USE THE POWER OF A SOCIAL GROUP TO
TEACH YOUR CHILD
HOW TO TALK TO FRIENDS
CREATED BY REBECCA ROBBINS, MS, CCC-SLP
USE THE POWER OF A SOCIAL GROUP TO
TEACH YOUR CHILD
HOW TO TALK TO FRIENDS
CREATED BY
REBECCA ROBBINS MS, CCC-SLP
FULFILLING RELATIONSHIPS ARE POSSIBLE FOR YOUR CHILD
I have spent the last 18 years of my career as a Speech Language Pathologist focusing in the treatment for autistic individuals, with a particular interest in improving executive functioning and relationship development skills. Let’s face it, navigating social relationships is challenging for any child in the late childhood and tween years. The addition of a diagnosis of Autism, ADHD, et al only adds to that challenge.
Parents invest in Buddy Group because they want their child to have a sense of belonging with their peers, and increase their confidence in their ability to engage with others by enhancing their conversation skills.
My mission and goal is to help as many children as possible to navigate through their social lives a little easier, which is why I started Buddy Group in 2018.
because
Relationships
Are What
Make Life
Worth Living
Does your child have difficulty carrying on conversations with his/her peers?
Do they seem to only want to talk about their own interests?
Do they miss subtle, nonverbal cues that happen in conversations?
Do you want your child to be better equipped to make and maintain friendships?
Buddy Group can help your child build the skills and confidence to socialize with their peers.
YOU worry and wonder IF YOUR
CHILD WILL GROW UP FEELING LONELY
the more you step in to help your child be successful in social situations...
The more your child seems to become dependent on you.
It's hard to find a group where your child feels they belong
You've tried other groups and they don't seem to resonate with your child's interests and abilities.
You're afraid your child will not have fulfilling relationships.
You haven't found a good solution to enhance their social life and you are looking for a group that works for you and your child.
Buddy Group prioritizes welcoming your child for exactly who they are and fosters bonding with others in the group.
VIDEO TESTIMONIALS IF YOU HAVE THEM.
Remind Them Of The Scarcity. That Waiting Will Have Consequences.
Parents Talking About Buddy Group
I was able to participate with my daughter
Before starting Buddy Group, I struggled with helping my child stay engaged with her peers. I had taken one of Rebecca’s online speech classes in search of alternative ways for my child to communicate, so I decided to give the Buddy Group program a try too. I was hesitant to invest in the program because I wasn’t sure if my daughter would be able to participate with the class, but there are limited programs available to my child where I’m able to participate with her as well. Since joining Buddy Group, my daughter has become more responsive and attentive to her classmates as well as her teacher. She has also been able to get our attention more appropriately when she wants to communicate with us and has been more patient while waiting. My daughter is very happy while in Buddy Group classes and enjoys being around her classmates.
~L Veros
From only being able to say "hi" to enjoying talking with friends
Before joining Buddy Group, my son had trouble maintaining communications beyond saying “hi.” I saw an advertisement on Facebook for the group and decided to give it a try, even though I wasn’t sure if my child would benefit from it. Since joining Buddy Group, my son has started using longer sentences. He also waits for his turn while conversing. The most helpful part of Buddy Group has been having a peer to converse with while also having support from the therapist. The homework helps a lot on days when he’s not doing class sessions. We are very happy with the progress our son has made. He has said he likes talking with his friends and singing the songs that each session opens and closes with. We want to thank Rebecca for all her hard work!
~AJ
Rebecca made signing up an easy decision
My son has always been outgoing but struggled with tone, reading body language, using an “indoor voice,” and having confidence. He was feeling lonely during the height of remote school days when I came across the online Buddy Group option. It seemed like a great, safe place to not only connect with other kids like him, but to gain conversation skills in the process. Rebecca’s experience, positivity, and enthusiasm made signing up an easy decision. Social skills may always be a challenge for my son given his diagnosis, but since joining Buddy Group, his confidence has improved and most importantly he is happy. Gains are a work in progress and Miss Rebecca and her program are a vital part of his progress. He looks forward to the classes Tuesday nights because of the connection he feels with the group, and in his words “Buddy Group is a great opportunity to make friends, play games and learn new things. Miss Rebecca is very nice and fun.”
