Social Skills Groups
For children and adults 5-30 years of age
Social Skills Group Services will be at our center-based locations. We will offer small group settings for your child to develop social skills. Our social skills curriculum was developed on ABA principles by our own New York State Licensed Behavior Analysts. Groups are formed by age, skill level, and individual needs, as assessed in initial screening by one of our clinicians.
Groups will focus on age-appropriate daily life situations and social interactions with peers. All groups have a Parent Training component that runs at the same time as the Social Skills Group (24 sessions total), focusing on the same curriculum your child is learning. You will learn ways to practice and help generalize the weekly target skill for your child.
Co-Ed Ages 5-8
Learners in this group are able to communicate verbally in short sentences and engage in simple verbal exchanges. May have difficulties with peer interaction, reading non-verbal cues, and overall relationship skills. Sessions will focus on:
- How to cope with changes in routine
- Play Skills
- Following rules and directions
- Whole body listening
- Communicating clearly
- Conversation with peers
- Learning self-control
- Personal space
- Conflict resolution
- Understanding feelings
- Dealing with frustration
- Asking friends to play
- Being a good friend
- Turn taking
- Being a good sport when losing
- Staying on task
Co-Ed Ages 9-12
Learners in this group are able to communicate verbally in back-and-forth conversation. May have difficulties with peer interaction, reading non-verbal cues, and overall relationship skills. Sessions will focus on:
- Conversation skills
- Coping strategies
- Understanding humor/sarcasm
- Reading social cues
- Coping strategies for frustration
- Asking friends to hang out
- Dealing with bullying
- Understanding consequences
- Expressing empathy
- Making your own choices
- Dealing with losing
- Controlling anger and impulse control
- Understanding personal space
- Learning how to calm down
- Big vs. little problems
- Tattling vs. reporting
- Turn taking
- Asking for help and helping
- Communicating clearly
- Disagreeing politely
- Following directions/staying on task
Boys/Girls Ages 13-15
Learners in this group are able to communicate verbally in back and forth conversation. Learners may have difficulties with peer interaction, reading non-verbal cues, identifying positive and negative peer relationships, and overall peer relationship skills. Sessions will focus on:
- Conversation skills
- Standing up for yourself
- Asking friends to hang out
- Being a good friend
- Social media safety
- Understanding sarcasm/humor/making jokes
- Building confidence
- Dealing with frustration/anger
- Popular places to hang out with friends
- Appropriately making own choices
- Tolerating change
- Being helpful
- Understanding hidden social cues
- Complimenting others
- Disagreeing politely
- Helping adults and peers
- Understanding how and when to apologize
Co-Ed Ages 16-19
Learners are able to communicate verbally in back and forth conversation. Learners may have difficulties with peer interaction, reading non-verbal cues, identifying positive verses negative peer relationships, understanding boundaries of peer relationships and overall peer relationship skills.
- Conversation skills
- Making and keeping friends
- Social Media Safety
- Understanding feelings of affection toward a peer/appropriate response
- Self confidence building
- Applying for jobs/college
- Accepting criticism/consequences
- Coping with rejection
- Dealing with bullies
- Working with others
- Following instruction when at job/college
- Understanding how and when to apologize
- Resisting peer pressure
- Listening actively
- Understanding appropriate ways to express frustration/anger
Co-Ed Ages 20-30
Learners in this group can communicate verbally in back and forth conversation. May have difficulties with peer interaction, reading non-verbal cues, identifying positive verses negative peer relationships, understanding boundaries of peer relationships and overall peer relationship skills. Sessions will include:
- Conversation skills
- Making and keeping friends
- Dating
- Social media safety
- Assertiveness
- Appropriate language at work
- Dealing with anger/frustration
- Applying for jobs
- Dealing with rejection
- Housekeeping skills
- Giving compliments
- Asking for help and helping
- Shopping for yourself
- Making healthy choices
- Preparing to live on your own
