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Online Friendships the New Normal for Autistic Children Whether we like it or not, more and more children are making friends using the Internet. For many, “online” is the new social realm. Though some caregivers may be concerned about screen time, participating families have stated that the Online Play Groups screen time is time well […]

Transitions “The process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.” Let’s face it, transitions are hard. We do many things to avoid transitions. When we cannot avoid them, we prepare for them. While in the midst of a transition, we all exhibit many behaviours that express our internal state such […]

Changing the Game Virtual Reality Autism Demystification  I hadn’t really noticed the young man in the line-up waiting for his turn to demo our Virtual Reality Autism Demystification program until he spoke. “Do you need people who have sensory challenges to try it too?” he asked. Katie Robbins, Program Coordinator at Friend 2 Friend Social Learning […]

Virtual Reality Autism? The game of life can be challenging for many individuals with autism. School is one of the most challenging environments for many individuals with autism. What if there was a tool that teaches peers, and professionals to understand what it feels like to have autism? A VR educational game that is engaging, […]

Play Groups Catch 22  – Finding the right peers to play with your child with autism The Play Groups Catch 22: A family would like their child with autism to have to attend a Play Groups program. They feel their child would benefit from the opportunity to play and make friends under the guidance of highly […]

Changing the Game for Individuals with Autism and Their Peers “You need to go and try that out.” said James Jacobs, CEO of Ziva Dynamics and a father of a child on the autism spectrum. James was referring to a virtual reality (VR) experience he had just demoed at a conference. Unbeknownst to James, this statement […]

Families will often say to us, “My child is too old to play”. However, after speaking with the family about what their child’s affinities are, we soon learn that their child does in fact play. Play is therapeutic by its nature. It provides opportunities to do what we love, to relax and work through issues. Play […]

Vancouver, BC – Friend 2 Friend Social Learning Society announces a grant from Autism Speaks Canada to create a new Virtual Reality Autism Demystification® Program. “Autism Speaks Canada is proud to support the Virtual Reality Autism Demystification demonstration, which reflects an innovative use of technology to support acceptance and inclusion of individuals with autism spectrum […]

Some children and adults are highly sensitive to transitions. However, unlike adults who have the power to control transitions, children often do not have that same control. On top of that, children are not always able to tell us how they are feeling or what they need when they are feeling dysregulated during transitions. Think […]

This past week I was asked to observe a novice player at a local preschool. The purpose of this visit was to provide recommendations for creating an inclusive preschool experience for this child and the peers. What I observed, is what I often see when doing observations; a dedicated group of early childhood educators. The educators […]

The definition of “give” states: to freely transfer the possession of (something) to (someone). While most of us think to give means to give money, it is only in the running of a charity that you truly understand the meaning of “give”.  Giving Tuesday is All About Giving Time Time is a most valuable thing we can give […]