~ H Edgar
Socialization is crucial to a child's success in home, school, community and beyond.
As a speech language pathologist, I recognized a huge lack of opportunities in the community for children and adults to receive support in this area.
I created buddy group to teach the students how to form better relationships while providing support and training to parents.
i am passionate about helping my students improve their lives
while making friends.
The real value of buddy group
When I first started Buddy Group, I was really focused on the curriculum and the conversation skills that I was teaching my students. However, my first classes were two hours long, so I would always make time to facilitate an interactive game for my students, as well as end each class with a game that required my students to work together as a team as a “down time” for them.
The more and more I ran the classes, I started to realize how much value these “down times” had for my students.
It was during these games that they started interacting with each other more. They would cheer each other on during team activities, and encourage the kids that had a harder time in the game.
They would laugh with each other and, most importantly, it was during the "down times" that they would truly BOND! Which really is the whole point of Buddy Group, isn’t it?
It was through these games that my students taught me the real value of Buddy Group.
Now, interacting through teamwork, challenges and games is a core part of my Buddy Group program. Sure, the curriculum is still important because the lessons really teach my students the “how” to interact with their friends. But, the games and cooperative activities are where they learn to put those skills into practice in a functional way that will stay with them for life.
all classes are created by rebecca robbins ms, ccc-slp, and delivered by an ASHA certified speech-language pathologists
PLUS: In Buddy Group we occasionally invite special guest peers to help promote generalization of learned skills.
INtroducing: Buddy Group
YOUR CHILD WILL TALK MORE
YOUR CHILD WILL BE EXCITED TO PARTICIPATE
YOUR CHILD WILL BOND WITH PEERS
...and HAVE FUN!
INtroducing: Buddy Group
YOUR CHILD WILL TALK MORE
YOUR CHILD WILL BE EXCITED TO PARTICIPATE
YOUR CHILD WILL BOND WITH PEERS
...and HAVE FUN!
Get the Above Benefits And Results Without.....
Wasted Time....
Wasted Money....
Wasted Energy....
What other buddy group families are saying
Their children are making strides in a safe and fun learning environment that enriches their lives.
He attends longer at dinner
~ Doris, Cornwall, NY
"Before we started Buddy Group with Rebecca our son was not able to hold a conversation. There was no back and forth, only him telling us what toys he wanted to buy or what movies he wanted to see. I came across Rebecca’s program through a recommendation from a friend. I was a little hesitant to join the program at first because of the time commitment and distance to get to session on a work night but, ultimately, decided to give the program a chance because I knew that speech therapy (getting him to annunciate) would not be enough to have him be a successful adult.
Our son has been participating in Buddy Group for a year and we have seen such great changes in him as a result. He will attend longer at dinner. When we point out he is being a "conversation thief" (a term we learned in Buddy Group) he will attempt to join in or wait his turn. I find the most helpful part of Rebecca’s program to be that it is teaching him the abstract skill of carrying on a conversation, no small task for a group of boys on the spectrum. When I asked my son what his favorite part of Buddy Group was, he said…”Rebecca!”
"In 2009, our son was diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. When he was four years old, we were BLESSED to welcome Rebecca Robbins onto our therapy team. Rebecca had specific training in Relationship Development Intervention techniques and professional & personal experience helping children affected by autism increase both communication and socialization. In addition to working 1:1 with our son for six years, Rebecca was also able to offer us Parent Training & Counseling.
When our son was 11, he enrolled in the Social Skills class with Rebecca to help his socialization and increase his communication abilities specific to initiating and maintaining conversations. This “buddy group” was a weekly program he looked forward to attending. He recently told me that he especially enjoyed earning points for using topic starter questions and making follow up comments. He is also fond of her teaching style using games to learn, play and have conversations with his “buddies”.
