Social & Recreation

Join us for a program geared for children and pre-teens developmentally at the preschool level and specifically designed for children with special needs and their families. The program incorporates a schedule board, double visuals, and sensory opportunities for participants. A half-hour of socialization time follows the programs

This program currently offered at the following CCPL branches: Middleburg Heights, North Royalton, Parma, Solon

Please click on the website link below to register.

A day habilitation program for “adults with capabilities” in both the Toledo and Cleveland areas. Adults in the program have the opportunity to volunteer within the community, along with developing social relationships and learning new skills.

They also offer an after school program and personal home maker services.

Stepping Stones and United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cincinnati (UCP) combined services and facilities to become a single agency. Stepping Stones serves children, teens and adults ages 5 to 22 with an array of developmental disabilities including autism.

Stepping Stones works with schools to provide an alternative education for elementary, middle school and high school students on the autism spectrum who are not succeeding in a traditional school setting.

The program is designed to enable students to increase communication, social skills, functional academics, and functional living skills while developing acceptable behaviors so they may participate more fully in family interaction and community. The goal of the program is to provide each student with the tools to transition back to their community school district.

Three additional locations in Southwestern Ohio.
More than 85% of participants qualify for government or other financial assistance. Also, there are a limited number of scholarships available. They also accept Waiver funding, 3rd party funding and personal funding.

Chapter of the Autism Society of America.

Offers support and information for families from diagnosis to adulthood through family support, seminars, community training and social opportunities for those affected with ASD. They also hold monthly parent support groups.

Offers a summer camp called S.T.A.R. (Students Together Achieving Respect), that serves all individuals with any type of disability. Camp is staffed with intervention specialists, a movement specialist and college interns. It blends academic, recreational and social skills lessons to promote individual camper growth. The camp is for individuals aged 3 to 22. Offers ESY opportunities as well.

Also known as Betty’s Farm, they offer:

Friday Night Fun & Social Living Club
These group sessions include hands-on activities for families and individuals to learn and develop social skills. Funding for is private pay or Medicaid waiver.

The Day Program serves individuals ages 18 and older who benefit from the structure and support offered in a habilitation and prevocational training model. The program offers many opportunities for developing social and vocational skills through community-based volunteering, creative arts, fiber arts, woodworking, horticulture, social skill development and janitorial job training activities.

Summer Enrichment Program
This up to 6 week program is individualized to meet the needs of Extended School Year funding while also providing the recreational experience of a traditional summer camp.

Adult Day Habilitation Program for Adults coordinates volunteer opportunities in the community for adults with autism spectrum disorders.

Day Programming
Arrays of services are offered for adults to meet the individual needs of each person including habilitation and pre-vocational activities. Services are offered Monday through Friday.

They provide educational, spiritual, pastoral, sacramental, catechetical, camps, social and recreational programs.

The mission is to assist people with cognitive and other developmental disabilities and physical disabilities to understand, develop and live out their lives as completely as possible within the Church and the larger community.

Camp Happiness is a summer program for children and young adults ages 5-21 with cognitive and other developmental disabilities, regardless of race, religion, culture or economic background.
They offer social and recreational activities, as well as skill enhancement. Participants also go swimming and on community field trips. Camp locations are in Parma and Wickliffe. Some financial assistance is available.

Their very popular Monthly Dance/Social offers persons of all abilities, ages 16 and over only, the opportunity to learn social skills and form friendships. Dances are held on the second Friday of the month, from 7-9pm. They take place at the OLA-St. Joseph Center, 2346 West 14th Street, in Cleveland. Entry for $3 dollars a person.
Call (216)334-2963 for more information, or visit their website.

Connecting for Kids is a nonprofit with a mission to provide education and support to families with concerns about their child. They serve families in Cuyahoga and Lorain counties with children younger than 13 years of age.

They have hands-on family training programs, music therapy classes, in addition to several different kinds of family support programs and groups.

Sensory program available for school-aged children with special needs or challenges at the Orange branch, one Saturday a month. The program incorporates hands-on activity stations and social interaction.

Sensory storytime  for children who are developmentally at the preschool level, offered at the Bay Village, Fairview Park, Independence, Mayfield Hts. and Parma branches. The monthly program incorporates a schedule board, double visuals, and sensory opportunities for participants and a half-hour socialization time.

Use the event search on the Cuyahoga County Public Library website to find current program schedules.

Offers include respite services; speech and language therapy; and in-home respite care. There are also summer camps for children with disabilities in Alliance and Ashtabula.

For children younger than 3, Easter Seals offers speech and language therapy.

