Bridges In Social Understanding

Bridges In Social Understanding

The Bridges social curriculum adopts an educational approach and was developed in partnership with autistic children and their families. It is based on neuroaffirming principles of building on children’s abilities and strengths.

Bridges provides soft copy resources of its social curriculum (session plans, posters, activities, videos). They are designed to be used on your laptop or tablet. The social understanding Teaching Posters can be stored on your smart phone.

Social Learning with Bridges:

As an adult-directed social learning experience, the curriculum follows a systematic building of understanding: beginning with how people think in Module 1. The learning is sequential and interconnected; with Module 2 building on Module 1, and so on. This maintains the use of the Bridges Social Curriculum as it was originally delivered and upon which positive outcomes were achieved.

Inclusion Criteria:

The curriculum best benefits neurodivergent* children aged 8-14 who may be coping with academics but are struggling with social communication and interaction / social anxiety and may have few or no friends.

*Primarily autism but including other neurodivergent conditions e.g. ADHD/ADD.

Enables The Child:

The curriculum encourages the child to partner you in their social learning based on a shared understanding of the benefits of knowing more about people and situations. The child is provided with opportunities to develop self-awareness and enhanced capacity to make independent social choices so they have confidence in being themselves in the social world.

Evidence-Based, Proactive:

Bridges is an evidence-based curriculum. An external evaluation by independent experts in the field of autism has found that the curriculum makes a sustained difference to the lives of able autistic individuals. The curriculum takes a proactive approach to social learning that begins in the early school years.

Social Learning Across The Long-Term:

The social learning in the curriculum builds progressively and is interconnected. It takes about 3 academic years to complete. Young people who have followed the curriculum are more confident in social situations and feel good about themselves.

Eligibility

Age
From age 8 to 14
Aimed at
Parent/carer of a child
Parent/carer of a young person
Professional
School

Registrations & Approaches

Specialisms
Autism and Neurodivergent
Has autism-specific elements
Regulatory or professional certifications