Rita Gray Center for Childhood Development

At each stage of development, children strive to gain mastery and confidence. These overarching goals will be greatly influenced by specific developmental delays, as well as unique aspects of personality and temperament. One child may struggle to express ideas, another to control impulses, and another to stick with a task. Whatever the individual challenges, each child desires to connect and communicate in ways that feel authentic and satisfying. We help children build on real strengths and interests, so that these attributes come to play the leading role in their lives.

Through play, children develop reasoning skills, flexible thinking, emotional understanding, and perspective taking. They learn about themselves and other children, and how to negotiate interpersonal relationships. Playgroups offer a secure and accepting environment for children to practice these skills, which then naturally extend to the classroom, and beyond. We help children develop strategies to problem solve with peers as they learn to take turns, share, and express ideas and needs. We allow time and space for children to navigate the back and forth, give and take aspects of social exchanges, while setting appropriate and safe limits. These experiences eventually teach self-regulation, and effective skills for peer communication. Our individual therapy sessions and developmental playgroups are predicated on the belief that with practice and support, each child can build emotional and social muscle.