How Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria Affects Neurodivergent Students Social Skills

But what if they don’t like me…

In school, it is not uncommon for children, teens, and young adults to face the feeling of rejection, yet, for neurodivergent students, they can take it exceptionally hard, especially in social situations if they have Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD). They may feel as if their peers are rejecting them simply because they do not want to play the same game as them or like something they like. Even if their peers still invite them to play a different game or share their own likes and interest, they may be deterred from joining because their perception makes them believe they have been rejected by them. This can then prevent them from wanting to socialize in general since the feelings their RSD give them are too painful or embarrassing, causing them to struggle to make friends in and out of school settings.

RSD traits can cause students to react harshly, causing them to scream, hit, or act irrationally with their peers, which can cause making and maintaining friendships to become difficult since friends typically do not want to be yelled at because of a disagreement. Although RSD can make children, teens, and young adults feel as if a situation is much more negative than it is, as they may not be able to manage it, they can become isolated and have a hard time socializing while growing up. This can then cause other issues such as anxiety, depression, loneliness and much more, but The Support for Students Growth Center is equipped to help them manage their RSD traits.

At the Support for Students Growth Center, we provide the social, behavioral, educational, emotional, and executive functioning skills 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 manage RSD 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 as they grow up. 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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What is Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria?

But what if they reject me?

For one neurodivergent young boy, his transition into middle school was causing him some issues. In such a new place with so many new kids, his inability to fit in at his new school was only adding to his stress. He felt as if he was constantly being rejected by his peers, whether it be in class, at lunch, or at after school clubs and activities, causing his self-esteem to become lower by the day. Yet, as he spoke to his parents about his issues, they realized that maybe their son had Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), which made him think that some things his peers were saying/doing were them rejecting him, when in reality, they were not.

The young boy would think that when his friends wouldn’t want to do his idea for a project or play the video games he wanted to play, that they were rejecting him. However, they still invited the boy to do what they all agreed on, but instead of compromising, the young boy would act irrationally due to the embarrassment he was feeling after thinking he was being rejected. This then also made it hard for him to control his emotions and behaviors, and as time went on, he began drifting apart from his friends, causing middle school to become lonely for him. He would also react this way when teachers were trying to give him constructive criticism, his peers would have a different opinion than him, and even at home with his parents who were trying to help him, causing this time in his life, as well as his transition into middle school, to become exceptionally hard for the boy because of characteristics of RSD.

According to some researchers RSD can be found in both boys and girls. For them, it causes “significantly heightened intense negative feelings, and severe emotional pain that is difficult to control.” (Bhandari, 2023). This can then cause further issues down the line, such as the inability to control their behavior and emotions because of characteristics of RSD, becoming exceptionally embarrassed in situations that are not as dramatic as they may be seeing them, avoidance due to the fear of rejection, low-self-esteem, and so much more (clevelandclinic, 2022). RSD can make life harder for individuals, especially those with neurodivergent traits, but the Support for Students Growth Center is equipped with the tools to help them manage these thoughts and emotions.

At SSGC, we provide the social, behavioral, educational, emotional, and executive functioning skills children, teens, young adults, and their families 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 manage characteristics of RSD to ensure parents do not have to worry that their kids will be unable to make and maintain a wonderful 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 experience and 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.

professional, C. C. medical. (2022). Rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD): Symptoms & treatment. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24099-rejection-sensitive-dysphoria-rsd 

WebMD. (n.d.). Rejection sensitive dysphoria: Causes and treatment. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/rejection-sensitive-dysphoria 

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Ensuring Neurodivergent Students are Maintaining Their Hygiene

Did I remember to brush my teeth?

As we get older, it is important that we remind ourselves to maintain basic hygiene every day, but for neurodivergent individuals, this can be difficult. Making sure that they take a shower, brush their teeth, wear deodorant, and other daily hygienic things that other people make a part of their routine can be a daunting task for them. Yet, if they do not ensure that they are doing it anyway, children, teens, and young adults may struggle to not only make and maintain friendships but socialize in general.

Especially as children begin going through puberty, keeping up with their hygiene is very important. If they do not, their peers may not want to be around them because they may smell or be unclean due to their inability to keep up with a healthy routine, causing them to become shunned by peers. Since most other children, teens, and young adults do not want to be constantly around someone who is unable to maintain proper hygiene, they will begin to stray away from being friends or socializing with them, making their youthful years a lonely time. They also may find it harder to socialize since they will be too anxious about their poor hygiene, causing a vicious cycle that ends in loneliness and isolation, however, at the Support for Students Growth Center, we can help them learn the skills and behaviors needed to maintain proper hygiene.

