As a child gets older and comes into their own they begin to develop a wide range of social skills that they will carry with them throughout the rest of their life. Such skills include listening, body language, starting conversations, showing empathy, and more.
For neurodivergent children, such as children with Autism, some of these social skills can be hard to navigate. That is why children on the spectrum may benefit greatly from social skills training and other ABA therapy practices that support children in developing their skills and coming into their own.
Some of the unique verbal and nonverbal skills that are practiced in social skills support include:
- Intrapersonal Conversations: This refers to face-to-face conversations that a child will have with their peers. Some of the specific social skills taught regarding intrapersonal conversations include things like staying on topic or taking turns when speaking, etc.
- Body Language: Body language is a huge part of communication, and just like most other social skills, it can be taught. Social skills training may include training on how to read and use body language in an effective way.
- Play: Through social skills support a child can learn social behaviors that will support them in learning how to play meaningfully with or alongside others. From parallel playing, learning how to take turns, sportsmanship, and more, children can grow in their ability to socialize through play activities.
- Role Playing: There are several different social skills and scenarios that can be practiced through role playing exercises like starting conversations, sharing with peers, losing games gracefully, and more.
If your neurodivergent child could benefit from social skills support, then our team of BCBAs is here to help!
At Advanced Behavior Analysis, we have your child’s best interests at heart. Taking a compassionate approach to ABA therapy that respects your child’s free will and bodily autonomy, our Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) work with your child to support him/her in developing certain social skills and working toward fostering meaningful connections by modifying ineffective behaviors.
Offering both one-on-one social skills support and group social skills support opportunities, we work with your child in the environment that works best for them to develop skills such as self awareness, self control, self regulation, and responsible decision making.
Through social skills training it is our goal to unleash your child’s authentic self within their autistic identity, rather than encourage your child to mask who they really are to fit into a neurotypical world. Get in touch with our team today to learn more about social skills support and other ABA therapy services for your child!
