Children with Special Needs Need Special Friends

The Kids Helping Kids Club brings typically developing children from the community to The Kendall School. At The Kendall School we teach peer helpers how to provide the special assistance needed to teach children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders to play and make friends. Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders need special assistance to learn the things that come so naturally for most children. They need friends who can persevere in teaching them how to take turns, play games, share toys, and converse.

Potential peer helpers are boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 10 years of age. They should have language skills and play skills appropriate to their age. In addition, they must also be good instruction followers as they must learn specific ways to interact with their new friends. Peers need to be positive but assertive with their new friends at The Kendall School. Occasionally children may not be ready to participate in The Kids Helping Kids Club due to personality or developmental level. Under these circumstances, we may recommend that a potential peer helper return in 4-6 months.

Potential peer helpers first come with a parent to The Kendall School where they can better understand the needs of children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders and the format of these special play dates. Both the potential peer helpers and their parents will have a chance to observe the children and their special needs either directly or on videotape.

All Kids Helping Kids Club play dates are held at The Kendall School and are directly supervised by staff specially trained to conduct these sessions. Parents of peer helpers are welcome to remain on site but must stay in the waiting area.

The children at The Kendall School clearly benefit from The Kids Helping Kids Club, but your child may too. Peer helpers in The Kids Helping Kids Club have the opportunity to learn that some people in the world need more help than others and that helping others is rewarding. They also personally benefit from successfully assuming responsibility for being a helper. Finally, the play sessions are very positively structured so that they are fun and provide encouragement to children at all levels.

Contact information:
e-mail: kendallschool@tpathways.org
phone: 209.572.0124