Benefits of Social Communication Skills Groups
Individual therapy is often the preferred and initial approach for children and families, as it allows for therapy to be customised to meet your child’s unique needs and abilities. This one-on-one setting provides essential scaffolded support, helping your child master new, complex skills independently, while also offering personalised coaching and guidance for parents. However, it is essential for children to apply these learned skills in real-world situations.
That’s where group therapy, such as social communication groups, becomes crucial! Children who struggle with social communication, impulse control, emotional regulation and forming friendships often benefit from practicing with a group of peers in a natural and supportive environment.
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What are Social Skills?
Social skills are the abilities people use to interact and communicate with others effectively in various social situations. These skills allow individuals to understand and respond to social cues, express themselves, form relationships, and function within groups. Social skills are essential for successful communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution, and they develop through experience, observation, and practice.
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These include:
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Verbal Communication: Using language appropriately in social contexts, such as asking questions and making requests.
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Non-Verbal Communication: Interpreting and using body language, gestures, and facial expressions as well as volume and tone of voice to express ourselves.
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Turn-Taking and Sharing: Essential for cooperative play and academic activities.
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Emotion Recognition and Regulation: Identifying and managing emotions, both personally and in others.
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Perspective-Taking and Empathy: Understanding others' feelings and viewpoints.
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Problem-Solving: Working through social conflicts in appropriate ways.
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Regardless of age, if you have these concerns about your child’s social participation, a social skills group led by a team of allied health professionals is an option worth considering. Social skills groups provide children with a safe environment to learn and practise the essential communication skills for their age group. Mastering social skills helps children connect with their peers, participate in classroom activities, and develop a sense of belonging.
Social skills groups specifically help children to foster growth in areas such as social communication skills, social awareness as well as motivation for social interactions by targeting skills such as play, initiating and responding (DeRosier et al., 2011).
What happens in Social Skills Groups?
This differs based on the child’s age group and what are the necessary skills they require to interact with peers of the same age.
For preschoolers we focus on:
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Circle time that includes greeting their peers, singing songs and sharing time
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Storytelling that includes social scenarios such as learning to share, taking turns and recognising emotions
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Cooperative play such as building together, pretend play or a group art projects
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Emotion recognition and expression through emotion matching games or feelings charades
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Structured turn taking games such as board games
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Problem solving and conflict resolution activities
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Snack time as social learning opportunity such as sharing with peers, waiting skills and practising turn taking dialogues
These components ensure that the social skills group provides a nurturing, structured, and playful environment where preschoolers can practise the social, emotional, and communication skills they need to succeed in both school and social settings.
For lower primary schoolers we focus on:
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Conversational skills practise working on conversation starters, topic initiation and maintenance as well as taking turns
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Turn taking and cooperative games such as board games and team challenges (e.g., completing an obstacle course)
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Flexible thinking strategies guided by the award winning Superflex series a social learning curriculum that dives into social awareness, perspective taking and emotional regulation
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Structured group discussions about social scenarios allowing them to think about and share strategies to manage these situations
A social skills group for primary schoolers offers a structured, supportive environment for practising key social behaviours like communication, cooperation, emotional regulation, and conflict resolution. These groups are essential for helping children develop the social tools they need to form friendships, succeed in school, and navigate everyday social challenges.
For upper primary schoolers and teens we focus on:​
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Navigating peer pressure through role playing scenarios as well as refusal skills training
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Managing emotions and stress through coping strategies, mindfulness and relaxation techniques as well as emotion identification and expression
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Peer relationships and friendships building through boundaries and assertiveness training as well as friendship qualities discussion
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Group discussions and reflective sharing are facilitated discussions that provide them with as safe space to share and reflect on their feelings on topics like fitting in vs standing out, dealing with rejection or building self esteem
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Digital and social media etiquette such as social media Dos and Don’ts, cyberbullying scenarios and digital footprint awareness
A social skills group for older children provide a structured, supportive environment for practising the social and emotional skills needed to navigate through more complex social circumstances. Through a combination of discussion, role-playing, and real-world application, they learn to manage conflicts, build healthy friendships, and confidently face peer pressure, both in person and online. These groups empower them to build stronger relationships and make responsible decisions.
Social Thinking Methodology
This is a cognitive-based approach that helps children improve social understanding and interaction skills. It’s especially effective in social groups, as it teaches children to navigate social situations by understanding how their behavior affects others and how others' behavior affects them. This methodology is often used with children who have social communication difficulties.
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Using the Social Thinking methodology in social groups helps children improve their social communication and interaction skills by teaching them the thought processes behind social behavior. It creates a supportive, engaging environment for learning how to better navigate social situations.
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Little Marvels Therapy offers fun filled group programs during the School Holidays. We will be having regular enjoyable interest-based Group Programs in the future that run at various times throughout the year! Group programs provide parents an alternative therapy option that is cost effective, engaging, fun and encourage their child to forge new friendships.
Our group programs provide children with a safe environment to communicate and express their feelings and needs. Through a fun and engaging approach, children can practice their communication skills alongside their peers and continue to build self confidence in advocating for themselves.
Learn more about our current group programs here and secure your child a spot in the program now!
References
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DeRosier, M. E., Swick, D. C., Davis, N. O., McMillen, J. S., & Matthews, R. (2010). The Efficacy of a Social Skills Group Intervention for Improving Social Behaviors in Children with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41(8), 1033–1043. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-1128-2
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Picture from: https://www.socialthinking.com/social-thinking-methodology