Ensuring Our Students Social Skills Are Also Ready for School

How am I supposed to just know that?…

For one young man, socializing always made him stressed. As if reading verbal cues like tone of voice wasn’t hard enough, nonverbal cues such as body language was too much for him. He felt as if nothing he thought ever actually matched what the person was feeling. As time went on, the young man found himself not even wanting to try to socialize. Rather, he found isolating himself was more comfortable for him because he never had to worry about what another person was thinking or feeling, or having to not only make, but maintain his friendships.

This worked for a few weeks, but as time went on, the young boy realized he was lonely. As he watched his peers play games with one another during free time and recess, he realized he wanted to do that too. So, after school the boy voiced his concerns to his parents who realized that their sons lack of social skills was setting him back. To help with this, they reached out to the Support for Students Growth Center. There, he met with a coach weekly to try and avoid having his underdeveloped social skills prevent him from enjoying his new school year. He learned different strategies such as what body language actually means, how to listen and not just speak, what is and isn’t appropriate to say and ask, and more. With these skills and a level of accountability, the boy was able to start taking control of his social life again.

Social skills are extremely important, especially as we enter a new school year. New school years bring new peers, new teachers, and the possibility to make new friends. However, if our social skills aren’t at the level they should be, making these friends can be difficult. Being able to not only read body language but interpret what they mean in the overall situation is important. It allows us to know what another person is thinking without them speaking before reacting in a way that is appropriate to the situation, such as asking why they are sad, or if they need time to themselves. Other skills such as being an active listener, not only making, but nurturing friendships, respecting privacy and boundaries, etc., are all extremely important when socializing not only in school, but other places as well, like the park or in your neighborhood and just in overall life.

While in school, social skills also help students work well with their peers. Gorup projects are common, and if our skills are not at an age-appropriate level, then they may begin to struggle with compromising and working in a group setting. This can then affect their grade, as well as the relationship they could have had with their groupmates simply because they were lacking certain essential social skills. According to the Marcus Autism Center, “approximately 52 percent of kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) don’t have many friends at school,” while CHADD states “50 to 60 percent of children with ADHD have difficulty with peer relationships. Over 25 percent of Americans experience chronic loneliness.” This shows that those without neurodivergent traits can experience difficulties with socialization as well, but it doesn’t mean they cannot learn how to overcome those struggles.

At the Support for Students Growth Center, we provide social, behavioral, educational, emotional, and executive functioning skills services children, teens, young adults, and their families, who may be Neurodivergent or not need for a happy and successful life in and out of school settings. Our team of professionals offers individualized and family coaching/counseling and social skills groups to help teach skills such as how to read body language, actively listen, etc., to ensure parents do not have to worry that their kids will be unable to make and maintain a functioning independent life on their own. So, if your child is struggling with skills like the ones listed above and much more, the SSGC is equipped with the tools to help.
Click here and call now to schedule your FREE 20-minute individualized screening

Dr. Eric J. Nach, Ph.D., M.Ed., A.S.D.C., is a Developmental and Behavioral Specialist who specializes in Autism, ADHD and related disorders. Dr. Nach is the founder of the Support for Students Growth Center and College Life Skills Program where he and his team of professional’s help develop the Emotional Maturity, Executive Functioning, Life Skill and Social Abilities of children, teens, young adults and college students and those high school students preparing for college.

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Executive Functioning: Be Ready for the School Year!

No! I said I don’t want to!

For one young girl, the start of the school year always felt dreadful. The anxiety of having to learn new schedules, be with new teachers, see new people, and have more responsibility filled the young girl with stress, and as she began the new school year, she quickly fell behind. Her inability to keep her different classes organized, remember what was due and when, keep track of time, and poor initiation skills caused all of her tasks to pile up. As the to-do list grew and grew, the young girl became less and less motivated before not trying at all anymore. It was all too much. She even began not doing things at home either, such as her chores, cleaning her room, or even socializing with her friends, which worried the girl’s parents who reached out to the Support for Students Growth Center for help.

There, the young girl met with a coach weekly to try and avoid having her underdeveloped executive functioning skills prevent her from enjoying her new school year. She learned different strategies such as utilizing a color-coded planner, timers, and skills such as planning for the week ahead. With these skills and a level of accountability, the young girl was able to start taking control of her school life again.

