Social Skills ?

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My son has mostly social goals on his IEP. The problem is his school didn't know how to teach them and I had to get them in touch with someone to help them out. I want them to start a group so my son isn't alone and can learn to act around other kids. I'm also trying to get them to have lunch buddies for the kids with autism. The school isn't going for it. I just want to know if other schools are teaching social skills.

Hi, I'm new to this site. My 6 year old was dignosed with AS last year in kindergarten. His school has a social skills group that meets once a week. He is in it with 2 other boys and it is ran by the school district's social worker. They play games and practice taking turns, using manners, etc.

He also goes to another social skills group at a place called the Judson Center through their Autism Connections. Right now there is only one other boys with Asperger's that he meets with-they do the same thing as his school. These groups are good for my son because he gets really uncomfortable around boys his age. He says they make him nervous.

It is suprising that your son's IEP mentions social skills goals but they don't have a plan in place to help him out. Have you spoke with anyone in the special ed. department at the district office? That doesn't seem right. Good luck.

Social skills for ASD kids is generally taught by a speech and language pathologist who is skilled in pragmatics of speech, or an occupational therapist who is skilled in this area. If the school guidance counselor or social worker is the person doing the group, it could be worse than nothing. Some schools try to use their typical "let's all be nice to each other" curriculum, and call it social skills for kids on the spectrum. It isn't. It can sound great - lunch buddies, socialization, whatever - but kids on the spectrum need a group that is focused on pragmatics, turn taking, staying on topic, understanding perspective ... and all with an understanding of what the difficulties are that the child is encountering. The typical curriculum often sounds good, but it misses important steps that ASD kids need, and generally the teacher/counselor in charge doesn't "get" the distinction. School should be providing this needed service. If they don't, and if you can manage it, take your child for private social skills groups. Most kids find them fun, and they learn a lot.

As to whether other schools have social skills groups and lunch buddies, some do, some don't - when they do, they always make it sound much better than it actually is.

My son also sees a speech pathologist at school and most of the time it is with other students to work on the issues you mentioned. The small group setting ran by the social worker is working very well. I can't speak for everyone else's kids but my son needs to learn how to take turns and that it is okay to lose a game every once and a while. He is the only boy in the group with AS so it isn't meant just for kids on the spectrum. They are just trying to help him feel comfortable around boys his age that's all. I just thought I would share how they do it at our school.

My sons are in a social skills group at school with other kids on the spectrum that meets weekly. It is run by the school counsellor and the district autism specialist.

My son's elementary school started weekly lunch bunch (similar to buddies) when he was in second grade. They realized they had a fairly large group of children who could use the service. It was run first by the speech teacher and then, after she retired, by the resource specialist. It was absolutely wonderful, but I know that it was tricky to schedule and arrange. We were lucky that the IEP team was so committed to the idea, and teachers were willing to give up or move their own lunch hour to accommodate a need they saw.

My son now receives pragmatic speech at the middle school, run by the speech specialist, who usually pulls several kids together with similar issues. Pragmatic speech is a key component to social skills, so it is similar to receiving social skills training, even if not clearly formulated as such. But, I also can see that as my son ages, and is no longer in one classroom all day that has a lot of group interaction, the school's interest in his social skills goes down; it isn't as much an educational issue in middle school as it was in elementary school, or at least not as directly. At some point I can see the school saying that it isn't their problem. I'm just glad that it isn't today.

unless the school is motivated to form a social skills group, it will not happen...........we have been trying for several years to get our school to have a social skills group- the b.s. reply we get is that: " there aren't many kids in our school who need to work on social skills- not enough for a group.".........HA HA HA

I know, they said my son was the only one in the school with those needs. I know out of 500 kids he's not the only one.

Do you live in a town where you can find an OT that might know of an existing social skills group? Our OT just started one and it's for parental support and social skills for the kids. Also check towns within 20 miles or so....you might find something.....