When I was in elementary school, the school required that I attend social skills groups. Most of the students had more severe problems than Aspergers. There were a few mildly ret*d children in the group so it was more tailored towards them. We were regularly told how "special" we were and given prizes for doing simple things. I also felt that the coach could not possibly relate to the dynamic of children as she was in her 60's and had little understanding of pop culture and lingo of the 90's so after being instructed by her as how to iniatiate a conversation, I sounded like a girl from the 1950's. Of course this caused other children to make fun of me more.
I was able to get away from pragmatics groups for a few years but when I was in eighth grade, I attended a new school and they required me to go to one. This time there were no ret*d children but it was still dumbed down to the lowest common denominator. I've found that life's social situations are far more complex and unpredictable than a social skills class could cover. Anyone have the same experience?
28 Nov 2010, 8:30 pm
