The focus of the various group modules is twofold:
1. Social Skills training – this includes intensive training in a variety of areas including (but not limited to):
● Friendship and peer relationships: qualities of a good friend, how to join others in a group, turn taking, dealing with winning & losing, compromising & sharing, negotiating, complimenting, respecting others' feeling/opinions, maintaining peer relationships
● Communication & Conversation skills: conversation rules, starting, maintaining and ending a conversation introducing topics of interest, shifting topics, sensitive topics, ‘reading between the lines’, understanding sarcasm & ‘figures of speech’
● Non verbal Communication: facial expression and eye contact, gesture and body language, respecting personal boundaries/space, tone of voice, pitch, volume, intonation
● *Emotional Control: recognising & identifying emotions, expressing & controlling emotions, understanding & dealing with anger, anxiety, and sadness, teasing & bullying, giving & receiving criticism, having a respectful attitude (*only done on an individual basis)
2. Social Thinking® training – this includes specific training in one of the core deficits in individuals with an ASD. Also known as 'Theory of the Mind' (ToM) or 'perspective taking', it is the ability to recognize that other people have thoughts, feelings, points of view and intentions that are different to one's own, and an ability to intuitively guess what these might be. It helps us make sense of the world we live in. Individuals with an ASD often have impaired or delayed skills in this area resulting in difficulties in some of the following:
● Distinguishing whether someone's actions are intentional or accidental
● Reading social/emotional messages in someone’s eyes
● Interpreting correctly what someone says (literal interpretation)
● Understanding the significance of a person’s tone of voice or prosody
● Knowing when someone is teasing or being sarcastic
● Managing conflict successfully including compromising, identifying and acknowledging the point of view of others, negotiating and forgiving
Addressing these underlying ‘social thinking’ difficulties is as important as the development and training in social skills.
The various skills taught in the group are reinforced through structured social skills activities and games, guided role play, video presentations, modelling and other activities. Social Stories™ and Comic Strip Conversations are also incorporated into the program and home practise, as appropriate. Information sheets for parents and caregivers are distributed after each session. They detail the goals of the session and suggestions for further practise and reinforcement techniques. Implementation of strategies and practise outside the group setting is imperative for your child's success.
One module is completed per term.
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