More often than any other question, I am asked to describe my social skills groups. I lead three groups, for upper elementary school students, middle school students, and high school students. While no particular diagnosis is required for a child to be in one of these groups, most have diagnoses of Aspergers Disorder or High-Functioning Autism. Others struggle with social anxiety or extreme shyness. What all the kids in these groups have in common is that they have trouble making friends and interacting comfortably with their peers. These are the kids who have always lived on the fringes of their peer group. They are teased, bullied, tormented, and ostracized.
And something magical happens when they join the group. Quickly, they realize that here is a place where they will not be taunted or humiliated. Here, they will not experience bullying and social rejection. They see that there are other kids like them, dealing with the same struggles, sharing the same longings for social connection and a sense of belonging. For many if not most of these kids, group is the first safe peer setting they have ever known.
These children thrive in this environment. They form friendships with one another; together, they practice social skills that seem so natural to many of us: making eye contact, listening without interrupting, giving feedback, asking questions. After a while, I’ll hear from them and their parents that they’ve begun making friends outside of group. They start to carry their new skills outside of group and practice them in “the real world” of the classroom and playground.
For me, leading these groups – getting to know these wonderful children, seeing them blossom and flourish, watching their confidence and competence grow – is one of the most rewarding things in my life.
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