Volunteers Needed!
We are looking for volunteers to help with the Equine Therapy Program, located at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, IL.
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Giant Steps is an innovative educational and therapeutic program for individuals living with autism. We take pride in offering specialized programming to enrich the daily lives of each student and/or young adult with autism.


 


     

 
 

Community Training

Giant Steps offers training to large and small groups in the community seeking to have a better understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Trainings are individualized to each group and materials are provided. Some groups we typically train are: 

  • Police Departments
  • Paramedics
  • Hospital Staff
  • Nursing Students
  • Library Staff
  • Dental Staff

Venues we have trained:
  • Navy Pier
  • U.S. Cellular Field
  • Department of Children and Family Services

 

 

Parenting Using Positive Behavioral Supports

Giant Steps offers parent training from a behavior, communication and education standpoint. Some of the focus areas include: 

  • Routines and Transitions
  • Proactive Supports and Setting Limits
  • Responding to Problem Behavior
  • Increasing Independence
  • Learning Through Play
  • Increasing Functional Communication
  • Reading and interpreting Individualized Education Plans

 
 
"I wished I took this class months/years sooner."
     
Ofc. R. Bartels
#18 Posen Police Department
       "After receiving our son's diagnosis, we were unsure about how to be effective parents to a child with ASD. Holly and Giant Steps helped improve our connection with him, giving us both the confidence and parental tools to best raise him. We can't praise their services highly enough."
     
Stephanie & Ryan
Wheaton, IL

 
 

Contact Information

toetting@mygiantsteps.org

 

 

 

Contact Information

toetting@mygiantsteps.org

Individual & Group Therapy Sessions

 

Click on each of the titles below to learn more about our Therapeutic Programs.

 

RecCenter Banner

 

The Rec Center at Giant Steps offers year-round camps and after school social connections for children and young adults with autism.  The Rec Center opened in 2009 as a fun, safe place for children and young adults with autism to attend after school and during school breaks. The program is designed to keep participants engaged socially and recreationally during after school hours, summer weeks and extended school breaks.  The Rec Center’s after school program and camps take place within the 72,000 SQ. ft. of the Giant Steps campus as well as a variety of fun places in the community. Participants are able to go swimming at a local hotel, go bowling, and participate in music sessions with a music therapist.

 

Staffing:

The Rec Center staff are Giant Steps staff, highly trained to work with students with autism and can provide support for children of all ages and abilities. Dependent on individual level of support needed, a student could be staffed with a 1:1, 1:2 or 1:3 staff to student ratio.
 Camps: During week-long school breaks such as Thanksgiving, Winter, Spring, and Summer Break periods, the Rec Center at Giant Steps is pleased to offer a camp program for students with autism. Every day at camp is a fun outing or new experience for participants. Past outings have included the Shedd Aquarium, swimming, Pump it Up bowling, basketball with Concordia University, ice skating and more! Dependent on individual level of support needed, a student could be staffed with a 1:1, 1:2 or 1:3 staff to student ratio.

 

 
For more information contact Karoline Kordalewski at 630.864.3852

Transition

The transition program (students 18-22 years) at Giant Steps individualizes programming to meet the specific needs of each student based on their transition plan (starting at 14 1/2 years). 

Focus is on: 

  • Life enrichment skills : Preparing students to engage in the world around them – Helping students to take part in new activities that may serve as lifelong hobbies 
  • Functional living skills : Preparing meals, grooming, responsibility for personal items, doing laundry, cooking, etc. 
  • Vocational readiness skills: Community engagement skills : Students take part in a community outing 1 day per week to practice generalizing skills outside of the Giant Steps environment and interact with community members. 
    • Jobs around school : Paper retriever, loading vending machine, snack cart, library, stocking, and much more
    • Volunteer opportunities in the community : Hilton Hotel, Lisle Bowling, Hobby Lobby, and We Grow Dreams are some of the current placements Giant Steps students have volunteered
  • Sensory regulation : Every student has a sensory diet which is proactively implemented to help keep them regulated and ready to learn throughout the day 
  • Increasing leisure and recreational skills : Teaching students how to appropriately engage in a variety of social activities


Transition Community

The focus of community based instruction is on job readiness skills, increased independence, and functional academics, as well as, if appropriate, jobs in and out of the building.  Each learning environment can include individual as well as small group (2-4 students) based instruction.  The curriculum is catered to the individual needs of the students and focuses on collaborating with the family on the transition plan and planning for the future of the student once the student graduates from  the therapeutic day school at 22 years.

For the students in vocational track, they may work on goals that build their independence and job readiness skills through participating in student jobs such as cleaning, stocking collecting attendance, recycling, and cafe cart.  Students may also participate in volunteer jobs at community job placements such as the Hilton Hotel  Buffalo Wild Wings, Lisle Bowling, Hobby Lobby and We Grow Dreams.  The transition students also participate in weekly shopping trips.  Embedded throughout the classroom and academic sessions are Special Rec, Technology, and Creative Media.  Transition students also participate in Community Outings one full day a week.

Therapeutic Programming

Transition students receive music therapy, social work, speech therapy, and occupational therapy.  Additional therapeutic programming allows students the opportunity to generalize skills in a variety of settings.  Some examples of ways therapies have been integrated for transition students at Giant Steps:

  • Special Recreation - weekly swimming program using space donated by local hotel
  • Animal - assisted therapy utilizing two full-time therapy dogs
  • "Chargers" group - works on anger management and self-regulation
  • Hair-cut programs - systematic desensitization which allows students to tolerate haircuts
  • Integration of membership in "clubs" including theater Club, Comedy Club, Running Club, as well as others.

Staffing   Staffing is based on student need level.  At Giant Steps, we understand that the need level of students can vary from day to day, which is why we use flex staffing.  We also understand the need for students to build independence throughout their lives.  We also understand the need for students to build independence throughout their lives.  We allow the students to work as independently as possible while still giving them the supports they need to be successful in a variety of environments.