Currently, he participates as a biweekly “part-time” guest/role model in “buddy group” which has helped his confidence and gives him a great opportunity to practice his conversation skills. Rebecca Robbins is fun, friendly, smart, reliable, enthusiastic, empowering, educated, and offers a great mix of personal and professional styles in her teachings. We are grateful to have her as a role model continuing to empower and educate our family!"
buddy group is an integral part to our therapy team for autism spectrum disorder
~ Stacey, Goshen, NY
he initiates conversations at school
~ Britney, New Windsor, NY
"Our son started seeing Rebecca for social skills to improve his communication. We were very confident in her knowledge base and professionalism. She is extremely patient and kind with our son. Everyone has noticed an improvement in his speech and language skills. Staff at his school have stopped to tell me how he will initiate a greeting as he passes them in the hall. We have also begun seeing her for private speech sessions because we have been so pleased with his progress in her group setting."
REBECCA IS A GREAT ASSET
"Rebecca has a great pedigree having provided speech therapy services in a VBA school and also within a traditional district, in addition to performing regularly in community theatre and therefore bringing the perfect level of animation to her sessions. She is bright, inquisitive and consultative. Rebecca is always looking for and willing to try new techniques. We can see real progress that we can attribute directly to Rebecca’s work with our son, whom she has been treating for five years. She is an incredible asset and we know that we are extremely fortunate to be working with this very important member of our team."
~ Jennifer, Campbell Hall, NY
SOLVING THE RELATIONSHIP PUZZLE FOR YOUR CHILD
a social and language skills group that will help your child learn to talk with their friends and family through conversation, engagement, and fun!
BUDDY GROUP GIVES YOU
weekly classes, virtual and in-person in NEW YORK AND PENNSYLVANIA.
built-in parent training
Course materials
Weekly Home Carry-over Activities
Level 1 curriculum
Discovering Shared Interests
This unit focuses on learning the importance of talking to friends about shared interests (aka discovering what you have in common) and teaches the students how to find out what their friends are interested in.
Starting Conversations
This unit teaches the students how to start conversations with other people by asking Topic Starter Questions. The students are taught specific question types to use so that they feel confident starting conversations with their friends.
The Communication Cycle
This unit teaches the students the difference between a good and bad communication cycle. Then they dive into learning how to make comments that match what their friends say so that they don’t have a…BREAKDOWN!
Keep the Conversation Going
The next unit continues to build upon the conversational foundation built thus far and teaches the students how to keep their conversations going by adding follow-up comments or questions to the interaction. They learn the rules of how to create a good follow-up and get to practice in fun interactive activities.
Bounce It Back!
In this unit, the students learn how to keep a conversation going by “bouncing a question back” that their talking partner just asked them. Then, this skill is taken a step further by teaching the students how to use “Bounce It Back Comments” as a follow-up to keep the conversation going.
being a listener
This unit teaches the students that there are actually two jobs in a conversation; the talker and the listener. The students learn how to play the part of a listener in conversations and then practice their new listening skills during fun interactive games and activities.
opportunities to practice
No matter what level of Buddy Group your child is in, opportunities to practice conversations happen in every class. We practice during games, warm-up activities, lessons, and with special guests.
Level 2 curriculum
level 1 review
The Level 2 Buddy Group semester starts off by reviewing the foundational lessons of Buddy Group so that all students head into the semester with the same core knowledge & vocabulary. The students use this review time to get to know each other and to practice having conversations.
becoming a conversation detective
This unit teaches the students how to become detectives in their own conversations by finding specific kinds of clues in their interactions (i.e. reading facial expressions, paying attention to tone of voice, etc) so that they fully understand the whole meaning of exchanges with their friends.
becoming a topic changer superhero
This unit teaches the students how to use their conversational superpowers to know exactly how to change the topic in a conversation with their friends.
beyond my words
This unit focuses on strengthening the students' understanding and use of body language. The students will practice being nonverbal communicators and work on understanding the nonverbal communication of others, too.
should i say this?
