2027 Active Learning WINTER Intensive Program Registration

The Tree Group’s Active Learning Program has developed through our work with children and adolescents whose learning, language, emotional, and behavioral difficulties are closely interconnected. When general school support or private educational services do not lead to clear progress, a closer examination of language development, cognitive functioning, emotion regulation, and behavioral characteristics may be needed. Understanding when children experience difficulties and what interferes with their participation in learning is the starting point for an individualized treatment plan.

Through comprehensive bilingual psycho-educational assessment and clinical observation, we closely examine each child’s strengths and difficulties. In bilingual environments, assessment results are interpreted in light of the child’s experience using each language and their ability to understand and express themselves in it. We examine whether the child needs support to understand task instructions or communicate difficulties, whether the level and presentation of tasks are appropriate, and when avoidance or refusal behaviors occur. These findings guide the development of clinical treatment and psycho-educational strategies tailored to the child.

The Active Learning Winter Intensive Program provides an opportunity to engage in this clinical approach in a more concentrated setting. Within an individualized daily routine, children receive instruction in language and learning skills and repeatedly practice emotional and behavioral regulation strategies in everyday activities. When behaviors significantly interfere with learning, we prioritize adjustments to the environment and teaching approach to support safety and task participation. By providing tasks matched to the child’s level of understanding and the support they need, we increase opportunities to participate in learning and use newly acquired skills.

Throughout this process, we provide clear routines and activity sequences and teach replacement behaviors that help children communicate their needs appropriately. We consider when a behavior occurs and the purpose it serves when teaching skills such as requesting help or a break, using an emotion regulation strategy, and returning to a task.

Appropriate communication and participation receive consistent feedback and reinforcement. We also work with parents to establish shared approaches, including clear limits on unsafe behavior and support for using learned communication and behavioral skills at home.

The Tree Group respects differences in how children learn and the pace at which they develop. Drawing on psycho-educational assessment findings and ongoing clinical observation, we adjust goals and teaching strategies according to changes in language use, engagement in learning, and the level of support each child needs. With more than twenty years of experience providing specialized psycho-educational clinical services, we will continue this winter to help children communicate their difficulties, ask for help, and apply learned skills at home and at school.