Kids On The Move offers new classes for teen with autism
r By Heather Bowers
Parents of teens with autism can now access a proven social skills group that improves teens’ ability to make friends.
Kids On The Move (KOTM) now offers the first Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) class in Utah County for teens with autism.
“Kids On The Move is excited to offer this new service to families in the area,” said Scott Bean, CEO of KOTM. “We know that it can change lives, and encourage families to sign up and get the help they’ve been looking for.”
Founded at UCLA by Dr. Elixabeth Laugeson, PEERS is a manualized, social skills training intervention for youth with social challenges and has a high proven success rate.
Such was the case with Joey Hersholt, a 17-year-old boy from Los Angeles. Hersholt has a mild form of autism and struggled in high school with making friends. After attending PEERS, Hersholt significantly improved his ability to make phone calls, hang out with friends, and develop new talents.
Where PEERs is implemented, teens with autism who attended reported to have more peer interactions outside of school and increased the number of get-togethers they hosted.
Starting July, KOTM invites families with teens with autism to apply to the 12-week social skills class. KOTM accepts applicants with autism between the ages of 14 and 18.
Classes start in August; however space is limited so applicants are encouraged to apply now. To apply, contact Leslie Lilino at llilino@kotm.org or call 385-208-0538.
For more information regarding PEERS, visit www.kotm.org/peers or https://www.semel.ucla.edu/peer
Kids On The Move, Inc. (KOTM) is a nonprofit organization located in Orem, UT. KOTM supports the development of young children and families by “empowering families, one kid at a time.” KOTM is the local, proven expert in child development and family resources with four main programs: Early Intervention, Early Head Start, the Autism Center and Respite Care. For more information about Kids On The Move, please visit www.kotm.org, or call 801.221.9930.
