Social Groups

Social responses may come naturally to us. If someone walks by and gives you a smile, you would naturally smile back. If you are playing legos with a friend, you take turns to put blocks on one-by-one! However, these skills do not come easy to a child with ASD. We have to break these into small steps by ensuring they know how to get other’s attention, initiate conversations and respond appropriately to questions, play and share toys with friends, and accepting rejections from others. Buddies’ program pulls and adopt activities and content from internationally published social skills programs such as Michelle Garcia Winner’s ‘We Thinkers!’ series and Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson’s empricially supported UCLA ‘Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) curriculum. 

Through our ‘Buddies’ program, they get a chance to meet new buddies, learn to share, play and laugh through social games, turn-taking games, snack time, role-plays and even social outings!

At ABLE, we currently offer Social groups for 4 different age groups.

Chitchatters

Age 6 -8

Social Explorers

Age 3-5

Good

Buddies

Age 9-11

Social Challenge Fighters

Age 12-15

Social Explorers
Age 3 - 5

This program aims to equip basic social skills for children with ASD or social challenges in a group format.

Our social skills group adapts content from Michelle Garcia Winner’s ‘We Thinkers! Volume 1’ program. You can expect your child to learn through role-plays, games and activities, practice these skills and learn to do the same outside of the lessons. 

Is my child ready to be a Social Explorer?

If your child has a handle on verbal language and can follow group direction with occasional support, he/she is ready to be evaluated for Social Skills Group!

Social Explorers

Chitchatters
Age 6 - 8

Is my child ready to be a Chit Chatter?

If your child has basic conversational skills, and mastered the skills from the Social Explorer's program, and with some extra support can participate in the group, he/she is ready to join this Social Skills Group!

At this stage, your child is able to respond to social cues and making friendships. The focus has being to shift to thinking about others. We build on the basic social skills from beginner group further by continuing onto Michelle Garcia Winner’s ‘We Thinkers! Volume 2’ and Dr Elizabeth Laugeson’s UCLA ‘Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) curriculum. 

Chitchatters

Good Buddies

Age 9 - 11

This group is designed for children that are moving towards demonstrating learned social skills independently in natural settings. The content for this social skills group combines ‘101 ways to Teach Children Social Skill’s by Dr Lawrence Shapiro and Dr Elizabeth Laugeson’s UCLA (PEERS® for Adolescents).  This group places emphasis in a child to independently problem solve and to respond appropriately to novel social situations, and understanding and reading nonverbal communication (e.g. body language in others, tone of voice).

Is my child ready to be a Good Buddy?

If your child can initiate conversations with others, acquire friendships and mastered the social skills from the Chitchatters's program, but need some extra support in maintaining friendships or reacting appropriately to social situations, he/she is ready to join this Social Skills Group!

Good Buddies

Social Challenge Fighters

Age 12 - 15

Is my child ready to be a Social Challenge Fighter?

If your child can initiate and maintain social conversations with others, understand basic social etiquettes but need some support into handling every day social situations, he/she is ready to join this Social Skills Group!

This is more advanced social skill group that assumes your child can acquire friendships but need support in maintaining friendship and handling every day social situations such as avoiding arguments, resolving conflicts, teasing and bullying. This program uses Dr Elizabeth Laugeson’s UCLA (PEERS® for Adolescents) 

Social Challenge Fighters