Our residential Program supports children and young adults with developmental disabilities achieve their dreams by overcoming barriers to living, learning and recreating in their own community. We support persons with behavioral challenges by eliminating the unwanted behavior, replacing it by teaching acceptable behavior, and stabilizing these challenges to allow for greater independence. We use a 5-Stage approach to graduating children from our program to independence. Our Social independence Program promotes independence in the areas of self-care, communication, and activities of daily living.
We provide nurturing homes in San Diego County that are staffed with capable professionals. SAS is dedicated to helping children and adolescents with developmental disabilities achieve independence through guidance and training, while promoting self-advocacy and family inclusion.
Sports & Fitness Program
At the SAS residences, a big part of our day is involves getting out for some physical activity. Throughout the year, we offer sports and fitness programs that align with the seasons, including skiing, swimming, baseball, basketball, volleyball, and bocce ball.
Our kids also love to get out in the community to walk on the track at the local high school or hike in the area’s numerous parks and trails. Playing together helps increase the bonds of friendship and improve and channel energy. This is just one part of a vital and healthy lifestyle that we promote at Supporting Alternative Solutions.
Gardening Project
Last year marked the beginning of a gardening tradition at the residential program in all our homes. The kids got a chance to be a part of growing their own food and learning in a hands-on way about the nourishment that goes into their bodies. They started plants from seeds, participated in tilling soil, planting seedlings, and reaping the harvest of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and the house favorite—strawberries!
Art Program
Each Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., our kids get to express themselves creatively through an art program taught by a volunteer artist. Projects have included color mixing, painting, collage, and chair painting. Our art program teacher focuses on developing the unique potential in each child. Guest artists will also participate. Right now the kids are getting excited about their first art show in the summer of 2011!
An SAS Story…
William is a handsome, loving, happy, energetic, young man. He came to live at Sequoia House when he was 6 years old. William had many self-help and behavior challenges upon his arrival. He was not toilet trained, unable to dress, bathe, or groom himself, did not sit at a table to eat for more than 10 seconds and lacked the skill to sit and focus on any given learning or leisure opportunity. William did enjoy swinging, climbing, running, swimming, and riding in the car to parks and amusement parks.
The daily hard work, structure, programming, and patience of those working with William is changing his life for the better. William is now able to use the restroom independently and he can dress and groom himself with minimal prompting. He enjoys doing a variety of sit-down leisure activities as well as sitting and eating meals with his peers. William is now able to participate in helping to cook simple items and meals for himself and his peers. He is also able to go out to the movies and to restaurants with his family and friends. William is a wonderful young adult who is participating fully in his own life and with the world around him.
These successes would not have been possible for William had he not had the care and support we provide at Supporting Alternative Solutions.
