- Why should my child attend a social skills group?
- How will I know if my child will be appropriate for a social skills group?
- How do we compose our groups?
- Will my child feel stigmatized by attending a group?
- How do I describe the group to my child?
Why should my child attend a social skills group?
These groups provide a safe place for children to learn and practice new strategies and get feedback from their peers about how successfully they do. Our group leaders use a skills- based approach with a variety of structured and unstructured activities to assist children in developing positive interpersonal skills.
How will I know if my child will be appropriate for a social skills group?
If you can answer yes to a few of the following questions, social skills groups will be good for your child:
- He complains that he has no friends.
- He is not invited to birthday parties
- He is withdrawn and spends a lot of time by himself (and would prefer to be with peers).
- He has difficulty participating in team sports or group activities.
- He has social difficulties in the classroom.
- He complains that classmates won't include him in recess activities, bully him, or ignore him.
- He resents or won't listen to your suggestions.
How do we compose our groups?
Many factors influence group composition, chronological age, school grade, emotional development level, social skill level and reason for attending the group. Because a lot of the group work involves the leaders breaking down the social skills in order to teach them to the children in a way that makes sense, we place children/teens together who need to work on similar skills at a similar level.
Will my child feel stigmatized by attending a group?
In our experience, we have found that group members quickly feel comfortable due to the playful, fun, and supportive atmosphere of the groups. Behaviour Matters groups are often the only place outside of the home that these children/teens can express their feelings and receive peer support.
How do I describe the group to my child?
This depends on your child's age and level of self-awareness. There are many ways to describe our groups, a play group, friendship club or a social skills group. When we make an appointment, we can discuss what will best work for your child.