Interactive Play and Social Skills Groups
Goals
- Social skills: Development of and increase of non-verbal and verbal social communication skills
- Play Skills: Development of and increase in the symbolic and social dimensions of play (Wolfberg)
- Behavior: Development of and increase in strategies for decreasing the use of and need for idiosyncratic behavior
- Theory of Mind: Development of basic pragmatic skills and understanding of age-appropriate emotions
Strategies
- Guided Play: Assisting peers in playing with and prompting play and social skills within small groups
- Visual Supports: Iconic-based cues within the environment to support and facilitate development and age appropriate play and social skills
- Social Stories: To introduce new ideas, concepts, play skill sequences or to facilitate the processing of complex social concepts
- Comic Strip Conversations and Video Modeling: For recitation and role play of new social skill concepts
Supports
- Each group is facilitated by a behavior consultant trained in current research-driven methodologies conducive to facilitating play and social skills
- Each group consists of age and developmentally appropriate peers from the community and/or family to model and facilitate target social and play skills
Cheryl Markowitz, M.A.
Founder / Executive Director
Anne Marie Gjestson, M.S.
Director
Kristi Miklusicak, M.A.
Senior Behavior Consultant
Related Links