The Roleplay Workshop

Special Needs

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While The Roleplay Workshop is not a program designed specifically for students with special needs, we have had extensive experience and some success working with such students.

The composition of a group determines the overall dynamic of the entire group. If a majority of individuals have organization or communication issues, then the group, as a whole, tends to focus on these issues rather than the game. If a majority of inidviduals do not have organization or communication issues, then any issues that do develope in the course of our program can usually be handled quickly, effectively and without stigma.

We have been very successful integrating students with special needs into our regular groups. We have two different ways of working with students with special needs: integrated groups and focused groups.

Integrated Groups

In an integrated group, we maintain a ratio of one high need student per three low or no need students. Thus, with our group size of six, we have a maximum of two high need students per table. In this group structure, the high need students are strongly influenced by the modeling of the rest of the group.

The student with attention deficit disorder learns the value of developing skills for keeping track of things and maintaining focus. The student with social skills difficulties sees social skills in use and and has the opportunity to develop her own skills.

In order for the integrated group to work, it is important that we have no more than one high need student for every three students. We also group our students by age, 10 - 12 and 13+, and level of experience. We may have to wait list high need students based on group composition, size and staffing, until such time as the group size increases, we add another group, or a space opens up in a given group.

Integrated groups work well with older students (13+) who have worked on their special need outside of the Roleplay Workshop, with a Therapist, Special Education Department at their school, or any other program designed to address their need. The students do not need to have prior experience with the Roleplay Workshop programs.

Focused Groups

In a focused group, all of the students have one or more special need. The group size is smaller, with a maximum enrollment of four students. Additionally, the cost of enrolling in a focused group is higher. Parents of students enrolled in a focused group can opt to receive monthly updates on the student's progress.

In a focused group, the focus of the story, plot points and scenes, is to address one or more of the student's needs. For example, in a group with several students with Aspergers, the scenario for the story might focus on the characters gathering information from people to solve a mystery. The student's characters might be placed in several situations where they would need to correctly interpret facial expressions, voice tone and words to be able to succeed in their quest. Students with memory issues would be encouraged to take notes, and the importance of doing so would be reinforced in the story.

Focused groups work well with any age student, although they are more strongly recommended for younger students (ages 10 - 12). The students do not need to have prior experience with the Roleplay Workshop programs.