Now that school is now back, it is important that the students can transition into a routine that includes more responsibilities—such as doing homework—before they fall behind. Being able to manage their time so they have enough to finish a project, keep their things organized, transition between classes and tasks, and so much more are all essential executive functioning skills needed to have a successful school year. Without them, they may struggle to maintain a school life-balance. Ensuring your homework is not only done, but on time, not only listening, but remembering parts of a task (working memory), initiating a task, managing time, etc., are all things that help them make time for the fun parts of life. However, if their executive functioning skills are not at an age-appropriate level, then they may run into other issues such as isolation, stress, avoidance, failing classes, emotional outbursts, etc., all of which may hinder them from becoming the most successful person they can be.

Executive functioning skills help us keep things in control. They not only allow complete tasks and other things but do so in a way that is effective, so we do not have to worry about it later. If we are unable to do so, then we may begin running in circles, constantly trying to get a never-ending list done. According to one source, “…up to 80% of those with autism suffer from executive function disorder, leading to difficulties managing time, completing tasks, and making what might be thought of as simple tasks – like cleaning your room – very complicated or seemingly impossible.” (NHS, n.d.). With such a high percentage of those being affected, it is important that the skills that may not come as easy to them are being taught to them in a way that is effective for them, and the Support for Students Growth Center has the tools to do just that.

At the Support for Students Growth Center, we provide social, behavioral, educational, emotional, and executive functioning skills services children, teens, young adults, and their families, who may be Neurodivergent or not need for a happy and successful life in and out of school settings. Our team of professionals offers individualized and family coaching/counseling and social skills groups to help teach skills such as how to remain organized to ensure parents do not have to worry that their kids will be unable to make and maintain a functioning independent life on their own. So, if your child is struggling with skills like the ones listed above and much more, the SSGC is equipped with the tools to help.


Click here and call now to schedule your FREE 20-minute individualized screening

Dr. Eric J. Nach, Ph.D., M.Ed., A.S.D.C., is a Developmental and Behavioral Specialist who specializes in Autism, ADHD and related disorders. Dr. Nach is the founder of the Support for Students Growth Center and College Life Skills Program where he and his team of professional’s help develop the Emotional Maturity, Executive Functioning, Life Skill and Social Abilities of children, teens, young adults and college students and those high school students preparing for college.
 

NHS. (n.d.). NHS choices. https://www.leicspart.nhs.uk/autism-space/health-and-lifestyle/autism-and-executive-functioning-skills/#:~:text=Some%20research%20suggests%20that%20up,very%20complicated%20or%20seemingly%20impossible. 

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Ensuring Skills are Maintained During the Summer

Why? I’m not in school anymore…

For one young boy, summer meant no more work. No more staying organized, no more keeping track of what he was doing, no more homework assignments, and most of all, no more responsibilities. His mother did not fight him on this during the summer, allowing her son to run around, play, and not do any cleaning, organizing, or chores on his own because he worked so hard during the school year. Yet, after doing this, she didn’t realize it would cause her son to begin to lose these skills. Since he was not practicing them, his ability to stay on task, clean his room regularly, stay organized, and more all quickly became weakened.

This then caused the boy to become frustrated, since all the hard work he did during the school year was now practically gone because he did not continue to practice them during the summer. His mom tried to get him back on his normal routine as the summer came to an end, but she received a lot of push back and avoidant behavior from her son who was too overwhelmed. He simply could not jump right back into his responsibilities like they had thought he would, because he did not maintain, utilize, strengthen, or develop the age-appropriate executive functioning skills over the summer. When school started again, he also struggled because he was now not only regressing personally, but behind his classmates and peers, causing even more stress on the boy who now didn’t want to attend school, work on his executive functioning skills, or do anything at all because he was too overwhelmed.

Due to this struggle, the mom reached out to the Support for Students Growth Center. There, they got the support they needed to help her son start to not only regain his executive functioning skills but be confident in his ability to use them because they maintained them over the summer by joining their intensive program. While there, he was able to continue to learn and develop these skills so he could not only be prepared for the school year ahead, but in life as well.

Executive functioning skills are important because they do more than just help us with schoolwork. It helps us keep our rooms, personal lives, and even our minds clean, organized, and relaxed so we have the time to focus on other things. Planning and organizing, time management, working memory, task imitation and completion, and so much more are just a few of the skills needed to be successful in both school and personal life. Without them, we would have unneeded stress, anxiety, clutter, and discouragement that can set us back.

