As of December 13, 2008, all groups have been temporarily suspended. Julie is undergoing some life changes and will be re-structuring Perspectives at some point in the future. Please check back later in 2009 for updates.
Group Opportunities:
It can be beneficial to group several students together so that learning, practicing and discussing strategies is relevant to the deficit areas of each participant. Groups can be fun and positive and often lead to participants developing friendships with others who may share similar perspectives. Groups are offered for school-aged individuals. Students are most often best served in addressing social skills by providing them opportunities for instruction and practice within a group setting. Many individuals who lack social understanding are more successful and comfortable interacting with adults. Group instruction provides an opportunity for practice amongst age appropriate peers.
Grouping students together appropriately is a vital piece of providing opportunity for success. Students are generally grouped within a similar age range with a span of about three to four years (with occasional exceptions). More importantly, groups are developed based on the individual strengths, needs and personalities of group members. Groups generally consist of four to six participants along with two staff. Generally we find that larger groups allow for more “typical” practice opportunities along with greater opportunities to connect with other members of the group. On occasion, there may be a group as small as three students. The maximum group size is six students.
Perspectives Social Learning, LLC utilizes the Social BEST framework to help students recall and utilize some of the strategies that they learn. B stands for Body, E for emotions, S for Speaking and T for thinking. (See Julie’s article on Doing Your Social BEST in the Autism Asperger Digest) **link**In all social situations, it is necessary to monitor each of these areas of yourself as well as others. The information that is taught comes from various internationally known experts in the field of social thinking as well as those developed by instructors at Perspectives. Perspectives strives to utilized the best evidence-based practices in teaching social skills.
All group sessions include a portion at the end of the session in which the instructor meets and talks with parents. They will provide information about strategies taught and practice and feedback about the children in the group. All group instructional programs require parent (or family) involvement. Increasing social ability is highly dependent upon continuous reinforcement , so it is vital that parents learn what their children are learning and continue reinforcing these ideas on a day-to-day basis.
Summer Intensive Program
The summer intensive group instructional program is held for 6 weeks in June and July of each year. Each group meets once per week for a two hour session. Parents are required to attend the last 20 minutes of each session. This program is highly intensive and introduces the students to many different social thinking concepts. The program requires a significant amount of homework on the part of the parent and the student. Strong reinforcers and rewards are provided for the participants in the program. This program also includes the availability of consultation via email for more specific suggestions or individualized feedback. The last session of each group is held in the community and allows the participants to utilize specific strategies in a more natural environment.
Groups fill fast. Registration information is posted in February and is due by May 1st.
School Year Program
Students benefit most from social instruction when they are given ample opportunity for practice and are regularly reinforced. The school year program allows for more thorough examination of social skills strategies and ample amount of practice. There are two twelve-week terms per year that run in the fall and the winter. Each session meets once per week for an hour. Parents are required to attend the last ten minutes of each session. There is information and suggestions about reinforcement opportunities at home, but there is little “homework” during the school year. In addition, each family is also provided with regular email consultation , if desired.
New groups are added each term. Waiting lists are formed and groups are developed based on the right dynamics of the participants, but priority is given to current clients first, then to first registrants. Registration is taken throughout the year.
Fall Social Groups are full. Please email us for information about new groups beginning in January, 2009. email