People are social, and we use many methods to share our messages and feelings. Social Skills Training helps improve this communication.
Social skills are how we talk and connect with others. We use words, gestures, and body language. How we look also matters. Social Skills Training helps your child. They learn to talk to kids and adults. They make friends. They learn to behave right in different places. Good social skills are important.
Following unwritten social rules of the environment
Thinking about others in a shared environment
Regulating one’s own behaviors to other people’s thoughts or expectations
(Michelle Garcia Winner, 2005)
HeadStart for Life offers a Social Skills Training programme. It helps your child get better at social skills. They learn to talk well with others. It boosts their confidence. It improves their life quality. The programme makes interacting with people easier.
Our Social Skills Training programme is for kids who struggle with socializing. It lets them learn at their own speed. They learn to face many social and life challenges. The programme helps them handle these issues.
Who needs Social Skills Training?
Children who are aged 4 years and above, who may:
- Have difficulties interacting with peers
- Demonstrates limited ability in understanding people
- Have difficulties maintaining topics
- Have issues sharing with peers
- Have difficulties in expressing their emotions
- Have difficulties initiating conversations with other people
Our Social Skills Training Approach
Our therapists are trained for Social Skills Training. They assess and plan ways to improve your child's social skills. Each treatment plan is made just for your child. We use methods that are smart, useful, and fun.
We include role-playing, storybooks, and games. We use approaches like Social Thinking, Theory of Mind, and Social Pragmatics. HeadStart for Life's programmes focus on many skills. But they're not limited to just these.
Topic maintenance
Sharing space more effectively
Being more aware of their behaviours as well as others’ behaviours
Demonstrating whole body listening in a group
Taking others’ perspectives
Identifying listener’s feelings
Recognising facial expressions
Develop problem solving
Click here to learn more about our therapists.
Model Child Programme
HeadStart for Life offers a free Model Child Programme. It's for kids aged 5 to 12 years old. In this programme, we invite a model child. They join our Social Skills Training sessions. They help other students in the group. They show how to respond right during class activities.
Benefits of Being a Model Child
Recent studies have found something important. A typically developing child can learn in inclusive settings. These are places like Social Skills Training. In these settings, they learn from kids with different challenges. This has immediate benefits.
Kids develop understanding and positive attitudes. They learn this towards kids who are different. This happens in places like Social Skills Training. It's an inclusive setting. Kids with and without difficulties learn together. Odom and Bailey mentioned this in 2001.
Show increased self-esteem, confidence, autonomy, and leadership skills (Katz and Chard, 2000)
Cooperate with other students in a diverse group to accomplish an activity
Develop self-responsibility
Learn to negotiate sharing
Initiate interactions
Our Social Skills Training Process
Call for Appointment
Initial Assessment
(1-2 Sessions)
Recommendations
Social Skills Training Session Starts (Individual/Dyad/Group)
Review Assessments
(after 6 months)
Fees start from $120 per hour
People also ask
In social skills training, several techniques are used. Role-playing helps practice real-life situations. Group discussions allow sharing and learning from others. Feedback is given to improve skills. Social stories teach about different social situations. In a social skills group, all these techniques come together.
Social skills are very important for kids. They help kids make friends. They also teach kids how to communicate well. Social skills help in school and in life. Being part of a social skills group can improve these skills. It’s key for a child’s overall development.
You might have bad social skills if you notice certain signs. If you often feel awkward in conversations, that’s a sign. Struggling to make friends can be another clue. If people seem uncomfortable around you, pay attention. Not understanding social cues is also a sign. Joining a social skills group can help improve these skills.
Many things can affect a child’s social skills. Their family environment is one factor. How they are treated by friends matters too. A child’s own personality plays a role. Learning difficulties can also impact social skills. Being in a social skills group can help improve these skills.
Poor social skills can affect learning in several ways. Kids might struggle to work in groups. They may find it hard to make friends. This can lead to feeling lonely at school. It can also make paying attention in class harder. Joining a social skills group can help improve these skills.
Yes, social skills often need to be taught. Not all kids pick them up naturally. Learning social skills helps in making friends. It’s also important for getting along with others. Social skills groups can be a great place to learn these skills. They provide a safe and structured environment for practice.