Who Else Wants Their Child to Grow Healthy Friendships? Try A Social Skills Group
Group Activity for Social Skills
Let me tell you a story about four wonderful teenagers. They started out as socially awkward strangers but ended up as unlikely friends. Now when I say unlikely, I do mean unlikely. This virtual social skills group hosted four very different students, ages 14 to 18.
One young man struggled with asking and responding to questions. He couldn’t figure out an appropriate time to share his thoughts. His method of connecting with people was blurting out phrases from Transformers. He often didn’t ask or answer questions because he was stuck on sharing his specific interests.
One young lady had difficulty with emotional regulation, tone, and volume of voice. This outgoing gal was a key initiator in the social skills group.
“How was your week, guys? Mine was amazing. We went water skiing and took the dog for a walk around the park and…”
Because she was so excited to be around people, she struggled to allow others appropriate response time.
One young man didn’t want to be there. The first session, he pulled a hood over his face to let us know what he thought of the group. He definitely understood the concept of nonverbal communication. But he needed to learn to use this social skill in his favor–to build connections, not scare others away.
Our fourth and final participant was generally silent unless prompted to speak. This young man wore a hard shell. He needed to grow his confidence for initiating conversation and see his contributions to the group as valuable.
These four teenagers entered the social skills group unsure. Some were reluctant to interact at the beginning. After all, their parents made them attend so it must not be fun. Right?
It may surprise you to know that by the end, each member took turns initiating and carrying on conversations. They began to enjoy each other’s company week after week and now initiate social interactions with confidence.
So, what happened in the middle?
A group activity for social skills–shared experiences in a positive, predictable, educational space.
That’s what happened.
During a social skills group, an occupational therapy practitioner uses skilled knowledge to guide and educate. Between a socially awkward beginning and a casual, confident end, group members bond over common interests such as legos, school struggles, and favorite movies.
The therapist uses common interests to create social skills activities that motivate, guide, and address areas of struggle for each child. Group members also share the experience of taking turns while playing nonverbal communication games to grow social competence.
A group activity for social skills like Teen Life Social Skills Group is a wonderful starting point to grow healthy friendships.
Why Do Social Skills Matter?
According to the International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education,1 “Deficits in social skills may negatively impact several essential domains including academic achievement, interpersonal relationships, behavior, mental health, and adult life outcome.”
Social skills are foundational for building and sustaining meaningful connections with people. These connections support success at work, school, and in personal relationships. There is evidence to suggest that social connection correlates with overall health. This includes both neurotypical and neurodivergent (ASD, ADD, HSP) individuals.
Essential social skills include:
Appropriate use of language
Awareness of context
Recognition and use of nonverbal communication
Timing responses appropriately
Reciprocity
Positioning oneself at an appropriate distance
Turning toward the person speaking
When to use and when to break eye contact
Initiating and concluding discussion
Does My Child Need Social Skills Therapy?
Although anyone can benefit from social skills therapy, autistic children have significant difficulty forming social connections. Autistic children often misinterpret nonverbal communication like facial expressions. They may also have difficulty recognizing when a conversation is starting or ending.
According to the International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education,1 “Social skills group training (SSGT) is the most commonly utilized school intervention for children with autism…Meta-analysis of the use of SSGTs with students with autism have shown promising positive gains in social skills (Gates, Kang, & Lerner, 2017).”
If your child has difficulty with any of the skills listed below, a social skills group is a welcoming place to start. Your child can accomplish some hard work without missing out on the fun.
Common social skills problems involve a misunderstanding of the following:
Making eye contact
Initiating conversations
Asking questions
Waiting their turn
Recognizing tone of voice
Interpreting body language
Understanding implied norms
Social skills groups give children a safe space to practice and ask questions about social interactions – interactions that would be intuitive to other children. An occupational therapy practitioner will guide, redirect and adapt the experience to suit the needs of each group member.
How Effective Is Social Skills Therapy?
It’s true. Personalities will only bend so much. Some group members are more social than others at the beginning and this doesn’t change by the end. But after a few weeks pass by, each member shows up a little more excited to share about personal life events, games, or other meaningful items.
According to a Systematic Review 2 published in 2020, “Recent literature in [Social Skills Therapy] is generally well-designed and scientifically rigorous.”
There is a dynamic change compared to the beginning. After a few weeks of getting to know each other, the group looks forward to catching up each week. Research 3 even suggests that social skills training results in increased happiness.
It doesn’t feel like hard work. When children are in the midst of a social skills group, it just feels like fun and games. But growing socially is hard work and we celebrate your child’s achievements.
Just as with any sort of therapy, carryover is advised to ensure lasting results. Although social skills groups encourage participants to apply what they learned in real-life situations, parents have a role in this too.
So, Where Do You Begin?
Ask your child what they’re learning–this is a great place to start. What do they enjoy about their social skills group? What’s difficult about interacting with new people? How are they using problem-solving skills?
Learn about strategies your child uses in the session. This will help you navigate conversations. In the process, you’ll learn to ask questions and increase carryover outside of the social skills group.
Talk to the occupational therapist leading the session. Therapists are always happy to celebrate your child’s progress and brainstorm carryover ideas with you.
Find a meaningful hands-on activity with new people. It’s more natural to discuss a common interest or present-time activity with a new person than to rack your brain for an interesting topic.
Encourage and enable your child to initiate weekly social opportunities in-person. It’s important that your child takes initiative and has ownership in this process.
Below are some ideas to continue in-person social skills development. Your child may already have some ideas of their own. So, just ask. Your child will feel proud and empowered when you provide an opportunity for them to voice their input.
Activities for Social Skills Development
Start or join a community garden
Take an art or music class with a small class size
Volunteer
Join a community center
Search for family-friendly events in your area
After-school clubs or sports
There are also some wonderful social skills apps to supplement learning at home. They aren’t a substitute for in-person interaction but do give your child a chance to consider what’s socially appropriate in various situations. They can use problem-solving, grow their understanding, and have a reference to help them succeed in future social interactions.
Social Skills Group Near Me
Are you seeking an opportunity to grow your child’s social skills in a friendly setting? A small, predictable social skills group is just the place to start.
Sign Up Today for our Teen Life Social Skills Group! Click here: Teen Life Social Skills Group
Explore Other Social Skills Groups: Groups at Helping Hands Therapy Clinic
Groups are hosted in person at 637 Kingsborough Square Unit A, Chesapeake, VA 23320
Article Written By: Victoria Eilers, COTA/L
Blog Layout By: Shelby O’Connor, MOTR/L
References:
1https://www.iejee.com/index.php/IEJEE/article/view/1485/508
2 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41252-020-00170-x
3https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042812016771
