Registration for School Age Social Skills Classes August 20th-October 1st

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

Registration August 20-October 1 New Registration

 

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?

Our six-week session begins on Sunday, August 20th.  There will be no classes on Sunday, September 3rd over Labor Day weekend.  We want to begin teaching these skills just before or as school is beginning so your child will have tools to begin the new school year.

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.

 

Session 1:  Self-Awareness-Learning how to “think” about thinking socially Grades K-2nd

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 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:  Self-Awareness-Learning how to “think” about thinking socially Grades 3rd-5th

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 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 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. 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.

Sunflower wm with quote

 

With Appreciation,

Christina and Wendy

Mindful Minute

Mindfulness can be an abstract word and concept.  How can we be “mindful” throughout our day? What does that mean? How do I actually “do” that?

According to a study from the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, mindfulness is defined as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”  You can read this fantastic article here https://www.socialthinking.com/Articles?name=Mindfulness%20and%20Social%20Thinking

Our Mindfulness class is taught by Maria Hartemann.  Just like our social skills classes, Maria is taking what can be an abstract concept and is teaching it in a concrete way.  These tools and techniques can be taught to all children and adults.   This morning while driving to school, (Christina’s family) practiced the “Mindful Minute” from yesterday’s class. The kids talked about what they learned mindfulness to be and then we all  practiced a “Mindful Minute”.  Just like social learning, you can grow your awareness and ability to be mindful throughout your day.  This has countless positive benefits from stress/anxiety reduction, increased attention span, and improved impulse control.  Just like learning social skills, or any new skill, mindful techniques need to be practiced daily.

We would love to have you join us for Maria’s next class on February 19th.  Please click on the tab “Upcoming Events” on our website for further details.  Or, if you have questions, reach out to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.

We’ve included a few pictures from this past Sunday’s Mindfulness class.

With Appreciation,

Christina and Wendy