Frequently Asked Questions
About Social Learning Groups
How would poor social skills affect my child’s academic success?
What makes Communication Works (CW) therapy different than many other organizations?
Can you describe your therapeutic approach?
How do the concepts and skills learned by my child generalize out of the clinic setting?
How old are the students in social learning groups?
How are the groups structured?
Is a formal evaluation required to join a social learning group?
My child hates social groups, how do I get him to attend or participate?
Are we charged for the group if my child is absent?
How long has CW been facilitating social groups?
What other services does CW offer for social thinking or related social skills?
Q:My child does not have a speech or language delay. How could a speech pathologist and social learning (social skill) therapy help my child?
A:Children with social cognitive deficits may have developmentally appropriate speech and language skills yet be unable to successfully apply those skills in the real world. If your child has difficulties with pragmatic language, she is likely to struggle with the use of language in social contexts – knowing what to say, how to say it, and when to say it. He may have difficulties in engaging in appropriate social interactions and be unsure how to act, or simply “be”, with other people.
Speech and language pathologists are skilled in working with all forms of language, including pragmatic language. Although your child may not exhibit a speech or language delay, social learning therapy can help if he needs support or improvement in his pragmatic language or social skills.Children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asperger Syndrome, PDD-NOS), Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD), ADD, ADHD, or other language disabilities, as well as children with undiagnosed social learning challenges or social-cognitive thinking defects, can greatly benefit from social skill therapy.
Q:I’m not sure if this describes my child. What are some of the signs of social-cognitive thinking defects?
A:The signs of social-cognitive thinking defects can range from subtle or overt. They may include:
- Social anxiety and/or low self esteem
- Disinterest in other children, few friends
- Inability to read or interpret body language and facial expressions
- Excessively talking about him/herself and/or specific subject in too much detail
- Inability to take the listener’s perspective
- Inability to express feelings
- Lack of eye contact
- Lack of self-control
- Inability to answer open-ended questions, such as “What happened?”
- Inability to engage in a conversational exchange
- Difficulty with abstract language, including verbal problem solving (why, when, how do you know?), double meanings, innuendos, jokes, and colloquialism (such as “You hit the nail on the head”)
- Poor academics such as reading comprehension, history, etc.
- Weak organizational and difficulty prioritizing
Q:How would poor social skills affect my child’s academic success?
A:Poor social skills can create difficulties in all areas of a child’s life but can severely impact his educational experience. Some of the challenges he will face include:
- Difficulty understanding the perspective of the teacher and other children in group activities
- Poor organization and time management abilities (executive functioning skills)
- Difficulty interpreting and responding appropriately to a lesson or question
- Problems understanding the hidden or unwritten social rules of school environments (classroom, hallway, recess, cafeteria, assembly, school dances)
- Challenges with reading, writing, or history because of differencing, sequencing, or perspective-taking difficulties
- Hesitancy or inability to ask for help when needed
Q:What makes Communication Works (CW) therapy different than many other organizations?.
A:While many other organizations aim to improve social skills, Communication Works believes in a deeper approach that includes teaching and developing the critical thought processes that underpin all social interactions. As Lao Tzu said, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” We believe that if a child learns how to think about thinking and how to be social in his play, classroom, home, and community, the social skills he develops will serve him in all environments. In addition, we emphasize the role of the parent as a crucial and integral part of our approach. Parental involvement is a key factor in a student being able to extrapolate his new skills to all situations. Unfortunately, many other organizations do not view parental support as a major component of their therapies.
Q:Can you describe your therapeutic approach?
A:Much of our teachings are based on the ideas of Michelle Garcia Winner, a groundbreaking therapist and author who specializes in the treatment of individuals with social cognitive deficits. Winner coined the term “social thinking” to describe the ability of an individual to consider the points of view, emotions, thoughts, beliefs, and intentions of others.
Winner’s approach, which we embrace and expand upon in our groups, uses very functional ways to break down and teach abstract social-thinking concepts to students. For example, we support her idea that “our eyes have thoughts” and that a student can determine what others are thinking by taking note of their eye activity.
We teach our students how to be “social detectives” in and out of the therapeutic setting. We help them learn how to use their bodies, brains, eyes, and words to connect with other people, as well as how to understand the perspective of others and how they can influence those perspectives.
We help our students learn about friendship, how to make a positive impression, and how to deal with the “boring moments”. We use visual cues and fun activities to practice these concepts and many others.
Our students thrive on visual cues and positive reinforcement. We set them up for success, catch them in the moment and praise them for sharing "expected" pro-social behaviors or having a "thinking of others moment". Many of our students are labeled the “trouble maker” or “lazy” and become accustom to negative attention, as social-cognitive deficits can often be an invisible disability. It is our goal to break that pattern and help them have more positive social experiences.
Our curriculum also includes teachings from Carol Gray, Tony Attwood, Jeanette McAfee, Amelia Davis, Kari Dunn Buron and our own lessons that we have developed over our years of practice.
