Sociall skills and executive function skill development program for neuro-diverse teens
Thank you for your interest in Chill & Chat. This is our sixth year running a community-based social skills group for teens in North Vancouver. We are continuing to grow as we receive referrals from high school counsellors, the
PEERS program, Psychologists, SLPs, and parents.
Our participants form a diverse group of young people aged 13-24. All of them are neuro-diverse learners. Most of the participants present with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD, and executive function skill disorder (self-regulation). Some also struggle with anxiety, dyslexia, cognitive impairments, auditory working memory deficits (can’t remember verbal instructions or long sentences), and hearing loss. All of the participants are motivated to improve their social and conversational skills.
Most, but not all of the participants have received previous instruction in Social Thinking curriculum or attended the PEERS program. Our mission is to give the teens conversation practice in natural, community-based settings with multiple partners and support.
Our program consists of two registered and certified SLPs and at least four peer conversation coaches. We meet most weeks at the John Braithwaite Community Centre Youth Center at 145 W.1st Ave, North Vancouver. Occasionally we also go for pizza, sushi, or ice cream at nearby restaurants. Our sessions are one hour in length. The SLPs send reminder emails to all families on Wednesday nights. They also email parents detailed notes containing their observations, teens’ participation data, and suggestions regarding strategies their teens can implement next time.
Every session has a pre-determined theme. Once the teens greet each other and make small talk, we offer the teens the opportunity to check in (Zones of Regulation), and either choose a skill to target that week or work as a team member (by table) to earn as many points as they can in a variety of related skills.
The SLPs and peer conversation coaches, model and offer teens feedback on the following skills:
• Situational awareness (standing with the group)
• Greeting others
• Identifying and using sarcasm
• Initiating and responding to small talk
• Initiating and maintaining conversational topics (on non-preferred topics at least 50% of the time).
• Using active listening (looking at speaker, asking questions and making related comments to keep the conversation going)
• Reading and responding to others’ non-verbal cues
• Regulating one’s behavior by assessing the size of the problem
• Flexible thinking
• Problem solving
• Using one’s social filter
• Using social fake behaviors
• Impulse control
• Other skills as the need arises
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Sociall skills and executive function skill development program for neuro-diverse teens
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- 145 W 1st St, North Vancouver, BC V7M 3N8
- North Vancouver
- 778-899-2778
- sheilact@telus.net
- http://threndytalk.ca
- 06:00
- 07:00
- No
- No
- No
- Yes
- 6
