giving community. We are enormously grateful for the support we’ve received here. Some of you came because you knew us, and others first discovered Take 2 here on this website. Your support allows us to offer need-blind admissions and generous financial aid to families throughout the Washington, DC area. We are able to continue our affirmative outreach to communities in need because of your generosity. Thank you, all of you. And if you can, please consider dropping us a note. We really do love to hear from you!
Sincerely, Lisa Greenman & Monica Adler Werner LGreenman@rcn.com M.Adler.Werner@gmail.com
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