“For me, the greatest joy is meeting a child who at first seems nonverbal, but after going through our classes, gets to the point where he tells me his name… Have faith in your students. They feel it, and you inspire them to have faith in themselves. And then the magic starts to happen.”
~ Gena Sims
Founder
Our Drama Workshops use theater exercises to help students increase eye contact, learn social skills, express & identify emotions and practice verbal & nonverbal communication. Together, students chant “I Can Do It!” to reinforce their self-confidence. And they learn how to empathize with peers, parents, and teachers through role-play. ATP has taught drama workshops at the following locations: Dan Marino Foundation, University of Miami’s Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, Kia Kidz Martial Arts Center, Great Heights Academy, We Rock the Spectrum Gym, and Alexander Montessori School. And we would love to teach your students! You can sign up for our drama workshop program by clicking the button below:
Our In-School Programs help students, teachers, and administrators better understand and connect with the autism community. Screenings of ATP’s productions inspire discussions about empathy, disability, and determination, led by ATP’s motivational speakers.
Our Internship Programs give community service opportunities to interns from around the country, ages 16 and up. Interns assist in various areas, including fundraising and marketing, while gaining valuable professional skills.
Our “Success Stories” interview series features young adults of all abilities, caregivers, and educators, who have overcome incredible challenges in their lives.
We adapt common theater exercises to suit the needs of our students, including-
A main activity in our program is “social scenes”. In social scenes, students act out “social stories”, an effective educational concept developed by autism consultant Carol Gray. Through role play, they practice proper behavior in the following situations, among others:
Students also learn how to empathize with “roles” they have yet to play, like their teachers and parents. By understanding how their actions affect others, they are motivated to make positive changes to their behavior.
Developed for advanced students, our Playground Empathy program teaches students how to be effective leaders on the playground and beyond.
We use our “social scenes” method to address situations that students say they are currently experiencing, like conflict with friends.
We also show students a video of our production, “In the Life of a Child”. The production shows them how children with and without disabilities can learn from one another. In the process, students learn that, at the heart, we are all one and the same, yet uniquely different. This lesson inspires them to lead class discussions about how our differences can become our strengths. And with this wisdom, our students will become effective leaders in the future.
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© 2022 Autism Theater Project – Everyone has a voice
