Social challenges can be daunting for children and can impede development and independent functioning. The Center for Children with Special Needs provides a range of social skills groups addressing these challenges.

These groups are for children, adolescents, and young adults with social processing difficulties related to:
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Asperger Syndrome
• Pervasive Development Disorders
• Nonverbal Learning Disabilities
• Semantic and Pragmatic Disorders
• Communication Disorders
• Specific Learning Disorders
• Neurological Impairments
• Chronic Pediatric Illness
The groups include conversational practice, skills building exercises such as role playing, social games and activities.

Our approach is to build on the individual’s strengths and interests and to teach social skills through:

• Creating a supportive social environment within which the individual can process social communication and successfully interact with others
• Providing skill instruction tailored to the learning profile of the individual
• Creating opportunities to practice skills within the group
• Making social interactions supportive, satisfying, and enjoyable

The groups address social functions such as:

• Conversational turn-taking and topic management
• Listening skills
• Social reasoning and problem solving
• Initiating interactions and joining peer group activities
• Social rules and conventions
• Nonverbal communication
• Perspective taking

Social skills groups are provided in Glastonbury. They meet weekly and typically include between 4 and 7 participants. Members are grouped according to age, functional level, and social needs.

The groups meet throughout the year. Participation is reviewed in September, January, and June. At these times, participants graduate from the group, elect to continue, or change to a different group.

To find out more, call the Center to arrange a screening appointment. During the screening appointment the individual is interviewed, the history is reviewed with parents, and the group format is described.

Using information from the screening, the Center will offer a spot in ongoing groups. Assignments are based on the individual’s level of functioning, expected compatibility among group members, and group vacancies. If there are no openings in ongoing groups, then the information will be held and the individual considered for future openings as they occur.