CATS Social Skills Program

Social Skills are a critical component in successful daily functioning. Children who do not have the ability to interact in a positive and meaningful way with those around them are left isolated, frustrated, and lonely. They suffer from Social Skills deficits that result in rejection by peers, and they tend to withdraw in an attempt to protect themselves. This leads to numerous missed opportunities for a variety of interactions, which negatively impact emotional, cognitive, and social development. Self-esteem suffers, learning is slowed, and peer relationships fail to develop. Therefore, it is critical that children with Social Skills deficits are provided with the training, experiences, and support necessary to allow them to develop strong and appropriate social relationships.

 

In order for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to succeed in developing Social Skills, these skills must be broken down into their component parts and presented in a concrete, systematic, and repetitive manner. CATS Social Skills Program is designed to provide just this type of a learning experience. Our program, based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) principles, follows a five-step process developed by experts within the ASD field. The program begins with an assessment, which allows us to determine the skills that your child already possess as well as those in need of strengthening and/or development. We then determine if the deficits are the result of skills that have not been acquired, skills that have been acquired but which the child has difficulty performing, or both. Once we have a thorough understanding of your child’s needs, we develop a plan to meet them. Throughout the program, we continue to evaluate and monitor your child in order to ensure that progress is being made.

 

Successful social interactions require that a child is able to think about how to interact, understand how they, themselves, feel, have an understanding of the feelings of others, and be able to perform the actions necessary for appropriate social interactions. This requires an understanding of the social rules that apply to a given situation (interactions with the teacher, mom or dad, grandma, a sibling), the context of the situation (school, home, water park), the ability to read the nonverbal cues of the people with whom the child is interacting, and the ability to self-monitor. “Typically developing” children acquire these skills by participating in interactions with different people in a variety of settings. In other words, they learn by doing and by the reactions they receive from others. Children with ASD not only have fewer opportunities to participate in these interactions, but also lack the skills to do so effectively. They have great difficulty reading the nonverbal cues of others and understanding how requirements change with different people and in different settings. Therefore, they are not able to determine if they are interacting appropriately and effectively. We can help with this!

 

For example, your child has difficulty initiating a social interaction, the following sub-skills can be taught:

• Understanding the proper timing with social initiations
• How to join in activities with peers
• How to invite peers to join in activities
• How to ask questions so as to get information about a person or a topic
• How to request assistance from others
• How to join a conversation with two or more people without interrupting
• How to initiate greetings with others
• How to introduce one’s self to others

About The CATS Social Skills Program:

• Social Skills are learned best when they are practiced in a variety of different settings and with different people.
• CATS will provide the instruction, training, and programs necessary for developing Social Skills, but we cannot do it alone.
• In order for your child to be successful, these Social Skills must be practiced and performed, requiring the participation of parents, family members, and caregivers.
• All skills are taught using Applied Behavior Analysis based techniques.
• Children are matched for age and functional level prior to the start of the program.
• Groups are kept small to allow for maximum interaction and practice by the children (minimum 2, maximum 4).
• Since interaction between children is critical for success, failure to attend a scheduled session will negatively impact not only your child but also the other children within the group. Therefore, a monthly commitment is required.
• Parent-training sessions will be available, but must be artranged for in advance.
• Short homework exercises will be sent home each week, which will require parent participation. These exercises are designed to provide practice with the Social Skill currently being learned and will help the student to maintain the skill from one weekly session to the next. It is critical that the parent help the child with the assignments each week.
• Costs of the program:
• Social Skills Assessment: $150.00, includes:
• Parent Interview
• Child Interview
• Teacher Questionnaire (If applicable)
• Development of Individualized Treatment Plan
• Weekly One Hour Social Skills Training Sessions: $40.00 per child, payable in advance monthly.
• Parent Training Sessions: $100.00

If you are interested in having your child participate in a Social Skills group, please fill out and return the Registration Form. As soon as we have an appropriate number of children in your child’s age range, we will schedule a group.