Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Social Skills Groups
S.M.I.L.E.S. is proud to offer Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Social Skills Groups! Each Social Skills Group series is 6 weeks long and consists of 6 sessions. To ensure that everyone gets the most out of their groups, we require that anyone who attends the Intermediate or Advanced Group series, has a good use of social skills that have been developed in previous social groups. If we feel that your child is not ready for a group we reserve the right to recommend a different group that would be more beneficial. Additionally, each series can be repeated as many times as desired, as we understand that it takes practice to properly utilize social skills. There will always be small differences between sessions including peers that a student will be grouped with and activities that will be completed. It is recommended that everyone start in a two person group, as it allows the therapist time to get to know new students and it allows students to practice skills without being overwhelmed in a large group.
Basic Social Skills Group Series
Basic Social Skills addresses skills such as personal space, attending to a communication partner, turn taking in games, and asking/answering questions. This group format is offered to groups of 2-4 people allowing children to first learn the skills with only a single peer, so more direct attention is able to be given to both children. Once the child is comfortable with one peer, they can attend a session with 3, and then 4, allowing them to gradually ease into more of a group environment.
- 2 People (50 Minute Session)
- 3 people (1 Hour 25 Minute Session)
- 4 people (1 Hour 40 Minute Session)
Intermediate Social Skills Group Series
Intermediate Social Skills builds on Basic Social Skills. Emphasis will be on verbal turn taking in games, maintaining longer conversations, positive interactions with peers (encouraging others, how to disagree gracefully, etc.). This group is also offered in groups of 2-4 to allow the skills to be learned with just one peer before adding more peers that add to the group environment.
- 2 People (50 Minute Session)
- 3 people (1 Hour 25 Minute Session)
- 4 people (1 Hour 40 Minute Session)
Advanced Social Skills Group Series
Advanced Social Skills builds on Intermediate Social Skills. During these sessions, children will continue to utilize skills in previous sessions while adding on discussion about more advanced social language skills, including picking up on nonverbal communication, understanding idioms, and mediating conflicts with peers. This session is also offered for groups of 2-4 people to allow skills to be learned with a single peer and progress to a more generalized environment.
- 2 People (50 Minute Session)
- 3 people (1 Hour 25 Minute Session)
- 4 people (1 Hour 40 Minute Session)