Read this document for further information about Easter Seals’ services.

During the summer, HEART offers programs for parents as well as help with referrals and resources.

SibShop groups for sibling support are available year-round as requested. Open to residents of Medina and surrounding counties.

Insight Learning and Wellness offers a Tae Kwon Do studio and numerous health and wellness services, including acupuncture, yoga and meditation. They provide holistic care services to children, adolescents, adults and couples.

They also offer confidential testing and therapy for children and adults with an integrative approach to treating ADHD, learning disabilities, autism spectrum, anxiety and many other conditions. They have a psychological evaluation team that includes licensed school psychologists, a speech language pathologist and an occupational therapist.

Insight Learning and Wellness accepts Caresource insurance plans. Insight is an Autism Scholarship provider and a Jon Peterson Scholarship provider.

Note that this resource offers some therapies that are not evidence-based. Milestones only promotes evidence-based therapies, and we encourage anyone who is not familiar with what those therapies are to contact our Helpdesk.

Offers disabled and at-risk youth volunteer service, vocational activities and social enrichment opportunities.

Serves ages 14 – 26

JFSA is guided by traditional Jewish values of communal responsibility and social justice. They offer several programs to assist teens and adults with disabilities with residential services, employment services, community inclusion, and family advocacy.

The Horvitz YouthAbility program offers volunteering and job training opportunities for disabled and at-risk youth and young adults.

Vocational Rehabilitation Services help people prepare for employment based on their skills and interests.
Adult Day Program offers group and individual day respite activities.

Provides information, education, training, employment, and independent-living services to adults ages 18+ with disabilities. Also offers community-based evening and weekend activities.

A self-pay option has been developed for benefits services, including applications for Social Security and Medicaid, as well as Benefits Analysis, a process whereby individuals can understand the impact of employment on their eligibility for public benefits.

Services are available in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, and Medina counties.

A variety of adaptive programs for all ages and ability levels, with activities ranging from book clubs to league sports. Schedule changes seasonally, cost and location vary between programs. No financial aid available.

Visit the Mayfield Village Recreation website or search our Event Calendar for current program schedule.

Use this website as a master contact list for libraries within the state of Ohio. The list is organized by county and city.
At your local library, there are opportunities for classes and social opportunities for people of all ages.

Chuck E. Cheese’s now offers a sensory-friendly experience on the first Sunday of every month. Their trained and caring staff is there to make sure each guest has a fun filled visit.

The Sensory Sensitive Sundays experience includes:
1. Less crowding and noise
2. Dimmed lighting
3. Show and music turned off or down
4. Limited appearances by Chuck E.
5. Food and games are offered

Visit their website for locations and other information.

Classes that teach American Sign Language (ASL) to all ages, from babies and children to adults. They offer classes for babies and children up to age 12, and offer workshops for adults in professional and social arenas.

Sign language is a great way for caregivers and parents to communicate with pre-verbal individuals.For children, it is a wonderful enrichment opportunity.

Solutions Behavioral Consulting offers a variety of programming options individualized to meet each child’s needs. All of the programs are developed based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

Behavioral Consultation services provided by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) or Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) and include implementation of the IEP by utilizing evidence-based practices. Also offers: group ABA sessions, speech therapy, individualized tutoring, a new adapted swimming lessons program, and a Little Learners school prep program for preschoolers. Helps individuals ages 2-22.

SBC serves the following Ohio counties: Portage, Summit, Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, Stark, Lorain

They accept United Health Care insurance.

Supportive network for friends, family and service professionals connected with Autism in Portage County.

Provides information, planned networking events, monthly support group and fun family activities.

Visit the SWAN website or our Event Calendar for upcoming event dates.

The KIDnections Group, LLC is comprised of a Speech-Language Pathologist, an Occupational Therapist, and a Behavioral Therapist all with extensive experience working with children ages 3-23 with autism spectrum disorder, ADD/ADHD, generalized anxiety and other related diagnoses affecting social development.

They provide recreational programs such as cooking, arts and crafts, game playing, music and movement, and sports skills classes all geared for children with autism or similar diagnoses. Kitchen Connections is a workshop style cooking class for children ages 9-14. Participants will learn and practice valuable kitchen skills while sharing cooking experiences with their peers. Both verbal and nonverbal communicators are encouraged to join – augmentative communication devices are welcome.

They also offer private groups and parties (see website for details).

Kidnections Kitchen classes are $70 for a two-hour course. They accept Family Support Dollars for Cuyahoga and Lorain counties and are willing to explore additional funding sources if needed.