IMPROV to Impact: Building Communication Skills for Students with Autism

Autism Collier Charter School (ACCS) is committed to creating a supportive and engaging learning environment in which students with autism are encouraged to discover their strengths, build meaningful connections, and develop the skills they need to be successful both in school and in their communities. While academic growth is an important part of our students’ education, we also recognize the importance of developing communication, confidence, social-emotional skills, problem-solving, collaboration, and the ability to adapt to new situations. Through this grant, ACCS would partner with The Naples Players (TNP) to introduce structured improvisational activities as an engaging and accessible way for students to practice and strengthen these essential skills. A TNP teaching artist would visit ACCS throughout the school year for a total of seven sessions, working with selected classroom groups in collaboration with their teachers. Autistic children benefit from better communication skills because it helps them share their basic needs, lower frustration and stress, connect with other people, and learn better at school. When children can express what they think or feel, they do not have to rely on hard behaviors like tantrums or crying to show what is wrong. A key component of this partnership would be tailoring each session to the individual needs of the students. Prior to each visit, classroom teachers would identify specific areas in which their students could benefit from additional support. TNP instructors would then incorporate those goals into developmentally appropriate improvisational activities. Depending on the needs of each group, sessions may focus on building confidence, expressing ideas, communicating with others, working as a team, thinking flexibly, solving problems, or navigating social interactions. Our goal is to create an experience in which students can practice important life and learning skills in a fun, supportive, and low-pressure setting. Improvisation encourages students to take appropriate risks, listen to others, respond in the moment, and recognize that there can be more than one way to approach a situation. By bringing this unique partnership to ACCS, we hope to give students another meaningful avenue for developing skills that will enhance their participation in the classroom, strengthen their relationships with others, and support their continued growth beyond the school setting.

During each Improv session, a group of students will participate in an interactive 1-hour workshop led by an instructor from The Naples Players. The classroom group will be selected based on identified student needs, allowing the program to provide more targeted support throughout the year. Each workshop will utilize some of the five basic skills of improv: listening, accepting, supporting, problem solving, and storytelling Students will participate in fun and interactive games at their own level, displaying quick thinking creative skills and then expanding upon them. Sessions will use structured improv games, role-playing, storytelling, and collaborative exercises to give students opportunities to practice communication and social-emotional skills in an environment that is fun, active, and supportive. Students will practice listening to one another, expressing ideas, responding to unexpected situations, working collaboratively, taking appropriate risks, and solving problems together. Improv games incorporate movement, imagination, sustained attention, and observation skills. Students will participate in these activities in their classrooms alongside their teachers. This “together” approach allows both students and teachers to fully immerse themselves in the experience and provides teachers with strategies they can reinforce throughout the school year. Teachers will communicate with the team at The Naples Players about areas of need before sessions so that activities can be responsive to individual students/groups. Teachers can then reinforce strategies and concepts introduced during the workshops as students encounter similar situations in the classroom, group work, and less structured social settings.

An improvisation program would provide students with autism a unique and engaging opportunity to strengthen communication, social interaction, problem-solving, and self-advocacy skills in a supportive and inclusive environment. Through structured improvisational activities, students would practice listening, turn-taking, initiating conversations, expressing ideas, interpreting social cues, responding to others, and communicating their thoughts and needs. Improvisation also naturally develops flexible thinking and problem-solving. Because students cannot always predict what will happen next, they learn to adapt to unexpected situations, consider multiple solutions, make decisions, and respond appropriately when circumstances change. These skills are particularly important for students preparing for greater independence, employment, and participation in their communities. Working with an experienced improvisation instructor would allow students to learn these skills through meaningful, hands-on experiences rather than solely through traditional classroom instruction. Students would have opportunities to practice real-world scenarios such as job interviews, communicating with coworkers and supervisors, resolving conflicts, asking for assistance, advocating for themselves and navigating unfamiliar situations. In addition to communication and social development, improvisation can promote self-confidence, creativity, emotional expression, perspective-taking, resilience, and a willingness to take appropriate risks. Students learn that there is not always one "right" answer and that mistakes can be opportunities to try again. This can help students become more comfortable with uncertainty and develop greater confidence in their ability to handle new situations. Most importantly, improvisation creates opportunities for students to experience success with their peers. By creating scenes and solving problems together, students develop a greater sense of belonging, cooperation, and connection. The skills developed through improvisation can extend beyond the classroom and support students as they pursue employment, independent living, community participation, friendships, and greater self-determination. An improvisation program would therefore serve not simply as an arts enrichment opportunity, but as a practical and engaging component of a comprehensive academic and transition program designed to prepare students with autism for successful, meaningful adult lives.

Grant funds of $1750.00 will support seven one-hour sessions (total 7 hours), delivered once a month for seven months. customized workshops led by a teaching artist from The Naples Players throughout the school year. The cost includes instructor travel time, pre-workshop conferencing with ACCS teachers to identify student and classroom goals, and preparation time to develop lessons and select or create improv games and activities tailored to each group’s needs. This investment allows each workshop to be intentionally designed to strengthen targeted skills such as communication, confidence, collaboration, flexible thinking, and problem-solving so that students can benefit from targeted sessions.

1750

Session 1 (TNP instructor will consult, plan, travel, and lead a one hour workshop for students)

250

Session 2 (TNP instructor will consult, plan, travel, and lead a one hour workshop for students)

250

Session 3 (TNP instructor will consult, plan, travel, and lead a one hour workshop for students)

250

Session 4 (TNP instructor will consult, plan, travel, and lead a one hour workshop for students)

250

Session 5 (TNP instructor will consult, plan, travel, and lead a one hour workshop for students)

250

Session 6 (TNP instructor will consult, plan, travel, and lead a one hour workshop for students)

250

Session 7 (TNP instructor will consult, plan, travel, and lead a one hour workshop for students)

250