Our clients often need support in learning social skills.
I am the type of person who likes to be prepared. In the pre-Covid era, when I went somewhere new, I liked to do my research: I checked out the website, looked at venue photos, found videos of the place, looked it up on maps and scrolled through street view. I found it calming to Read more about How to Use Video Modeling to Teach Social Skills[…]
It has been a while since I was a child, and making friends is no doubt more challenging now that it has ever been. Add on top of that a diagnosis, or a different way of socializing, and making friends can become even more challenging. This can be a terrifying realization for many families, as Read more about Plan a Play Date[…]
Social skills should always be an integral part of any good ABA program right from the start. By social skills, I don’t just mean being able to play with other kids. In typical development, socializing starts very early – a baby making eye contact with his mother, a toddler pointing out an interesting sight to Read more about When is a Child Ready for a Social Skills Group?[…]
So often, we take for granted that kids like to play. We buy them toys, arrange play dates, and even take them to parks and public areas, all in the name of playing. No one doubts the importance of play on a child’s development. It builds confidence, social skills, creativity, and imagination. But what happens Read more about 5 Steps to Teaching Play Skills[…]
Social skills is a common area that we tackle within an ABA program. Why is ABA the right approach to use when teaching social skills? Because in an ABA program we use behavioural objectives that are: Very specific in their content. For example, a goal might be “reciprocates greetings from peers” and not “greetings” Definable Read more about How to Use ABA to Teach Social Skills[…]
We LOVE using visuals. Pictures make stories interesting and visual schedules give kids predictability and control. We also use these visuals in the form of scripts to teach conversation. You might be wondering, “But conversation has to be natural and fluid. Doesn’t it defeat the purpose if it’s scripted?” Our answer (and the answer of Read more about Can Conversation Be Scripted?[…]
Conversation is tricky. There are so many moving parts but many of us learn it incidentally. However, for some of our students, it’s not always as easy. When do I talk about myself vs. ask a question? When is it appropriate to change the subject? Sometimes as a result of therapy, our kids get really Read more about 4 Ways to Teach Kids to Initiate Conversation[…]
How many times have we asked a student, “Where do you go to sleep?” and they answer “At night”? Or “When do you go swimming?” and they answer “in the pool”? Answering ‘wh questions’ is a difficult skill for many of our students. A typical child should be able to answer “where” and “what’s that” Read more about Teaching How to Answer ‘Wh Questions’[…]
Teaching social skills can be one of the most challenging areas of programming. It’s so important but it doesn’t come naturally for so many of our students. Social skills are individualized and constantly changing so the program has to be dynamic enough to keep up. So how do we program for this in a way that Read more about Using Board Games to Promote Language[…]
When you pick up Patty from school or daycare, you always find her alone spinning toys and humming to herself. She seems happy by the situation but you’re not – you’d prefer that Patty would participate with peers. You wish that she could make friends and have fun playing with them. In general, that’s hard for kiddos with autism. However, with coaching and teaching, Patty can become more comfy relating in social situations! Here’s how you can help your honey make friends. […]