Practicing Social Skills

When our children are learning multiplication, we often quiz them on the facts.  For upcoming spelling tests, we help teach our children word patterns and chunking strategies so they can learn them.  When building reading fluency, we practice reading with our children at night on books of interest and talk about the story to build their comprehension.  It’s beautiful and rewarding when we get to be a part and see our children begin doing these skills on their own.  They have now learned them.

Teaching social skills is no different.  When a child is missing strategies and hidden social cues, often times, adults get frustrated around him/her because we expect the child to know what to do.   We think….why is my child struggling socially when we’ve talked about this so many times?

The fact is, some children miss learning those social skills intutivitley.  We often take for granted that we have these skills so we wonder why our child is struggling?  Tthe good news is that a child can be taught social skills cognitively.  Just like teaching a child a chunking strategy for remembering a longer spelling word, he/she can be taught strategies on how to find those “hidden” social cues in different environments and be taught skills on how to navigate them. It’s beautiful and rewarding when we get to be a part of and see our children begin using these skills on their own.  They have now learned them and continue to grow their social thinking.

Our next set of social classes begin next Sunday, October 8th.  Each session is six-weeks. You can find specific details here Registration for Social Skills Classes October 8th-November 12th

Our door is always open. If you have questions or would like to find out more about our classes to see if it’s a good fit for your family, please reach out to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.

With Appreciation,

Christina and Wendy

Teaching Social Skills Cognitively

Typically, we learn social skills in an intuitive way around 3 to 4 years old. When these skills are not learned naturally, it’s important to teach them cognitively in a nonjudgmental way. What does “listen” actually mean? What are the expectations of “listen”? We are excited to help your child learn new skills and tools that he/she can use at home and at school. We look forward to seeing you in a few weeks! E-mail us with any questions. We love connecting with you! confidentsolutions7@gmail.com You can also find useful information under our Upcoming Events tab on our home page.

Helpful Links:

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

Middle School OTB Group-Fall Semester

Differences Between Social Skills Group and Middle School Group

Who Benefits From Social Skills Classes?

 

 

With Appreciation,

Wendy and Christina

One More Week for Registrations

Good Morning! Registration for our next sessions of social skills classes are open for one more week.  Classes begin this coming Sunday!  For details, please click here Registration for Social Skills Classes Feb.26-April 2

Questions about our classes?  Send us an e-mail to confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.  We love connecting with you!

With Appreciation,

Christina and Wendy

Registration for Social Skills Classes Feb.26-April 2

Registration form registration-for-social-skills-classes-feb-26-april-2

Registration is now open for our next sessions of Mindful Thinking for Social Expectation classes! 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 two 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. Teacher letters will be handed out during each parent class for you to share with your child’s teacher. The letters help 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 have any questions, please don’t hesitate to e-mail us! 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: Theory of Mind and Executive Functioning

Following the Theory of Mind philosophy, students will learn how to think about what other people are thinking and how to integrate those skills into inferencing, decision making, and other executive functioning skills. This group is designed for grades 1st-3rd.  However, if you have a younger or older child that you feel may fit in this group, please contact us.  There are times a slightly older or younger child will be a good match.  This 1st-3rd grade group meets from 3:00-4:00.

 

Session 2: Learning self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-control to make positive shifts in behaviors.

Following the Think Social! model, children and parents will learn  the differences between self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-control. Each child will choose a personal behavior goal and learn tools to help create a shift in awareness and behaviors. The K-2nd grade group meets from 4:00-5:00 and the 3rd-5th grade group meets 5:00-6:00.

Have questions if our social skills classes would be a good fit for you and your child? Send us an e-mail and we’ll connect! We would be happy to answer any questions or tell you more about the structure of our group! Our e-mail is confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.

With Appreciation,

Christina and Wendy

Social Learning

Recently, we read an article where a physician was quoted as saying kids do “what they can.”  This is very true whether we’re talking about children utilizing good social skills, reading on their grade level, or learning math facts.  It’s not a child’s “fault” that they are not understanding or implementing good social skills naturally.  However, as adults, we tend to have those expectations when it comes to social skills and then try to manage those “behaviors.”

If a child is struggling  learning to read, we teach that child unique ways to learn maybe through phonics, or blending patterns. If a child is struggling with concepts in math, we offer ways of support such as tutoring and breaking down the concepts until they understand the steps. Social skills really are the same.  In school a student will typically have to pull a card, lose a buck or sit at the quiet table. Teachers and administrators report that a child is struggling understanding and utilizing good social skills but the actual skills are not being taught or supported.

