Registration for Social Skills Classes January 28th-March 4th

Registration is now open for our next six-week session of social skills classes. Classes begin on Sunday, January 28th and run through Sunday March 4th.The total cost for a six-week session is $225.00. Each group will have no more than 5 students so we can practice “thinking” about thinking as well as individualize for each child. Teacher letters will be provided weekly so all of the adults in your child’s life are using the same terminology and have the same expectations. 

Questions about our classes? Please e-mail or call us with your questions and we would be happy to connect with you to tell you more!

If you are new to our groups, please complete a registration form found here Registration for Social Skills Classes January 28th through March 4th 2018 and e-mail it to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.

If you are a returning family, please fill out this condensed registration form and send it via e-mail Registration for Social Skills Classes January 28th through March 4th Condensed 2018

For some students, obtaining and utilizing good social skills do not come naturally. They move through their environment having a difficult time communicating and understanding more than just direct language-based interactions. We typically begin intuitively learning key social skills around age three through observation and parallel play. When these skills are not intuitively understood, they can be taught cognitively. For example, good social skills include eye contact, conversational turn taking, and flexible thinking. For some students, these skills need to be taught and practiced in a non-judgmental environment.  Previous posts about Social Learning can be found here Social Learning and Who Benefits From Social Skills Classes? 

We are offering three different sessions so please read the specifics below. As always, reach out to us with questions at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com. We believe that empowering the parent/guardian is equally important in empowering the child. Please plan on staying for the parent session of your child’s class to learn what your child is learning and how to help your child at home. As we send your weekly teacher letter, we encourage you to let your child’s teacher know that he or she can also reach out to us for extra support or questions for your child in the classroom. We’re all here to help your child grow in his/her social learning.

All classes are held at University Ridge Office Center, 1905 JN Pease Place, Suite 201, Charlotte, NC 28262.

 Social Communication-This class is full. If you would like to be put on the waiting list in case of any cancelations, please send us an e-mail.

This session focuses on the different types of  communication: body language, spoken language, and comparative vs literal language.   Students will learn why we participate in different types of communication as well as understand the sometimes “hidden meanings” within these communications.  Once these concepts are taught, students will practice making “smart guesses” to assist them in understanding how others may be perceiving them in various social situations. Does this match how they want to be perceived? With students gaining the above skills, they will begin to move past just thinking about themselves and will be better able to think about others so they can participate in social situations with more success.

This group meets every Sunday from 1:00-2:00.

 Mindful Thinking and Zones of Regulation

Zones of Regulation teaches emotional self-regulation with any emotion through building social and sensory skills.  Mindfulness  provides the foundation of awareness through five realms; physical, mental, emotional, social, and global literacy. Mindfulness is a way of being. Through conscious observation (mindfulness) of our behaviors and thoughts we gain personal power.   This process is both physiological and mental. Thinking is a powerful tool that we can access within each of the four zones to help with emotion regulation. By categorizing our thoughts and emotions we can build a toolbox that will empower us to monitor without judging, and choose our responses successfully. Students will also learn how to identify a problem and the steps to solve it.  Learning how to self-regulate is a skill that does not develop overnight. It takes time, patience, understanding, and support. This is where training your brain to think Mindfully can be a powerful tool in your toolbox of self-regulation.

This group meets every Sunday from 1:00-2:00.

For further reading, here is an article about the benefits of teaching Mindfulness with Social Thinking https://www.socialthinking.com/Articles?name=Mindfulness+and+Social+Thinking&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=article_Mindfulness_and_Social_Thinking_Perfect_Companions

 Self-Awareness-Learning How To “Think” About Thinking Socially

This is the perfect beginning class if you are new to our social skills groups. This six-week session lays a foundation of skills that your child can continue to build upon and grow his or her social thinking. During this session, children and parents will learn the differences between self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-control. Students will learn about “hidden” social expectations in different environments, how to make social observations to learn those “hidden” rules, how behaviors are connected to emotions, strengthen observation/imitation skills, how to gain self-awareness with individual behaviors, move into self-monitoring tools for shifting negative behaviors into positive ones, how to identify if a problem is a big one or little one, and learn how to use your whole body to listen. As we continue to teach these skills, the group will begin to understand that people have a perspective that is different from their own and how to navigate a social interaction using this knowledge. Each child will choose a personal behavior goal and learn tools to help create a shift in awareness and behaviors.

There are two sessions being offered for this class so please be sure to check your preferred time on the registration form.  The first group meets every Sunday from 3:00–4:00 and the second group meets every Sunday from 4:30-5:30.

If you’re not sure if our group is the right fit for your child or have any further questions, we would love to talk with you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.

With Appreciation,

Christina and Wendy

Registration for Social Skills Classes October 8th-November 12th

Registration for our next six-week session of social skills classes is now open. Classes begin on Sunday, October 8th and run through Sunday November 12th.

