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Relationships are critical to a
child’s development. Infants and children learn and grow
in the context of relating to other people. The brain and
mind don’t develop without being nurtured by human
relationships. Without relationships, the building blocks
for healthy emotional, physical and cognitive development
including self-esteem, initiative, creativity, judgment,
logic and abstract thought do not develop.
Because relationships
are essential to learning, Bridges’ programming focuses first and
foremost on developing a child’s relationship with his or her
parents and caregivers. It is through this primary relationship that
the child develops the ability to joyfully relate, share interest
and communicate with others. Because the core deficit of autism lies
in a child’s ability to relate and communicate with others, Bridges
intervention is relationship-based. Professionals work alongside
parents to promote joyful and sustained interactions between a
parent and his or her child.
Once
the child demonstrates a consistent ability to relate to others,
meaningful relationships are used as the context in which we work to
promote higher-level intellectual and emotional growth and
development. No single skill is taught to a child outside of the
context of a caring, respectful and nurturing relationship. It is
through the relationship that parents and professionals learn what
is meaningful to the child, and in turn, provide meaningful and
highly motivating learning experiences for the child.
 
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