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Social Skills Training Group Program

Many children and teens with high functioning autism, Asperger syndrome, PDD-NOS and ADHD have social problems. These can include difficulties making friends, having two sided and interactive conversations, and knowing when to stop lecturing others about one’s own interests.

The UC Davis MIND Institute’s Social Skills Training Program covers important practical issues involved in helping groups of children learn new skills and techniques for peer interaction. This comprehensive program has been helping children since 2001. The MIND Institute has published two research papers on intervention with children and adolescents, making our program one of the few that is based on empirical research. The Social Skills program currently operates as a clinical service at the MIND Institute, and is offered on a fee-for-service basis.

What is the Social Skills Program?

The UC Davis MIND Institute has built our program on two components. The first component is the children’s group, which includes an average of 8 - 12 children. This group is lead by a licensed psychologist and three adult co-leaders. The second component involves a parent group that is mandatory and meets at the same time as the children’s group and is lead by a social worker and a psychologist. A support group for siblings may be available during some sessions at no charge for brothers and sisters.

Our Curriculum begins with focus on non-verbal behavior cues and emotional recognition in others. We cover other topics including stress management, conversation rules, social problem recognition, and problem solving, making good choices, and friendship and leadership skills.

The parent groups review the day’s curriculum as well as other topics such as, diagnostic profiles, possible treatment alternatives, and working with school districts. Guest speakers are invited to present on topics of interest including behaviorist, medication, and sexuality. Parents are also invited to offer support and information to one another.

Groups meet 20-30 weeks
Groups meet weekly for 1 1/2 hours
The program typically runs October - June

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Does My Child Meet the Requirements?

Children’s ages 6-17 with difficulties in social situations
Does not have clinically significant behavioral problems
Must have average verbal and social abilities
Your child does not need to have a diagnosis, but many participants do have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders, NLD and ADHD.

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How Do I Get Started?

You do not need a referral to particpant in the groups. For more information, please contact Toni Boyd at (916) 703-0346 or email at antoniya.boyd@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.

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Social Skills Journal Articles

A Social Adjustment Enhancement Intervention for High Functioning Autism, Asperger Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder NOS.
Solomon M, Goodlin-Jones BL, Anders TF.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2004 Dec;34(6):649-68.

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a 20-week social adjustment enhancement curriculum for boys aged 8-12. The curriculum was designed to address three areas hypothesized to be deficient in persons with HFA, AS, and PDD NOS: emotion recognition and understanding; theory of mind; and executive functions/real life type problem solving. Parents attended a semi-structured concurrent psychoeducational training meeting during children's sessions. Statistically significant improvements in facial expression recognition, and problem solving were reported for intervention group children compared to waiting list control group children. For the intervention group (the only group for whom data were available), older and less cognitively able boy's scores on a depression inventory decreased significantly more than younger children's. Mother's depression scores tended to decrease and there were significant reductions in child problem behaviors reported. Results are discussed in the context of individual differences in participant cognitive levels and profiles, symptom severity, and affect-related variables.

The Effectiveness of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Families of Children on the Autism Spectrum.
Solomon M, Ono M, Timmer S, Goodlin-Jones B.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2008 Oct;38(9):1767-76. Epub 2008 Apr 10.

Abstract

We report the results of a pilot trial of an evidence-based treatment-Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT; Eyberg et al. Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 31(1), 83-91, 1995) for boys aged 5-12 with high functioning autism spectrum disorders and clinically significant behavioral problems. The study also included an investigation of the role of shared positive affect during the course of therapy on child and parent outcomes. The intervention group showed reductions in parent perceptions of child problem behaviors and child atypicality, as well as an increase in child adaptability. Shared positive affect in parent child dyads and parent positive affect increased between the initial and final phases of the therapy. Parent positive affect after the first phase was related to perceptions of improvement in problem behaviors and adaptive functioning.

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