To register, please fill out this form and e-mail it to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com

Registration form Registration for October 8th-November 12th

For some students, obtaining and utilizing good social skills do not come naturally. They move through their environment having a difficult time communicating and understanding more than just direct language-based interactions. We typically begin intuitively learning key social skills around age three through observation and parallel play. When these skills are not intuitively understood, they can be taught cognitively. For example, good social skills include eye contact, conversational turn taking, and flexible thinking. For some students, these skills need to be taught and practiced in a non-judgmental environment. Previous posts about Social Learning can be found here Social Learning and Who Benefits From Social Skills Classes?

We are offering three different sessions so please read the specifics below. As always, reach out to us with questions at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com. We believe that empowering the parent/guardian is equally important in empowering the child. Please plan on staying for the parent session of your child’s class to learn what your child is learning and how to help your child at home. For session one and session two, teacher letters will be e-mailed weekly to each parent. This gives you the opportunity to share what your child is learning with his/her teacher so we can collectively help your child practice these skills within their different environments. We encourage you to let your child’s teacher know that he or she can also reach out to us for extra support or questions for your child in the classroom. We’re all here to help your child grow in his/her social learning.

All classes are held at University Ridge Office Center, 1905 JN Pease Place, Suite 201, Charlotte, NC 28262.

The total cost for a six-week session is $225.00. To register, fill out the registration form found at the top and e-mail it to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com. Each group will have no more than 5 students so we can practice “thinking” about thinking as well as individualize for each child.  Questions about our classes? Please e-mail us with your questions and we would be happy to connect with you to tell you more!

Session 1: Self-Awareness-Learning How To “Think” About Thinking Socially

This is the perfect beginning class if you are new to our social skills groups. This six-week session lays a foundation of skills that your child can continue to build upon and grow his or her social thinking. During this session, children and parents will learn the differences between self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-control. Students will learn about “hidden” social expectations in different environments, how to make social observations to learn those “hidden” rules, how behaviors are connected to emotions, strengthen observation/imitation skills, how to gain self-awareness with individual behaviors, move into self-monitoring tools for shifting negative behaviors into positive ones, how to identify if a problem is a big one or little one, and learn how to use your whole body to listen. As we continue to teach these skills, the group will begin to understand that people have a perspective that is different from their own and how to navigate a social interaction using this knowledge. Each child will choose a personal behavior goal and learn tools to help create a shift in awareness and behaviors.

This group meets every Sunday from 2:00-3:00

Session 2: Zones of Regulation

Zones of Regulation helps teach students  how to be more mindful of other people in their social circles. They will begin to make a connection between their actions, their own emotions,  and how others are feeling. Zones of Regulation teaches children how to consciously regulate their actions based on understanding their feelings. This will lead to increased self-control and problem solving abilities. During the class, they will learn how to use strategies or tools to stay in a zone or move from one to another.

This group meets every Sunday from 3:00-4:00

Session 3: Practicing of Social Skills

This session is designed for open practice of the social skills that have previously been taught. We will create opportunities for the students to practice social thinking, Theory of Mind skills, and executive functioning skills in a play environment. This gives us the opportunity to help each child individually navigate a challenging social scenario using their tools and knowledge from previous groups. This session will work on deepening the interpersonal skills to develop better problem solving skills which creates a scaffolding of increased social skills.  Due to the level of individualization, instead of a weekly teacher letter, we will give our contact information to your child’s teacher and can facilitate open communication on skills their student continues to strengthen as well as get feedback on what skills need continued practice in the school environment.

This group meets every Sunday from 4:00-5:00

 

If you’re not sure if our group is the right fit for your child or have any further questions, we would love to talk with you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.

With Appreciation,

Christina and Wendy

What Information Would You Like?

Happy Thursday everyone! We would love to hear from you on what kind of information you would like to have.  Send us an e-mail with your thoughts at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com, leave a comment here on our website, or on our Facebook page.

Would you like to know more about Orton-Gillingham tutoring or speech language therapy or evaluations?  Would information about paperwork or communicating with your child’s school be helpful? Maybe advocacy tips for navigating a meeting at your child’s school?  Tips for teaching social skills to your children?  Resources in a specific area?  Specific special education laws and resources?

We have a lot of information between the two of us and would love to hear from you on what would be most helpful!

With Appreciation,

Christina and Wendy

Differences Between Social Skills Group and Middle School Group

Good morning! We have made a lot of posts this week with our fall schedule and registrations.  We wanted to let you know the differences between the two groups that we recently posted.

The social skills groups are for elementary aged children.  They are working and building upon specific social skills.  The children meet as a group while the parents meet as a separate group.  This session runs for six weeks and registration is due by August 19th.  Please click here for the full details Registration for School Age Social Skills Classes August 20th-October 1st

 

Our middle school group typically meets two Friday evenings a month and you can register for all the open Fridays or you can register the week the group meets.  This group consists of no more than 10 students with grades ranging from 6th-9th.  This is more of a relaxed group than our elementary aged group because it’s more of an organic environment where the students hang out, we play games, and we teach mini-lessons during the group.  Please click here for the full details Middle School OTB Group-Fall Semester

 

If you have any questions about our groups, please contact us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.

We will be posting details about a homeschool fall schedule as well as our upcoming free IEP classes for parents and guardians soon.

