Social skills are so crucial to human beings as a species that many people engage in them seamlessly without putting much thought into them. For those children on the autism spectrum, though, it can be more difficult for them to read cues and know how to integrate socially. A social skills work program provides individualized plans that are aimed at improving behaviors and providing positive outcomes that can be defined.
What Is a Social Skills Work Program?
Social skills are those behaviors that every person uses each day throughout their interactions with other people. These involve showing an interest in other people, including those things that are important to them, sharing information about themselves, and making “small talk.” Because children who have differing degrees of autism often don’t understand when it’s expected for them to engage, a social skills work program in Westchester, NY and Fairfield County, CT, can help them learn these cues and signals.
The ability to connect with other people as outlined above is just one element of a social skills work program. There are countless others that are both subtle and more obvious. For example, being able to tell another person how they spent their summer vacation involves much more than regurgitating the facts as the child remembers them.
For example, the child must first be able to identify the highlights of their summer. Then they have to be able to summarize the key points of excitement that occurred during those highlights. This means they have to engage their short term memory and fill in their summary with details that demonstrate the importance of the event to the listener.
The Give and Take of a Social Skills Work Program
Social skills are a complex topic that requires human beings to be a good listener as well as being able to engage others in conversation. A social skills work program provides a safe, supportive, and nurturing place for children on the autism spectrum to engage in the back and forth that is at the heart of all communications between humans.
Important elements of any ASD treatment program of this nature include:
- Access to a board-certified behavioral analyst
- A treatment plan tailored to the child
- Simple interactions with others of their own age
- Home services
- Varied intensity from 5 hours per week up to 30+, depending on the needs of the child
Listening: An Important Part of Any Social Interaction
Being able to listen is just as important as being able to summarize events and remember details. Being a good listener is part of a balanced social interaction. Another crucial concept is being able to tell when their audience is no longer engaged in their story and what to do next. This is where social skills, such as reading the cues of other people, can come into play.
Stopping their story and asking if the listener has a similar experience or making a connection in another way is a key skill that children need to be able to navigate the complex world of today. Providing a foundation of a predictable structure that the child can apply across nearly any social setting provides them with the ability to connect on a personal level with their peers, family, teachers, and others they may encounter.
Ascend Autism provides a social skills work program in Westchester, NY and Fairfield County, CT that’s focused on delivering superior outcomes by compassionate professionals. Contact Ascend Autism at 877.323.8668 today and discover the many ways your child can successfully navigate their world and beyond.