Description:
My Inner Sense is a semi-structured group designed to enrich and educate parents and children on the importance of interoception, the 8th sensory system. Interoception helps us recognize and respond to internal body signals. This group supports neurotypical and neurodivergent children in developing self-regulation, improving body awareness, and managing impulsivity through interoceptive awareness. Using sensory-enriched play, children will explore and understand body sensations in various body parts, enhancing their ability to interpret and respond to these signals. Parents will gain valuable insights and tools to help support their child’s interoceptive development within the group and at home. Parents will also be introduced to two other internal senses that are closely related to interoception: the vestibular and proprioceptive senses.
My Inner Sense is led by a licensed therapist, Intervention Specialist or teacher with specialized training in Interoception. Depending on group size, an aide, PLAY Tutor or Instructional Assistant may help support the team leader.
ALL kids can benefit from understanding their unique interoception! Groups are open to neurotypical and neurodivergent children ages 3-12, whether or not they are currently receiving services from Relate & Grow.
Each My Inner Sense series runs once a week for 7 weeks. Each session is 1 hour, with the exception of week 1 (see below). Children receive a total of 4 to 6 hours of therapy or intervention over the course of the 7 week series. Parent participation is required.
Week 1 consists of a 1-hour parent education session provided in person or online, with an optional 30-minute Q&A session to follow. Childcare is provided IF the week 1 session is in-person.
Weeks 2 to 6: Sessions are 1 hour long. Children work with Relate & Grow staff for 40 minutes and parents are required to participate for the last 20 minutes of the session.
Week 7 will be 1 hour long, children and parents will work with Relate & Grow staff to apply interoception knowledge.
Staff to child ratio of 1 staff member for every 2 to 4 children. Some children may require a one-on-one PLAY Tutor, Instructional Assistant, or family member, in which case an additional cost may apply (there is no additional cost if a family member provides the one-on-one support).
Objectives:
To provide children with engaging, sensory-rich activities that foster interoceptive awareness and body sensation recognition.
To enhance children’s self-regulation, body awareness, and ability to manage impulsivity.
To educate parents on interoception and provide strategies for supporting their child’s development of interoceptive awareness at home.
To create a nurturing environment where children can explore their internal signals through play.
To offer personalized support based on each child’s Functional Development Level.
Guidelines:
ALL children (Neurotypical and neurodivergent) ages 3-12 are welcome to participate and benefit from My Inner Sense, with groups potentially divided by Functional Development Levels (FDLs) or age, depending on the size of enrollment. Cost is the same for all participants.
Some children may require an aide, instructional assistant or parent to be in attendance and provide one-on-one support, in order for the child to get the most out of the group objectives or for safety purposes. This is most likely for children who tend to elope, tend to engage in risky behavior, have special medical conditions that require constant attention (such as seizures), get easily overwhelmed or aggressive, or have substantial challenges at FDLs 1-3 and do not yet sustain engagement most of the time. Aides, PLAY Tutors or Instructional Assistants MAY be available through Relate & Grow for an additional cost. Parents or family members can provide one-on-one support to their child for free.
My Inner Sense groups require parent participation. A parent must be in attendance:
for a 1-hour introduction session during week 1 of the series in person or online, with an optional Q&A 30-minute session after introductory meeting. Childcare will be provided if the session is provided in-person.
for the last 20 minutes of each session during weeks 2 to 6
For the entire 1-hour session on week 7
All participants must complete an intake form and possibly a screening if not currently receiving services from Relate & Grow.
Please provide a water bottle and a snack for your child in case they get hungry.
Cost: $380 per child per 7 week series. The cost is the same whether the child participates for 1 hour or for all the hours offered in the series. One My Inner Sense series includes a total of 7 hours of group therapy.
Special Offer for Autism Awareness Month!
Register during the month of April and receive $30 off the total group price!
Cancellations: The decision to hold a group is made based on the number of registered participants, therefore, we are unable to offer refunds. However, if not enough children are registered for a session prior to the session start, Relate & Grow reserves the right to cancel the group, in this case, your payment will be refunded.