Age-specific programming Cottage addresses needs of young children
by Frank Selden, Ph.D., Psychologist, Piedmont Psychiatric Center
A newly opened latency age cottage at Bridges Treatment Center has improved the center's ability to address the developmental needs of children ages 10 and under. The 20-bed Dogwood Cottage provides appropriate living spaces for boys and girls separated by a common area and offers programming specific to this age group's needs and concerns.
Prior to the center's expansion to five cottages, younger children were grouped among children in wider age ranges. Now, Bridges staff can assess younger age-specific concerns—from self-care and hygiene to dressing, clothing, eating behaviors and social skills development. Daily routines are better tailored to the age group, and the children learn appropriate social skills by interacting primarily with their peers.
Children in Dogwood Cottage eat meals and attend group therapy together. They attend school with students who are slightly older (11 and 12 year olds). After-school activities and social skill groups also are designed to be age-specific, both developmentally and physically.
Social skill groups are critical to this age group's development. Students are broken into small groups, where they learn to interact appropriately with their peers, manage conflicts and relate properly with adults. Staff members provide coping strategies and resources. Children at Bridges Treatment Center often have not had the opportunity to develop friendships with peers. Age-appropriate play (games, toys, arts and crafts, drawing and painting) enables them to develop healthy relationships and learn appropriate boundaries with adults. Staff members closely monitor the extent a child plays video games.
The Dogwood Cottage environment also allows children "to be children," and staff members can better control the more capricious desire of children who try to act like the older children on campus.
The latency cottage also enables young children to learn how to use free or slightly unstructured (but not unsupervised) leisure time. They learn how to play, interact and make choices to prepare for times without adult supervision once they leave Bridges. They are introduced to educational activities and steered away from the television and video games.
Children also have an opportunity to be alone. There is planned time in their rooms, when they can calm down and prepare for their next activity. There, they can make choices independent of adult input and contact family members by telephone.
Off-campus activities, such as swimming lessons, are also part of the Bridges experience. Field trips are tailored to the needs of younger children. For example, a trip to a park might bore older children but be the perfect activity for children 10 and younger. It is important that children do not experience Bridges as a "closed" environment. Many opportunities exist for children to visit stores, restaurants, parks and activity centers—places they would normally frequent outside of Bridges. Children learn:
Basic safety skills (how to cross the street, what to do if they become separated, how to access help, their phone number and address)
Dining etiquette (how to order food, eat a meal, table manners, appropriate portions)
Awareness of health and nutritional concerns
How to meet behavioral expectations in social environments
A strategic part of programming is to help the children develop emotional awareness through all the daytime activities. In both individual and group therapy, children begin to understand what basic emotions look and feel like and how to identify them in themselves and others. Emotional education helps them learn how to use strategies to calm down when they are feeling upset or angry. Even the youngest children at Bridges learn how to evaluate and improve their behaviors. They learn how to set goals—both immediate and future—so they develop a sense of planning.
The nighttime routine is an important element of the Dogwood Cottage experience. Homework is completed and located for tomorrow's classes. Children learn the importance of hygiene such as brushing teeth, cleaning up and taking showers. A sense of calm helps children prepare for bed as a central sound system plays appropriate music. Children are offered a snack after dinner, and staff members read bedtime stories. Staff supervision is increased at the cottage during evening hours. Some young children experience bad dreams. If they wake up, they find a staff member there to support and comfort them.
When nearing discharge, therapists work with the families to implement Dogwood Cottage routines at home. Families that use what therapists implement at Bridges—adequate meals, calming activities, limits on television and video games—have the most success. The transition from Bridges to home life is much less difficult when routine and structure continue to be a part of these children's lives.