Just like special strategies can be implemented to teach a child to read, there are curriculums and specialists who can teach your child social skills. Both types of teaching express the importance of having a strong support network for your child as well as practicing the skills that are being taught.  When we are teaching a child phonics, we would then expect and set up situations where they are practicing the phonic skill. Social skills are the same in that, as children are learning how to “think” about thinking, having a support network of parents/guardians and teachers to help them practice the skills is necessary.

Our social skills classes are called Mindful Thinking for Social Expectations.  Our classes run six-week sessions with each session having a unique focus.  If this is your first time joining a social skills group or if your child has specific “behaviors” that you are unsure how to teach, we recommend beginning with our self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-control classes.  We currently are teaching a session on “play” which includes how to enter and engage in play, how to read nonverbal language, and beginning to understand other people have thoughts and perspectives.  We keep our class sizes small so the students have the ability to interact and practice the social skills they are learning. This also enables us to offer more individualized instruction.

We also believe empowering parents is important. In conjunction to the student class, we have a parent group that meets at the same time.  The parents are learning information on the importance of reinforcing and practicing the skills their child is learning.

We also offer a teacher letter each week so we can connect with your child’s teacher. We feel this is an important piece so he/she can help reinforce the skills your child is learning.

This is a slow and deep process.  The focus of our classes are not about “managing” behaviors but rather teaching skills that begins to create a shift for students and parents.  Once these skills are learned, the students will be empowered to problem solve social situations that were once difficult for them.

We welcome any questions you have! If you would like to talk with us more about our classes, please reach out to us at confidentsolutions7@gmail.com.

With Appreciation,

Christina and Wendy

 

Parent and Child Meditation Class Tomorrow

Just a reminder that our parent and child meditation class will be held tomorrow evening.  If you’re interested in coming, please check out the details here Basic Meditation Class for Parent and Child

Registration for our next sessions of social classes will be opening up this week.  Details will follow in a separate post.

Happy Monday!

Christina and Wendy

 

Upcoming Holiday Session

We will be opening registration for our next social skills groups next week! This next session will be slightly different.  We will continue to have separate small groups, however, the focus of this session will be to begin teaching an understanding of social expectations around the holiday seasons as well as tools for coping with stress.  There will be more specific details about the sessions with the registration post.

The dates for the next session will be: November 13th, November 20th, December 4th, and December 11th.  There will be three groups meeting at a time: A sibling group  (optional), a parent group (required), and a group for your child learning specific social skills.  

Be sure to check our website next Monday with details about the classes and information on how to register.

With Appreciation,

Christina and Wendy

Who Benefits From Social Skills Classes?

Every child, with his/her unique strengths,  learns in a different way. Some children excel at math, while others struggle. Some children learn to read with ease, while others find it to be frustrating and difficult. One child may learn the proper way to say /k/ while others need to be specifically taught place, manner, and voicing.  Social skills are no different.

Children who have difficulties understanding social situations often do not see the  “rules” on the playground. They are typically the children that have to “pull their clip”, “go below the line”, or get a letter or phone call home. Often times, these children need specific instruction to learn what their peers, parents, and teachers expect from them. To those of us who have never had trouble understanding social expectations, this may seem absurd.

What we know is every behavior happens for a reason. For example, one child hits another during recess. He/she may not intend to be mean but really is looking for a way to be part of the group.  Hitting has been a way this student has gotten a response in the past to get another  child’s attention. When we take the time to teach that child appropriate ways to enter and exit play with another  would help prevent him/her from hitting in the future. The child has now learned skills and has a “toolbox” to pull from instead of hitting.  Another example is for the child who consistently comes home with a “bad” report (clip pulling, red cards, etc.).  Why is this behavior happening and what skills need to be taught instead of “managed”? Usually the behavior happens because the child is receiving some type of feedback before, during, or after.  What would happen if we understood the behavior, taught them a new way to receive their feedback, and then offered positive reinforcement every single time we saw them do it?  When we help children learn these skills in a non-judgemental way, we begin to see an improvement in their behavior and an increase in self-awareness.

The process of teaching children how to think socially does not change behavior overnight. Instead, it is a slow and deep process that requires time and patience. It also requires a village. When a therapist, teacher, etc. is teaching a child social skills, it’s important to carry those skills into his/her other environments like school and home. Communication is key. Communicating with your child’s teacher and school and letting them know what he/she is learning and how they can help support your child during the school day is important. If you sign your child up for a social skills class, please ask how you can learn the vocabulary. Also ask how they communicate with your child’s teacher. When there is a lack of communication outside of the social skills group room,  then you will typically only see improvement within the social skill group but limited progress in other environments.   One sentence from the Social Thinking! curriculum really stood out to us.  It said “Generalization is not an endpoint; it is simply part of the journey.”   We need to make sure  the child has adults who support him/her on the journey in learning social skills.

With Appreciation,

Wendy and Christina