Not practicing these skills over the summer creates a cycle of gaining and losing the same fundamental skills over and over, leaving no time or room for growth or advancement in these skills. One source explains how according to research published in the American Educational Research Journal “Children can lose up to 40% of the learning gains they have made over the school year if stimulating learning opportunities halt over the summer months. There’s extensive neuroscience research evidence that taking an extended break from learning during the summer can impact students’ retention and engagement for the next school year.” With such a high percentage of knowledge risking being lost, it is important to strengthen it anytime, and anywhere you can, and the Support for Students Growth Center is the place to do it.
At the Support for Students Growth Center, we provide Summer Intensive Programs. We additionally offer social, behavioral, educational, emotional, and executive functioning skills services children, teens, young adults, and their families, who may be Neurodivergent or not need for a happy and successful life in and out of school settings. Our team of professionals offers individualized and family coaching/counseling and social skills groups to help teach skills such as how to remain organized to ensure parents do not have to worry that their kids will be unable to make and maintain a functioning independent life on their own. So, if your child is struggling with skills like the ones listed above and much more, the SSGC is equipped with the tools to help.

Click here and call now to schedule your FREE 20-minute individualized screening

Dr. Eric J. Nach, Ph.D., M.Ed., A.S.D.C., is a Developmental and Behavioral Specialist who specializes in Autism, ADHD and related disorders. Dr. Nach is the founder of the Support for Students Growth Center and College Life Skills Program where he and his team of professional’s help develop the Emotional Maturity, Executive Functioning, Life Skill and Social Abilities of children, teens, young adults and college students and those high school students preparing for college.
 
Curtailing your child’s Summer Brain Drain by Samantha. CADDAC. (n.d.). https://caddac.ca/curtailing-your-childs-summer-brain-drain-by-samantha/ 

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Maintaining Social Skills Over Break

I don’t want to share!

For one young boy, coming back from winter break was always difficult for him to handle. After working for months on his social skills, staying home for weeks before having to go back to school was stressful since he often had a hard time remembering what certain facial and body languages mean since he didn’t have to identify them at home.

He also did not want to share his new toys with the other kids, have them be in his space, touch him, or overall socialize because over the break, he did not have to. Instead of maintaining and continuing to utilize and practice his social skills, he locked himself in his room with all of his new toys before refusing to play with his siblings and other family because when he tried, he found that he often had a hard time communicating his emotions. Doing so made the boy feel like even when he tried, he did not like having to socialize because it was too hard to remember it all, which was overwhelming for him, so when it was time for him to return to school, he had a breakdown.

He was screaming, crying, destroying his room and his sibling’s room, and more, so he would not have to go back to school. As his parents realized he needed extra aid, they reached out to the Support for Students Growth Center for help. There, they attended social skills classes to help ensure their son was actively practicing the skills he learned to ensure not to lose them like he often did during breaks. The parents also attended support sessions of their own, meeting to discuss issues and techniques for them as well to help support not only their son, but their entire family.

The boy learned to identify the situation he is in before applying the correct social skills to help ease his anxiety. After being able to identify and communicate both his and others’ emotions, he was then able to adapt to the situation, making socializing much easier and even a happy experience for the boy as his friendship group began to grow.

Not practicing social skills during breaks can cause

  • Them to lose their skills to be able to identify things in social situations
  • Them to become isolated, anxious, and/or depressed
  • Regression
  • Avoidance behaviors
  • Failure to launch
  • Screen addiction
  • And more

 We can combat this by 

  • Actively practicing social skills while on break and at home
  • Setting up playdates/social times
  • Monitoring screen time
  • Taking them to social skills classes
  • And more, that we can help with!

At the Support for Students Growth Center, we provide social, behavioral, educational, emotional, and executive functioning skills services children, teens, young adults, and their families, who may be Neurodivergent or not need for a happy and successful life in and out of school settings. Our team of professionals offers individualized and family coaching/counseling and social skills groups to help teach skills such as how to maintain social skills during breaks to ensure parents do not have to worry that their kids will be unable to make and maintain a functioning independent life on their own. So, if your child is struggling with skills like the ones listed above and much more, the SSGC is equipped with the tools to help.

Click here and call now to schedule your FREE 20-minute individualized screening

Dr. Eric J. Nach, Ph.D., M.Ed., A.S.D.C., is a Developmental and Behavioral Specialist who specializes in Autism, ADHD and related disorders. Dr. Nach is the founder of the Support for Students Growth Center and College Life Skills Program where he and his team of professional’s help develop the Emotional Maturity, Executive Functioning, Life Skill and Social Abilities of children, teens, young adults and college students and those high school students preparing for college.

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