At the Support for Students Growth Center, we provide the social, behavioral, educational, emotional, and executive functioning skills 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 proper hygiene 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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Helping Neurodivergent Students Have Empathy in Social Situations

But what if I say the wrong thing…

To make and nurture relationships, we must be able to show our peers empathy, but for those with neurodivergent traits, this can be difficult. Although most neurodivergent people have empathy, knowing when and how to express it to other people can be harder for them to understand than their neurotypical peers. Their inability to read facial and body language as well as other social cues that could help in this process makes it difficult for them to know when to express empathy to others. This can then make it hard for them to maintain friendships since a lot of the time, friends go to friends for help. They go to one another to talk about their problems and find support, but if children, teens, and young adults don’t have the proper skill set to show empathy in social situations, their friends may not want to go to them for support. Not being able to be the friend someone confides in can make friendships seem less personal, but this can then also make it, so others do not want to be sympathetic or understanding towards you in return.

Showing empathy in social situations is what shows our friends and peers we care about them. Showing that you understand and feel what they are going through makes relationships more personal and supportive, so without this skill, keeping friendships and relationships can be difficult. However, this is a skill that can be learned at The Support for Students Growth Center.

At SSGC, we provide the social, behavioral, educational, emotional, and executive functioning skills children, teens, young adults, and their families 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 express empathy in social situations 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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Teen Girl Social Skills Group

Teen Girl Social Skills Group-2

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Helping Neurodivergent Students Accept Criticism

But I don’t want to hear it…

Growing up is full of criticism, and that’s because we are learning. For those individuals with Neurodivergent traits accepting criticism can be especially difficult. Not everything we do will be perfect the first time around, no matter how much we want it to be, and although we cannot choose to avoid it, we can choose how we react to it. Often, criticism can help us to become better. It can help our writing become stronger, our ideas to become more creative, and overall life to be more fulfilling, yet sometimes it can hurt our feelings. Sometimes when we work really hard on something and someone has some criticism about it, we can feel emotional. However, it is important to be respectful when both accepting and giving criticism.

If children, teens, and young adults lash out or become violent when hearing something negative, it can cause our friends or others not to want to try and help us become better. This can then lead us to not reach our fullest potential because if we think everything is perfect on the first draft, then we will never learn how to make anything better. Accepting criticism in an age appropriate and socially acceptable way helps us socialize as well. If our peers feel as if they are comfortable telling us something like criticism, it shows that they trust us to respond in a way that is acceptable and allows for our friends to help us become better at whatever it is we are speaking about or doing. Yet, for those with neurodivergent traits, accepting criticism can be difficult. They may find it hard to accept that they are doing something incorrectly or not to their fullest, and if their friends cannot be open and say that they don’t like something that their friend does or give criticism about their friendship so it can become better, then they may not want to socialize with them anymore. This can then cause children, teens, and young adults to be unable to make and nurture friendships and relationships, and as time goes on, become isolated, but with the proper help, accepting criticism can be made easier.

At the Support for Students Growth Center, we provide the social, behavioral, educational, emotional, and executive functioning skills 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 accept criticism 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- $150 value

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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Losing Our Temper

I just can’t control it…

It is not uncommon for people to lose their temper growing up, but it is important that we learn how to control it. Being prone to hitting, scratching, yelling, throwing and braking things and other outbursts can make it difficult for children, teens, and young adults to make and maintain friendships. Friends do not want to worry if they will be screamed at or hit because their other friend loses their temper, but not losing our temper impacts our relationships in other ways as well.

Being able to work through things in a cool, calm, and collected manner not only allows for us to show our friends that we are able to deal with stressful situations, but also shows that we can listen and understand both sides of a conversation. Knowing how to regulate our temper can allow us to figure out what exactly is bothering us and communicate it in a way that is effective for both people, allowing us to nurture our friendships as well as determine what does and does not upset both ourselves and our friends. If we are constantly losing our temper, friends may not want to confide in us and vice versa, which can make life more difficult since we would be hindering our ability for constant social interaction. Yet, despite this being common for some neurodivergent individuals, the Support for Students Growth Center has the tools to help.

