LeeAnn Rose is offering The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) in Moose Jaw beginning August 22, 2022, but will continue taking applications until the classes are full.
“I am offering this course independently now in the hopes of reaching more people, from a variety of organizations, that may benefit from the skills.”
Rose has personal experiences and challenges from autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Her son was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was 5-years-old who was nonverbal at the time. She taught him to read in the hopes to talk and it worked. She has been doing research over the last 20 years and has connected with several organizations to get services and help. Her son now is 27-years-old.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada 2018 report on National Autism Spectrum Disorder Surveillance System (NASS), nearly one in 66 children and youth are diagnosed with ASD in Canada. The families of ASD can suffer from major emotional and financial consequences.
The Saskatchewan government offers approximately $8,000 annually for children under the age of six who are diagnosed with ASD and around $6,000 for children six to 11, respectively.
In September 2021, Rose received her certification to teach the PEERS® program. Rose said many people who are struggling with autism have benefited from this program information.
“It’s an amazing program and I’m so impressed with the amount of work they put on this program and have studied it quite extensively in different configurations,” she told the Moose Jaw Express in a phone interview.
According to the Semel Institute website, The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) is world-renowned for providing evidence-based social skills treatment to pre-schoolers, adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) anxiety, depression, and other socio-emotional problems.
In 2005, it was first developed at Semel Institute in the University of California, Los Angeles by Dr. Elizabeth A. Laugeson and Dr. Fred Frankel. It has now expanded across the United States and over 125 countries around the world and has been translated into dozens of different languages.
Rose worked at Extendicare as a General Services Supervisor from 2005-2019 and was employed at Moose Jaw Association for Community Living as a mentor from 2016-2022. During her mentorship, she enjoyed working with individuals who were struggling with ASD to help improve their life skills.
Since 2019, she has been working as an educational assistant for the Prairie South School Division.
After completing her certification to teach PEERS®, she taught a class through the Canadian Mental Health Association in the spring of 2022 in Moose Jaw and will continue to offer this program with the hope of expanding it to other communities. She is looking for volunteers to join her and wants to share her knowledge and experiences with them. In addition, she will train the volunteers in how the program works and what the strategies are. Rose strongly believes in this program and the more that individuals learn about it, the more it grows.
“It can be a life-changing thing for some people, especially for those who are so isolated they don’t know how to start a conversation.”
Rose will be interviewing all applicants before enrolment to this program with 20 spots available for this PEERS® fall program. There will be a two hour session 5pm-7pm once a week for 16 weeks. The cost is $320 for each participant and coaches aren’t required to pay. Two different classes will be held with ten participants each, and will be determined after knowing the total number of applicants.
During this program, participants needs to do homework assignments where they get to practice in the real world. Participants will need to talk to someone over the phone for ten minutes without any support unless they need help.
Rose also said she will train the social coaches who are working with the participants, who can be their parents or any other family member. There will be a separate room for them to discuss more openly.
The cost of $320 covers the program, facilitation and training but it’s Rose’s desire to help those in need by sharing her knowledge and experiences with others.
She said lots of parents started connecting though Facebook groups of ASD, as many parents don’t know how to get the resources they need or who to talk to.
Parents are asking parents for help, rather than the appropriate governmental organizations that should be guiding them. Rose said all resources and guidelines should be more accessible to families who need them. Families need to know how to sign up for these organizations and how to get funds.
She says she hopes to expand the program and plans on purchasing a building where she can teach people how to cook food, clean the house or wash the dishes, helping them become completely independent.
If you want to join LeeAnn Rose’s PEERS® program in Moose Jaw or want to volunteers. Please contact Rose via phone or email. +1 (306) 630-5450 [email protected]
