When I first started working with students in a social skills setting, I felt completely overwhelmed. My experience was primarily with students with moderate to severe disabilities, and I wasn’t sure how to best support those with milder social needs. I began by working with one student in a social skills group in 2021, gradually gaining more experience. In 2022, I took on another student, and by 2023, I was coordinating with other BCBAs to plan group activities.
At the end of 2023, my coworker announced she was moving, and I took over the majority of her caseload. This included nearly all the students in the Saturday social skills group. From there, I assumed responsibility for data collection, lesson planning, and all other aspects of running these groups.
This blog series has been a long time in the making, and I’m excited to finally share what we do in our social skills groups! This first series will focus on our upper elementary/early middle school students, typically aged 9-12, most of whom are in a general education environment.
I’ll be sharing the lessons we teach, how we extend concepts, and any other fun ideas that come up in the group. If you enjoy this series, we can explore creating more sets that focus on different social skills groups. I hope you’re as excited as I am to gather a ton of new ideas this fall!