ImprovAbility! offers Social Improv©, a program combining drama and social teaching to teens and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Operating since 2011, our organization has worked with Autism Ontario, Kerry’s Place, and Integrated Autism Consulting. In addition, the organization offers its own workshops and camps to teens and adults with Asperger’s and High Functioning Autism, among an array of other social learning challenges.

ImprovAbility! offers a safe and supportive environment to help teens or young adults get more comfortable socially. If you are a teen or young adult who struggles socially or has a diagnosis of social learning difficulties – our workshops can help!

Social Improv© Workshops feature:

• a consistent ASD friendly environment,
• visual prompts – 5 point scale, social behavior mapping
• trained coaches who work beside the Players to encourage and model the games and ideas.
• classes capped at 8 players, with a 2 to 1 ratio of player to coach, where possible.
• player pre-screening to ensure everyone’s capacity to interact with others and self-manage in a group.
• A group agreement written by the group itself so everyone has an investment in keeping the group tone positive and creative.
• Curricula based on the teaching and principles of Viola Spolin (Improvisation for the Theatre), Keith Johnstone (Impro) and the work of Michelle Garcia Winner (Social Thinking) and Dr. Peter Vermuellen (Context Blindness), among others.

Social Improv© activities and games encourage self awareness, reciprocal interactions, building on and adding to what your partner is doing, telling stories, extending conversations and predicting what might happen next.

About Alana Shields Barker:
Alana is a certified PEERS facilitator, Social Coach and Roleplay Coach.  She trained at the Geneva Centre for Autism as Autism Intervenor specializing in Social Skills and Managing Anxiety.  As well, she has spent over 35 years as an actor, improviser and drama/improv teacher.  She has taught at The Second City, George Brown Theatre School and the Tarragon Theatre School (1990s).  She is the developer of Social Improv© and the Director of ImprovAbility!  Alana lives in Georgina with her husband and son.