SOCIAL SKILLS GROUP
Autism Social Skills Group | Social Skills Training (SST) | Aurora IL
Social Skills Group
Social skills groups will work with children in groups of similar ages. The focus of social skills groups is to teach age-appropriate behavior to engage and interact with peers, family, and in the community. Social Skills training can include turn-taking, identifying others emotions, expressing one’s own emotions, and detecting social cues.
The group will occur once a week with 1 hour per session. It may be necessary for some participants to have a 1:1 staff ratio, until the learner begins to respond in the group. Using age-appropriate games, models and individualized programs, the goal is to help learners engage in a social context in a manner that helps them to form and maintain relationships with others.
Social skills can be like second nature, performed effortlessly by some. Other people struggle and feel awkward and out of place, with even basic skills. Social skills training (SST) helps individuals improve their social behavior and interactions with others. These interventions focus on both verbal and nonverbal communication
Social Skills Groups are between two to six individuals. The groups are focused on children, adolescents, or adults.
- SST tends to last around 12 weeks
- SST groups are led by counselors, or therapists. SST groups aim to teach positive social behaviors, verbal and nonverbal communication, interactions, and skills. The groups provide a caring environment where people can learn from encouragement, experience, and practice
- Group ages range from 3-21 years of age
There are a variety of skills that your child with autism needs to learn to be successful in life. Some of these critical skills fall under the umbrella of social skills. Because an estimated 40% of people with autism are nonverbal [1], creating connections with other people can have unique challenges.
In addition, social skills can be challenging for children with autism to learn, so giving them extra support and opportunities for learning and practice is crucial.
Social skills group children by age. Children of similar age will learn age-appropriate behavior to engage and interact with the world around them. This can include interacting with papers, family, and the community. Using games, models and individualized programs, our goal is to facilitate engagement in a social context while growing and maintaining relationships with others.
Through learning positive social behaviors, verbal and non-verbal communication, interactions, and skills, children with autism can learn to interact and co-exist with the world around them in a more positive light.
Social skills training can include things like:
- Turn-taking
- Identifying others emotions
- Expressing emotions
- Detecting social cues
Social skills groups are between two to six individuals and can be focused on children, adolescents, or adults. Social skills training usually lasts around 12 weeks, and counselors or therapists lead groups. Group ages range from 3-21 years old. Groups meet once a week for 1-hour long sessions. Depending on your child’s individual needs, they may need to start with a 1:1 ratio until they begin to respond in the group.
Social skills are elusive in that they come quickly to others, while others struggle to develop them. Social skills training helps individuals improve their social behavior and interactions with others, focusing on both verbal and non-verbal communication.
Taking part in a social skills group is helpful on multiple levels. First, participants learn the skills in a group setting, further exposing them to their learning lessons. This hands-on experience facilitates learning while providing a calming environment guided by professionals.
Aid your child with autism in learning how to interact with the world in a way that helps them feel heard and understood positively. Contact us for more information on social skills groups today.
Group fees are $50 per session. Pay in full, and only pay $550 for the 12-week session!