With Gratitude,

Christina and Wendy

The Power of Empowerment

We’ve previously talked about what type of advocate we are.  Assume Positive Intent.  We  have sat on all sides of the “EC table”. Please Don’t Say “It Will Be Okay” We both are parents of children with special needs, we both have worked in the school system as EC coordinators, special education teachers, regular education teachers, speech/language therapist, and Dean of Students.  We know the EC paperwork, the laws, school, state, and federal policies.  We have sat as advocates for families, teaching them about the paperwork, EC processes, and where to find information.  So why tell you all of this?

We want you to know that all of this has been creating what type of advocate we are. We believe in collaboration with other professionals.  We have yet to find one person who knows everything regarding EC.  We have experienced how important it is to ask questions, be involved, and listen carefully to how and what people say.  We believe in empowering families to be advocates for their children. We want to teach and encourage parents first.  We will coach you, guide you, teach you what we know so you are knowledgable and ready to communicate with your child’s school.  We want to help bridge any gaps between a school and a family.  We believe in the focus being on the child.  This is what we always come back to.  What does the child need? How can we help? How can the parents help? How can the school help?  After empowering the family, if you need additional support from us, we’re there.  We can sit as advocates for your child at meetings and help bridge those gaps where needed.  We also try to have open communication and collaboration first.

Advocate-noun. One that supports or promotes the interests of another.

Empower-verb. To enable or permit.

Mindful-adjective. Attentive and aware.

We support the interest of the child by empowering families first.  We are attentive and aware of the way we communicate with schools, families, and other professionals.

With Appreciation,

Christina and Wendy

Registration for Social Skills Classes April 23rd-May 28st

registration-for-social-skills-classes-april-23rd-may-28st-updated

Registration is now open for our last set of social skills classes before the Summer! 

For some students, obtaining and utilizing good social skills do not come naturally. They move through their environment having a difficult time communicating and understanding more than just direct language-based interactions. For example, good social skills include sharing space with others and learning to regulate one’s own behavior to other people’s thoughts or expectations as well as using your whole body to understand what people are “saying” around you. For some students, these skills need to be taught.

We are offering three different sessions, each with a specific focus. We believe that empowering the parent/guardian is equally important in teaching social skills to a child. Please plan on staying for the parent session of your child’s class to learn what your child is learning and how to help your child at home. For session one and session two, teacher letters will be e-mailed weekly to each parent. This gives you the opportunity to share what your child is learning with his/her teacher and helps connect what your child is learning to his/her school environment.

All classes are held at 9700 Research Drive, Suite 132, Charlotte, NC 28262. The total cost for a six-week session is $225.00. To register, fill out the registration form and e-mail it to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com. Each group will have no more than 5 students so we can practice “thinking” about thinking as well as individualize for each child.

If you are new, we recommend beginning with the self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-control class first. If you have questions about any classes, please feel free to e-mail us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.  You may be interested in reading about who could benefit from a social skills class here Who Benefits From Social Skills Classes? and Social Learning

Session 1: Social Learning through Self-Awareness, Self-Monitoring, and Self-Control

Following the Think Social! model, children and parents will learn the differences between self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-control. Students will learn about “hidden” social expectations in different environments, how behaviors are connected to emotions, strengthen imitation skills, how to gain self-awareness with individual behaviors, move into self-monitoring tools for shifting negative behaviors into positive ones, how to identify if a problem is a big one or little one, and learn how to use your whole body to listen.  Each child will choose a personal behavior goal and learn tools to help create a shift in awareness and behaviors.

This group meets from 3:00-4:00

Session 2: Theory of Mind and Zones of Regulation

Theory of Mind is the way we understand and interpret our social world with knowing that other people have different thoughts, views, perspectives, and feelings.  Following the Theory of Mind philosophy and merging the Think Social! Zones of Regulation, students will learn how to be more mindful of other people in their social circles. They will begin to make a connection between their actions and how others are feeling. Zones of Regulation teaches children how to become aware of their emotional state and gives them tools to get back into the “green” zone.

This group meets from 4:00-5:00.

Session 3: Practicing of Social Skills

This session is designed for open practice of the social skills that have previously been taught.  We will create opportunities for the students to practice social thinking and executive functioning skills in a play environment.  This gives us the opportunity to help each child individually navigate a challenging social scenario using their tools and knowledge from previous groups.  Due to the level of individualization, instead of a weekly teacher letter, we will give our contact information to your child’s teacher and can facilitate open communication on skills their student continues to strengthen as well as get feedback on what skills need continued practice in the school environment.

This group meets from 5:00-6:00

 

With Appreciation,

Christina and Wendy

Middle School Group Tonight

Happy Friday! Our Middle School OTB Club is meeting tonight from 6:30-7:30.  We are very excited! The kids will help create and form the type of group they want/need while working on necessary social skills.  The mini lessons will be imbedded within their groups of play and interactions.  If you’re interested in joining us, please check out our original post here Middle Schoolers OTB (Outside The Box) Club or check out our tab of “Upcoming Events” found at the top of our website.  If you are paying at the time of dropping off your child, we will have extra registrations forms printed for you to fill one out.

We’re looking forward to seeing you tonight!

With Appreciation,

Christina