In this unit, the students learn how to engage in conversations in a way that leaves everyone feeling good. The students learn the difference between a factual response and an empathic response and how each one may make their friends feel. Then they get to practice how to word things during challenging social situations and/or hard conversations.
coping with frustration
In this unit, the students are taught the actual science of what happens in their brain when they feel upset or frustrated in a way that they can understand. Then, they are taught strategies to use in the moment to help themselves feel calmer and how they can help when their friends feel upset.
opportunities to practice
No matter what level of Buddy Group your child is in, opportunities to practice conversations happen in every class. We practice during games, warm-up activities, lessons, and with special guests.
More families share their experiences
Rebecca was recommended to me by my broker and it was a great recommendation! What helped me say “yes” to signing my daughter up was the initial discussion I had with Rebecca about the program, her approach to teaching, and the tools she uses in her classes (including games they play, which are my daughters favorite part!) Before starting Buddy Group, my daughter struggled with asking full questions and providing full answers. Since joining, my daughter’s communication skills have improved. She has started asking full questions more, and she doesn’t provide one-worded answers as often as she used to.
Khalil - Virtual classes
We decided to join Buddy Group after getting a referral from good friends of ours. It's been challenging in general to find people who want to work with our kids outside of school, so it was nice to find a group where they could meet some kids outside of their class and hopefully form relationships. They have been so excited to go to Buddy Group after school! I love that Buddy Group is an accepting environment for our kids to interact with others and learn.
Marci - In person classes
Before joining Buddy Group, my son had a hard time with social pleasantries and eye contact. He had worked with Rebecca before and was ready to branch out to socializing with peers. Because of our prior experience working with Rebecca, we knew that he would be in a program that was well thought out. We were hesitant that he may stop liking the group after we made the commitment, but we gave him a chance to try it out because we knew it would help him grow. He now enjoys going each week and is displaying more social attributes, even within the family. Buddy Group has helped him talk about communication, anxiety, and other topics with others who have similar experiences. My son’s favorite part is having a consistent group of peers to socialize and discuss things with.
rebecca - in person classes
They enjoy the classes and are making friends, learning what their role is in friendships.
It is hard to find a program that is for kids that are mainstream or close to it and not just academic classes. Buddy Group is friendship and social situation based and it's exactly what my daughter, Christina, needs as social awareness is her biggest challenge. The classes focus on having confidence to meet people and handle real life situations with other students. It’s great for Christina because she feels comfortable making mistakes knowing the teachers are patient and will redirect the conversation and not embarrass her. When Christina’s emotions are high, the teachers help her learn techniques to calm down including breathing exercises which she uses outside of class. My biggest hesitation before joining was making sure Buddy Group would teach my daughter how to make and keep friends in real life. The way the classes are set up to create social situations that are teaching moments help my daughter feel confident developing friendships. She is starting to understand her role as a friend. Instead of always blaming the other person in a disagreement, she is seeing what she may have done differently! She is also starting to talk out her problems rather than yelling. In her own words “I like meeting new people. I like being able to have my own opinions and not be made fun of. I like the games we play to help learn about each other. I like how my teachers teach and have patience with us. We get to talk about serious topics and learn to help each other out without feeling embarrassed. We get to show our feelings in an appropriate manner that doesn’t make others uncomfortable.”Christina loves Buddy Group classes, and I’m confident that what she has been learning will help her make and keep friends in the future.
Laura - in person and virtual classes
"I love when I hear about my students getting together outside of class time."
-Rebecca, Buddy Group Founder
Parent training and support
01.
Access to Materials
Parents receive access to all class materials, including lesson slide shows and visual supports so that you are equipped with all the tools you need to help your child use what they're learning outside of class times.
02.
Carry-Over Assignments
You'll see great progress in your child when you know exactly the stage of learning they're in, and the language to use to be able to implement practice time at home confidently.
03.
Access to Instructor
Occasionally our parents need a little extra support. We are here to make sure your questions and concerns are addressed.
Explain the Super Bonus
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Explain the Super Bonus
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Explain the Super Bonus
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Classes For All Ages
Class availability is dependent upon enrollment.
