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Social SKills Program

The general focus of social skills program is to help establish the best foundation for a child’s success in a variety of settings including school, home, playing with friends, and during sports or other extracurricular activities. This program is unique in that the number of children is limited per team in order to effectively combine the benefits of peer-to-peer social interaction with individual therapy. It is comprehensive and provides social opportunities for children ages 2 years through teens.

 

Children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, ADD/ADHD, Learning disability, Sensory Integration Dysfunction, Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and other behavioral/developmental issues often have difficulty with social communication skills including social problem solving, pragmatics, and coping.  Weaknesses in these areas can lead to isolation, anxiety, anger issues, low self-esteem, and possibly depression.  As children grow, the challenges they face become more sophisticated and so must their therapeutic intervention.

 

A team of professionals including occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, educators, psychologists, and behavioral specialists have contributed to the development of the Social Skills Program at the Center for Pediatric Therapy. The collaboration among different disciplines provides a cohesive, broad-range therapy approach to best address these skills in young children.  The specialization and experience level of our staff also allows greater emphasis on specific needs of the children involved (i.e. self-regulation, autism spectrum issues, self-esteem, anger management, etc.).

Schedule 

No programs running currently, but stay tuned for any updates!

How does it work??

 

Our social skills program is constantly evolving, as changes may be made within the existing structure based on current needs (i.e. age levels may shift). The Summer Social Skills session is run on an 6-week cycle, with each group meeting once a week for one hour. These sessions are not covered by insurance and an insurance waiver is necessary for participation.

 

How do we sign up?

 

  • Call us at 610-670-8600 or email info@cptherapy.com for more information and/or to complete a pre-registration form

  • The program facilitators will then decide if your child is an appropriate fit for one of the upcoming programs

  • You will be informed of the placement decision and what to do to register

The following is an example of one of our most popular Social Skills Programs:

 

"Little Engines" and "Engine #35"

 

These two "Engine" programs cover similar topics, but at different age and developmental levels.  Participants include children who have features and/or a diagnosis that falls within the autism spectrum including high-level Autism, Asperger's Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD).  Its design is to focus on issues related to behaviors that are prevalent with a spectrum diagnosis.

 

The approach will be leader-directed with strong emphasis on peer assisted learning.  "Little Engines" and "Engine #35" will provide the members the opportunity to work on specific concerns through the implementation of techniques and strategies such as ABC-123 (behavioral approach); Alert Program (How Does Your Engine Run?); self-directed cool downs; "I" statements; executive planning; reward programs; self talk, etc.  Activities are presented in a variety of ways including parallel or teamwork jobs, large-small motor activities, and similar type activities that promote recognition and enhancement of their needs.

 

Varied topics and skills are presented at each level depending upon the specific needs of the members.  

 

Topics that may be addressed include the following:

 

  • Initiating and maintaining conversations

  • Reading social cues

  • Staying on topic

  • Developing an understanding of others' feelings

  • Identifying feelings in self and others

  • Expressing feeling

  • Pragmatic skills

  • Non-verbal communication

  • Skills for a variety of social situations

  • Emotional awareness

  • Emotional regulation

 

  • Following the "fair play" rules (compromising, turn taking, sharing, being a good winner or loser

  • Making appropriate choices

  • Coping skills (anxiety, frustration and anger)

  • On-task attention and compliance

  • Response to authority

  • Interpersonal compliance

  • Sensory regulation

  • Self control

  • Dealing with disappointment

  • Sensory regulation

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