District 87 Parent Program Focuses on Nurturing Social Skills, Communication

The Glenbard Parent Series: Navigating Healthy Families presents Pam Crooke speaking on "Smart Phones - Diminishing Communications: Nurturing Social Skills and Social Communication for Lifelong Success" at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec.11, in the auditorium at Glenbard East High School, 1014 S. Main St. in Lombard, and Thursday, Dec. 12, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. in a CASE extended workshop on "Social Thinking - Nurturing Social Thinking Skills and Social Communication" in the auditorium at Glenbard South High School 23W200 Butterfield Road in Glen Ellyn.

Crooke is an author, senior therapist, and professor whose area of expertise is in social learning and helping students develop the crucial skills needed to manage the complex and nuanced social world of teens. Those who attend either of the workshops will learn social-thinking techniques, as well as skills for teaching teens coping strategies, how to work as a team and how to negotiate their ever-changing social world. 

Social thinking was born out of necessity as a way to reach those "bright but socially clueless students" not only what social skills to use, but why.  

Please join the parent-to-parent drop-in discussion group at 6:30 p. m. Dec. 11 program at Glenbard East. The 7 p.m. free program is open to all. Students also are encouraged to attend.

GPS is generously funded by the Cebrin Goodman Center, an affiliate of the Lillian and Larry Goodman Foundation, and in partnership with the Cooperative Association for Special Education (CASE). Additional support for GPS comes from the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites in Carol Stream.

The Dec. 12 CASE extended workshop is free to all parents and educators in Glenbard District 87 and District 87's feeder elementary school districts. It is open to participants from outside of District 87. Advance registration is required of all extended workshop participants at www.casedupage.com Click on the "staff development link" on the left side of the CASE home page.