Social Skill Foundations

Overview

Focused programming is offered during the year to teach fundamentals of social development in a motivating and encouraging format. Our groups are cohesively formed and consist of 16-week intervention desired to teach learners social skills. In order to fully participate, children must speak consistently in phrases (sentences of four or more words).

During each group session, children will learn fundamental play and social skills introduced through an interactive lesson followed by a variety of games and activities designed to rehearse newly learned skills and reinforce skill development in natural settings. 

Parents simultaneously attend separate group sessions where they are taught how to help their children make and keep friends by acting as social coaches outside of the group. To maximize parent training, each session includes direct instruction over social skill training and role-play during which parents receive performance feedback from the treatment team on their social coaching.

The evidence-based PEERS® curriculum (*additional curriculum may be embedded when needed) is utilized to teach all age and developmental groups the following skills: 

Early Learners

• Listen and follow directions
• Ask for and use friends’ names
• Greet friends
• Share and give turns to friends
• Ask for turns during play
• Cool down when upset during play
• Be flexible, cooperative during play
• Be a good sport
• Sustain play through commenting
• Ask friends to play
• Join ongoing game play
• Transition to new play activities
• Ask for help and help friends
• Maintain appropriate body boundaries

Intermediate and Advanced Learners 

• Developing and Maintaining Friendships
• How to use appropriate conversational skills
• How to appropriately use electronic forms of communication
• How to appropriately use humor and assess humor feedback
• How to start, enter, and exit conversations between peers
• How to organize successful get-togethers with friends
• How to be a good sport
• How to handle arguments and disagreements with friends
• How to handle rejection, teasing, bullying, and rumors/gossip