St. Lawrence NYSARC

				For more information: Children & Youth Services 5862 US Highway 11, Suite 2 Canton, NY 13617 (315) 386-3551
Children & Youth Services
The mission of St. Lawrence NYSARC's Children & Youth Services is to provide services and supports to children with developmental disabilities and their families. We provide home and community based services that target skill development to allow the children to develop age appropriate independent living and social skills through the use of Applied Behavior Analysis. We aspire to teach those we serve and expand awareness in the community through internships, trainings and community events.				Communication with Parents Parents of Nexus students are kept abreast of activities and student progress by a daily communication sheet that is sent home. It includes specific activities and skills addressed and their child's participation during that day. SCHEDULE 3:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Board Games 3:30 p.m.-3:45 p.m. Introduce skill of the day 3:45 p.m.-4:05 p.m. Wash hands and have snack . 4:05 p.m.-4:25 p.m. Interactive skill training activity 4:25 p.m.-4:55 p.m. Group game 4:55 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Clean up and tally points
Nexus: The after school, social skills training program for children on the Autism Spectrum Quarterly parent training sessions At-home Residential Habilitation and Day Habilitation addresses skill development for children in their own homes and communities Educational Advocates assist parents with interpreting regulations that impact their child's rights School-based behavioral services
Self Management & Social Skills
Students at Nexus play games, meet up with friends, and earn points for participating in skills training and engaging in social behaviors. Undergraduate college interns help Nexus youths succeed by prompting positive interactions, praising appropriate behavior, and helping students to monitor their own behavior by tracking points. Students earn additional points by practicing weekly target skills outside of Nexus sessions and sharing examples in the group activities. Some of the weekly target skills include:
Developing conversation skills Apologizing Asking for help Complimenting others Joining in Problem solving and "moving on"
Each skill is targeted for instruction across two consecutive weeks. Students are rewarded for their skill development with points that contribute towards a group total. When the group reaches a set number of points they earn a fun day of their choice. Options for a fun day have included a pizza party, ice cream party or movie day. This allows the children to celebrates their accomplishments as a group.
SUNY Potsdam
The Nexus Program has the added benefit of collaborative involvement with the Experiential Education Office at SUNY Potsdam. The program is held on campus and interested college students enroll in a two-semester academic internship as trained volunteers in the Nexus sessions. This offers the Nexus student opportunities to develop relationships with the College Interns and provides hands-on training for College graduates entering the teaching and human service field. In addition to assisting with Nexus, the interns are required to attend a weekly training with agency staff on topics pertinent to the field. Topics discussed include: functional behavior assesment, positive reinforcement, ethics, crisis intervention, and other topics specifically related to Autism.