At The Support for Students Growth Center, we provide the social, behavioral, emotional, and executive functioning skills children, teens, young adults, and their families need for a happy and successful life both in and out of school settings. Our team of professionals offers individualized and family coaching/counseling and social skills groups to help teach social skills skills to ensure parents do not have to worry that their kids will be unable to be the best they can be in and out of school setting 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- $150 value

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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Making Friends

But what if they don’t like me…

As we get older, it seems like when we look back, we have made friends every step of the way. Whether it be in school, sports, camp, or other kids around the neighborhood, we as people tend to make connections even without realizing it, but for those with neurodivergent traits, making friends can be difficult. Between the anxiety of not knowing if they will like what you like and having to talk and open-up to a stranger, making friends can be difficult for many. Yet, if they don’t, their lives can be filled with isolation, anxiety, depression, and so much more. Without friends, children, teens, and young adults may find going to school, events, and even just daily life to be difficult to manage. Friends help us feel comfortable in situations we may not be used to, and they are there to talk to us and help us get through things, but if we cannot make, nurture and maintain these friendships, life can quickly become lonely.

Without the effective social skills, making friends can seem impossible. Knowing what they like and dislike, how to talk to certain people in specific situations, reading body language, emotional regulation, listening, and so much more are ways we make and keep friends. These skills help us understand what our friends are thinking so we can be there for them and vice versa, which can make school and general life a much better experience. Friends are there to experience life with us and to help us through tough times, which is why having them is so important, yet neurodivergent individuals may find it more difficult to know when to use these skills than their neurotypical peers, but the Support for Students Growth Center can give them the tools they need to do so.

At SSGC, we provide the social, behavioral, educational, emotional, and executive functioning skills children, teens, young adults, and their families 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 make friends 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- $150 value

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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The Importance of Executive Functioning Skills

I just don’t get it…

Executive functioning (EF) allows for children, teens, and young adults to properly manage time, plan and organize, initiate, inhibit, use working memory, shift, and so much more so they can be productive in their daily lives. Having and maintaining these skills allows for school, work, and chores to be made easier to complete, but executive functioning skills can also help them emotionally and socially as well. Being able to self-monitor their emotions as well as the emotions of others, adapt to a situation that may be stressful or difficult to handle, and self-soothe are all ways that EF can help them make and maintain relationships. Most kids do not want their friends to lash out or be angry on a whim or ignore how they are feeling in a situation, and EF skills help us avoid that. Yet, for neurodivergent individuals, these skills don’t come as easily to them.

As children get older, their executive functioning skills tend to strengthen subconsciously, but for those with executive dysfunction, they may not be able to do it without thinking. Understanding how to actively be doing something such as self-monitoring or inhibiting may be difficult for them to do on a daily basis. They may find planning out their days and keeping organized, initiating tasks, and much more to be harder for them than their peers, which can be discouraging and eventually affect their futures as they get older. They may not do well independently while away at college or be able to maintain a job all because they struggle with executive dysfunction. However, these skills can be learned to be implemented into their lives with the proper help.

At The Support for Students Growth Center, we provide the social, behavioral, emotional, and executive functioning skills children, teens, young adults, and their families need for a happy and successful life both in and out of school settings. Our team of professionals offers individualized and family coaching/counseling and social skills groups to help teach executive functioning skills to ensure parents do not have to worry that their kids will be unable to be the best they can be in and out of school setting 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- $150 value

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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Self-Awareness

Oh, I didn’t realize…

When it comes to self-awareness, neurodivergent individuals may find it hard to identify when they are and are not aware of themselves. Whether it be socially, internally, or just in daily life, they may find it hard to be proactively thinking about how their actions affect not only themselves, but others. As we get older, self-awareness allows us to know who we are as people. What we like and don’t like, what we are good and bad at, and so much more, but it also helps us reflect on our experiences and others around us. If we do something and a friend reacts in a certain way, we can reflect on that interaction and know if we should do it again in the future. We also do this with ourselves. Self-awareness helps us identify our own emotions and how those emotions can affect our daily lives. If neurodivergent individuals cannot do this, day to day life can be made more difficult since if they are feeling a negative emotion and cannot identify where it is coming from, then they cannot prevent it from happening again in the future.

Self-awareness is an important social skill for children, teens, and young adults to have. It helps them manage their emotions in daily life as well as make and nurture friendships since they will be aware of how their actions are affecting them as well. However, for neurodivergent individuals, this skill may not come as easily to them as their neurotypical peers, but The Support for Students Growth Center can help them learn how to use self-awareness.

At SSGC, we provide the social, behavioral, educational, emotional, and executive functioning skills children, teens, young adults, and their families 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 self-awareness 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- $150 value

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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