Many families are concerned about their child’s social functioning. They know that their child has wonderful qualities but their social skills are poor, in part because of the specific traits attributed to their disability. Children become frustrated because they desperately want to have friends and don’t know how to establish and maintain relationships with peers. Simple exposure to social situations is not enough for some children to learn these skills; they need to be explicitly taught.
Typical deficiencies in social skills include difficulty in reciprocity, initiating and maintaining interactions, maintaining eye gaze, sharing joy, empathy and reading social cues of others. This makes it difficult to develop and maintain meaningful and fulfilling personal relationships. This is a lack of ability, not a lack of social interest.
This program addresses the needs of individuals ages 3 through adults who need small group support.
1.The session starts with teaching and focus on goals setting up the full session for success.
2. Then the participants join an inclusive interest focused group with the intervention and support built in, and concluding with a review session.
4. Parents and or Caregivers are responsible for practicing skills between sessions and are encouraged to participate in the monthly parent meeting or set up individual monthly sessions to discuss strategies and techniques with the lead Facilitator.
