Welcome

Social skills groups can be an invaluable tool for children who are developmentally delayed or struggle with social and communication skills. It’s particularly valuable for children on the autism spectrum, but can also be pivotal for children, teens, and young adults with conditions like Down syndrome, ADHD, and cognitive disabilities.

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There is extensive evidence that social skills groups are incredibly effective in helping kids and adolescents make substantial strides with social communication – particularly when those facilitating are trained and experienced. (All of our social skills groups are facilitated by licensed speech, occupational, and ABA therapists.) In the biggest study of PEERS (the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills for young adults), researchers evaluated participants and non-participants before and after the 16-week social group session. Participants had “significantly greater improvements” in things like frequency of social engagement and improvement of overall social skills as opposed to those on the waiting list. There was also a substantial decrease in certain symptoms of autism spectrum disorder related to social responsiveness.

Social skills are about much more than just communicating with others. They are critical to establishing friendships, succeeding in school, and (later in life) getting and keeping a job.

Among the skills our social skills groups target:

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• Turn-taking

• Being flexible

• Problem-solving

• Negotiating

• Considering the perspectives of others

• Listening to others

• Initiating and/or joining play

• Age-appropriate play

• Coping with confrontation, rejection or teasing

• Verbal communication

• Confidence-building

• Staying on task

• Following directions

• Asking for help

• Evaluating the size of a problem

• Understanding non-literal language and concepts

• Learning to read non-verbal social cues such as facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice are often incorporated as well.

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Most of our groups are relatively small (groups of 2-8), facilitated by a therapist. There is typically some instruction, possibly some role-play or a fun activity to encourage social interaction. Participants get feedback (and parents may be looped in as well) to help them practice the skills they most need to work on. Face-to-face interactions and practice in a safe environment help the lessons to stick.

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All 6-week sessions are $210.00 and must be paid at the time of registration.

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