To assist and support parents and children with special needs in enhancing their quality of life by providing a unique, affordable program combining social and physical skills that enables them to become more inclusive within society.

The Sluis Academy is a group of professionals that are dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals with autism and special needs.

We are developing programs that are fun and effective, using sports and games in conjunction with social skills and sensory systems activities aimed at getting children BACK IN THE GAME!

Certain social skills can be very challenging for parents and caregivers to work on and improve, and some sensory system deficits can be overlooked or even misdiagnosed.
Using games and activities that are fun, kids will WANT to play and practice, and it can be done anywhere, and anytime!

Our programs are also designed to work cooperatively with existing therapy and behavioral interventions. This enhances the effectiveness of programs that the children are already engaged in!

Because all children need to learn and practice social skills and exercise their sensory systems, these programs can be used for all children!

The digital age has the unfortunate side effect of decreased personal interaction with friends and classmates. We take advantage of the technologies available, so that parents and caregivers can easily find reference materials, equipment and toys that can be hard to find, and personal support for those difficult times and tricky problems.

We are creating a network of therapists that work with parents and children that can work either 1 on 1, or in small groups, to develop children’s social and physical skills in a safe, positive environment.

We have a website with a video library that contains instructional videos that will help parents and caregivers work with their children in the privacy of their own home, with background information about the world of autism, online resources they can access anytime, and a blog to keep up to date on what’s happening and great ideas.

We have a growing community on our forum where anyone can ask questions, ask for help, offer advice, or share their experiences or pitfalls. Grow from the experience of others!

We are currently developing remote education for parents new to autism. One of our therapists will video conference with the parents every week, and work with them through the course so they can be better prepared to handle some of the challenges they may experience.

The Sluis Academy hosts regular webinars, both free, public webinars, as well as webinars for our members. These workshops cover trending topics as well as topics common to the special needs world.

Our program is the result of over 25 years of experience in the field, and has had success with hundreds of children, both on and off the spectrum.

The program was created by combining various techniques that are proven successful, into a program that anyone can use, anytime, anywhere!

Our program was used as a base for the Adapted Physical Education program for the province of British Columbia, Canada, and continues to be in demand in so many areas.

• (My son) has been able to participate, physically and relationally, in baseball, soccer and racket type sports.
  John Siska

• We are very happy with the progress Carter has made.
  We look forward to our continued relationship with Bill and to watch Carter progress in his abilities.
  Kelly Greenfield

• I would like to give my 100 percent referral to Bill Sluis and his summer camp staff!  My daughter Hannah was in the program in 2010 and she still talks about the camp she went to.
  She is more engaging with others. They played group games that Hannah learned in school the following school year, which gave her increased confidence and security that she was doing the right thing, and that she could participate fully with her peers. I am very grateful to have met Mr. Sluis and his team, and I am really looking forward to the camps this summer. 
  Hannah’s mom 

Our program teaches fundamental movement skills, physical skills, and social skills together, in a safe, positive environment.

There are many programs available that deal with fundamental movement skills, physical skills, and social skills separately. The Sluis Academy is the first to integrate all of the skills and sensory systems together, into one wholistic program that targets the entire child!

SOCIAL SKILLS
Everyone interacts with other people every day. Whether it is to join in a game that their friends are playing, to developing relationships that can last a lifetime, we rely on our friends for support and enjoyment of life.

FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENT SKILLS
Babies follow a natural progression for learning how to move through the world around them. Sometimes they pass through these phases too quickly, or struggle with certain areas. This can greatly affect their physical skills later in life.  Some of the fundamental movement skills are crawling, rolling, jumping, balancing, running, and walking. The good news is that it's never too late to develop these skills!

PHYSICAL SKILLS
We use physical skills to interact with the world around us. We use them to move around, play games, express ourselves, and exercise! Some examples of physical skills are hitting/striking, galloping, dodging, throwing, kicking, and skipping.

SENSORY SYSTEMS
Everything we know about the world around us, we receive through our sensory systems. They include the visual, aural, tactile, vestibular, proprioceptive, and olfactory (smell) systems. Often common problems can be caused by problems with a sensory system.

Children learn through play, and learn the quickest when they're having fun! By combining both practices together, children learn in realistic environments that are readily transferrable to their everyday lives.

We teach the social skills needed to join the game, and the physical skills to be able to play the game.

Since the creation of The Sluis Academy, we have been self funded. We are reaching out for assistance to bridge our budget until our revenue offsets our expenses. By our estimates, these funds are the minimum required to successfully develop and implement our key programs.

Our overall goal is to assist as many children as we can with our programs. In support of this, The Sluis Academy will donate 10% of our net income to charities helping children with special needs.