In Person Classes
Goshen, NY and PA (TBD)
NY Classes Instructed By: Megan Regueiro MS, CCC-SLP, TSSLD
PA Classes: TBD
Virtual Online Classes
Available in NY and PA
All Classes Instructed By: Founder, Rebecca Robbins MS, CCC-SLP
Level 1 and Level 2 Classes Available
Ages 8-12
Ages 13-16
Ages 17 -25
Placement into classes is dependent upon:
Enrollment
Best fit for communication style
Needs of enrolled students
Spring SEMESTER - Registration Coming Soon
Spring SEMESTER - NOW accepting applications
**Spring SEMESTER is currently in progress, but if you're interested in a future semester...
Let's Chat to See If This Program is Right For You
The next Buddy Group semester runs the week of January 29th, 2024 - week of June 17th, 2024
$200 per month
~Classes meet weekly for one hour~
Virtual or In-Person Classes Available for residents of NY & PA
NY In Person classes held in Goshen, NY
PA In Person classes held in Phoenixville, PA
(NY Residents: Class may be approved for use of self-direction funds.)
Spring SEMESTER - Registration Coming Soon
**Spring SEMESTER - Now accepting applications
**Spring SEMESTER is currently in progress, but if you're interested in a future semester...
Let's Chat To See If This Program Is Right For You
$200 per month
Spring semester runs between the week of January 29th, 2024 - week of June 17th, 2024
~Classes meet weekly for one hour~
Virtual or In-Person Classes Available for residents of NY & PA
NY In Person classes held in Goshen, NY
PA In Person classes held in Phoenixville, PA
(NY Residents: Class may be approved for use of self-direction funds.)
Is Buddy Group Right For You?
To Qualify For Enrollment, Your Child Must Be Able To
Talk in sentences and answer questions about preferred topics.
Be able to attend in a small group setting with minimal adult support for attention and behavior
To Qualify For Enrollment, Your Child Must Be Able To
Talk in sentences and answer questions about preferred topics.
Be able to attend in a small group setting with minimal adult support for attention and behavior
Use This Space To Talk About A Guarantee
If They Are Not 100% Satisfied.
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Buddy group
Give Your Child The Opportunity To Be More Social
Group Sessions For Your Child
Tools and Resources for Parents
Carry-Over Activities for Home
Find out if buddy group is right for your child
Schedule Your Call Here
"He now understands the back and forth of a conversation and has more appropriate comments and questions in his repertoire."
"Before we started Buddy Group with Rebecca our son had difficulty understanding how to talk to family and friends. He did not understand the back and forth of having a conversation.
When I came across Rebecca’s program it was exactly what I was looking for to help my son.
Our son has been participating in Buddy Group for two years now and we have seen such great changes in him as a result. He now understands the back and forth of a conversation and has more appropriate comments and questions in his repertoire.
When you have a child with communication issues you quickly realize how difficult it is to help them. We needed someone to help us break down the skills so that we could help our son understand how to communicate with others.
Rebecca was incredible in providing us with the weekly lesson materials and homework assignments. This helped us understand exactly how he learned each skill and enabled us to have him generalize the skill with others.
When I asked my son what his favorite part of Buddy
Group was, he said, “I like when I get to talk and share conversations with everyone.” We are forever grateful for Rebecca and her Buddy Group. It's an incredible program which would benefit any child who needs help communicating and socializing.”
Danielle
Life long changes happen as a result of buddy group
Imagine...
Your child being able to carry on a conversation with others
Understanding how to help your child in the future
Feeling that sense of relief and gratitude
frequently asked questions
Ask question here for the product that brings home the value or handles an objection.
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Ask question here for the product that brings home the value or handles an objection.
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Ask question here for the product that brings home the value or handles an objection.
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The best way to discover if this program is the right fit for you is to Schedule a Call With me
Now accepting applications...
Enter your info below and complete the form on the next page to be contacted for the Spring semester of Buddy Group.
We're currently not accepting applications, but you can be the first to know about the next semester by completing this form.We look forward to having you in a future Buddy Group!
We're currently not accepting applications, but you can be the first to know about the next semester by completing this form.We look forward to having you in a future Buddy Group!
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