Q:How do the concepts and skills learned by my child generalize out of the clinic setting?
A: As mentioned previously, parental involvement is an integral part of our program and helps lead to success. As part of each weekly session, we provide parent training for the last 5 to 10 minutes.
This involves discussing the vocabulary, concepts and lessons that were introduced each week. We provide a binder with written handouts to share with other family members, therapists and school personnel.
Communication Works actively strives to provide on-going communication and consultation with all family members and professionals involved with our students. We encourage weekly communication about what is going on at school and home so that we can incorporate those issues in our lessons. In addition, Communication Works is committed to incorporating community outings into our programs, during which our students have the opportunity to practice their new skills in a real-world setting.
Q:How old are the students in social learning groups?
A: Communication Works offers a range of social learning groups and playgroups that accommodate students from age 3 to adult. We also have limited openings for individual sessions.
Q:How are the groups structured?
A: Our groups are comprised of three to four who are matched according to their age, maturity, cognitive level, and level of social awareness. We are very careful to structure our groups to avoid anxiety for the students involved and to ensure the lessons are appropriately geared to all members of a group.
Each group meets once a week for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on age. Each session concludes with a 5- to 10-minute parent wrap-up during which the therapist goes over the lesson for the week and the concepts to be reinforced at home. This parental involvement is a crucial component of our approach and another differentiator that sets Communication Works apart from other programs.
Groups run from September to June.
Q:Is a formal evaluation required to join a social learning group?
A: Communication Works does not require a formal assessment for a child to enroll in a social learning group. However, in order to place each student in the most appropriate group for their needs, we schedule a 20-30 minute pre-group consultation. In this meeting we perform a brief pragmatic language informal observation which can help families and professionals understand the child’s areas of strengths and challenges and can also provide recommendations for family and school staff.
The prerequisites for a child participating in a group of three or more include:
- Being able focus on an activity for 15-20 minutes
- Basic conversational skills
- Ability able to follow directions that are appropriate for group dynamics
Students who are not ready for groups of three or more may begin with a smaller group or two. Students who require 1:1 assistance and are not good candidates for groups may participate in individual sessions.
Q:My child hates social groups, how do I get him to attend or participate?
A: We think you and your child will be pleasantly surprised by our groups. We provide a safe, supportive and fun environment that most children find reinforcing and enjoyable. We incorporate individual motivators and interests, as well as humor, into each lesson. Our students practice their new skills in engaging and interesting ways, including games, role-play, acting, watching movie clips, and going on community outings. Inevitably, there will be “boring moments” in our weekly sessions, just as there are in life (and especially in school). We teach our students how to get through these moments as well as the importance of attending during these moments.
Q:Are we charged for the group if my child is absent?
A: Our therapeutic approach rests on a commitment from all group members to be present on a regular basis. Lessons build on previous learned skills and often need to be practiced in a sequence for a child to be able to successfully generalize those skills. Thus, weekly attendance is crucial for your child’s progress.
However, we understand that the real world can intrude. To make life easier for busy parents, Communication Works follows the Oakland Unified School District schedule for most holidays and breaks. We also allow two additional absences per school year. Each additional missed group will be billed at our standard rate. If we do not receive payment for a missed group, we cannot guarantee your child’s ongoing participation in that group. This policy is in place both to encourage continued and committed participation, and because we continually have a waiting list of families requesting a social thinking group for their children.
Q:Does CW accept insurance?
A: Communication Works is unable to bill insurance plans directly. However, our monthly invoices (which are due upon receipt) provide both a billing code (CPT) and diagnosis code (if provided by your childs physician). You can submit these invoices to your insurance provider for reimbursement, as many plans will reimburse for group speech therapy by a licensed speech and language pathologist. Please contact your insurance provider directly to establish whether you are eligible for reimbursement. For more information follow this link.
Q:How long has CW been facilitating social groups?
A: Communication Works has been running social groups since 1999 in various school settings. In 2001, we started private groups one afternoon a week in a rented classroom space in Berkeley. Based on the great feedback we expanded to our own dedicated space in the Oakland Hills. We are continuing to expand at the clinic and various school sites to fulfill the need for our services.
Q:What other services does CW offer for social thinking or related social skills?
A: We offer a wide variety of additional services, including:
- Full, comprehensive pragmatic language evaluations
- School-based social learning therapy (groups and individual sessions at school sites)
- Consultation services and training for schools, teachers, instructional assistants and speech and language pathologists
- Parent education and support
- Program development for social curriculum
If you are interested in a service not listed here, please contact us to inquire about availability.
Q:Where are you located?
A: The Communication Works clinic is located in the Oakland Hills off of Keller Avenue, where Highway 13 and 580 meet. It is a beautiful and serene setting with plenty of free parking. Please input your address to get directions to the clinic.