Social Skills Groups

Many children and adolescents diagnosed with autism, or other social communication conditions, encounter challenges in social settings, such as difficulties reciprocal social conversation and difficulties in making and maintaining friendships. North Shore Behavior Consulting's Social Skills Program is designed to celebrate neurodiversity and provide a focus on fun, all while learning essential skills and strategies to help participants learn and implement new skills for positive peer interactions.

Research (J. Wolstencroft et al. 2018) shows that evidenced based social skills groups result in:

Large improvements in:
- Social Communication, and reduced Restricted Interests and Repetitive Behavior in social situations.
Moderate improvements in:
- Cooperation, Empathy, Assertiveness, Self-Control and Responsibility.
Decrease depressive symptoms (Schiltz, H. K. 2018).
Increase overall mental health and well-being.
Develop sharing, social, problem solving, and conflict resolution skills.

Program Structure

Children/adolescents are organized by age and groups are typically comprised 5-10 children depending on the age group. The program is run by a licensed behavior analyst and overseen by a licensed clinical psychologist and behavior analyst with support staff and occurs weekly for 10 weeks.

Individualization

The first session is conducted as an intake to assess an appropriate fit for the upcoming cohort and gather information on the individual challenges to be addressed with information from the individual and accompanying family member.

Initial Criteria for 2024 Enrollment

Age Requirement

7 to 18 Behavioral Expectations: Participants should not have exhibited any aggression or other substantial outbursts in a group setting within the past year. We must prioritize the safety and well-being of all participants.

Verbal Abilities

Average or above vocabularies, including the ability to communicate in full sentences and engage in basic brief conversations with others, as this is a verbally oriented program.

Diagnosis

Children likely will have a diagnosis of autism or exhibit clinically significant social communication difficulties. Currently, this group is not appropriate for individuals whose sole diagnosis is AD/HD.

Parent Involvement

It is mandatory that parents attend five out of ten parent groups which meet at the same time as the children's group. Led by a licensed psychologist or behavior analyst, the parent group covers various topics, including the day's curriculum, diagnostic profiles, psychiatric co-morbidities, treatment methods, and collaborations with school districts. Guest are invited to discuss pertinent subjects such as behaviorism, medication, transition planning, and sexuality. Additionally, the parent group serves as a platform for mutual support and information sharing among parents.