Social Skills Coaching in Orlando, Central Florida, Winter Park, Clermont, Lake Mary & East Orlando Florida

Who

Who is Social Skills Coaching For?

1. Most average to high functioning students or young adults with the 2-3 or more of the 15 social delays listed below
2. Children with ADD and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According to Russell Barkely, MD, 60% of ADHD students are behind 25-30% socially and emotionally.
3. Children with High Functioning Autism or Autistic Spectrum Disorder formerly known as Aspergers.
4. Students with Social Anxiety or Social Phobia who often lack the ability to assert themselves, never contact their peers, and wait for peers to initiate contact.
5. Students who have been bullied or have trouble responding to teasing and may overreact or isolate.
6. Students with low self-esteem or self-confidence and isolate themselves from their peers
7. Students who have school friends, but do not socialize with them outside of school.
8. Students who tend to hang out with older or younger people, but have challenges connecting with peers of their same age.
9. Students struggling with anxiety or depression and may lack assertion skills in initiating conversations with their peers.
10. Students who are not invited to hang out or spend the night with their peers.
11. Students that may not be invited to birthday parties.

Why

Key Benefits of Social Skills Coaching

Testimonial – During COVID we had to cancel our social skills groups and so we did individual social coaching and we had a high school student go from no friends, to friends wanting to hangout, and to friends calling to hangout!

1. Social skills coaching will help your child with social reciprocation and finding relational connections so they can bridge their conversation to “What are you doing this weekend?” Response “Nothing”, “Want to hangout this weekend?”
2. Social skills coaching will help your child build self-confidence and assertion skills!
3. The goal of social skills coaching is to provide your child with the skills to convert school friends into after school friends to hang out with!

What

What Should I Expect with Social Skills Coaching?

1. Our social skills coaches role play with students on how to greet, start, and continue conversations–as well as how to make their peers feel like a million bucks by giving encouragement and saying their name in conversation. The coach will redirect the conversation when appropriate. We prompt students to interject when they hear someone likes the same activity with “I like soccer too.” or “I also like to write!” These statements lead to ways to get together and hang out like “We should play soccer sometime.”
2. Social skills students learn when they meet someone new to say the person’s name (because people love to hear their name), and look for connections (e.g. “What do you like to do for fun?”).
3. Social skills students learn how to start and continue conversations.
4. Social skills students learn to reciprocate – “How was your weekend Billy?” Response: “Great Steven, how was your weekend?”
5. Social skills students learn how to “roll” with teasing in order to help “fly under the bullies radar” and show confidence. For example, if the student is confronted with an insult such as “You’re an idiot!” they may respond playfully with “That’s the Best thing I’ve heard all day!” using humor. These methods serve as a toolkit for deflection and de-escalation.
6. The social skills coach may take a student out to lunch, or to a venue like Planet Smoothie or a coffee house, etc., in order to role play conversation in neutral environments.
7. We know parents are not always as “in the loop” as they may like to be with their child. You may ask your child about what they learned and receive “Nothing,” or “I don’t know.” as a response. It is important to us that you, the parent, know your child is progressing and benefiting from social skills coaching. So, in the last 5 minutes, when applicable, a social skills coach will ask the student, or young adult, to demonstrate what they have learned by sharing and providing social skills ideas, or ways to plan hangouts.
8. Our social skills coaches encourage parents to attempt to connect with the parents of their child’s school peers (students their child may share school lunches with) and try to set up opportunities for their children to hang out in social settings apart from school. This helps to build social confidence and self-esteem while they are in the social coaching program.

Where

Social Skills Coaching Locations and Venues

Social skills coaching can take place virtually, but also at any of our Central Florida Locations.

When

Scheduled For Your Convenience

Give us a call and we can usually get started within a week!  Do not delay as social skills are a big part of self-esteem and can make a massive difference in your child’s future relationships, and career!