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Kidpower Social Skills GroupsTM
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Princeton Speech-Language and Learning Center (PSLLC) offers Kidpower, a program designed to empower children and adolescents with appropriate social skills. The groups meet one time per week for 45-minute sessions. |
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Before a new group begins, children and adolescents are evaluated in order to ensure the best match of abilities and personalities. We then tailor goals to the needs of each individual in each social skills group. New skills, once learned, are continually reinforced in all situations to promote mastery.
Social skills are addressed in a sequential manner, which is modified to meet the needs of each child. Each week's group is structured to include conversation. We focus on such skills as: whose turn it is to speak; where listeners should have their focus; and maintaining and switching topics, in order to keep "the conversation going". To work on cognitive flexibility (the ability to think of alternatives) and perspective taking, we address a problem of the week and try to generate multiple causes and alternate solutions. Finally, we end each session with a game of the students' choice to practice skills learned in a natural context while strengthening friendship-making skills.
The speech language therapist maintains consistent contact with parents/caregivers to provide feedback regarding their child's progress. Parents/caregivers are made aware of ways to reinforce skills learned in everyday situations. In addition, parents are encouraged to provide therapists with feedback regarding particularly difficult situations their children have encountered so that these areas can be worked on in groups.
Groups typically meet for one 8-week session to learn new skills. A second 8-week session is often provided to reinforce newly learned skills in more functional environments (e.g. outings to restaurants, group parties, etc.).
Topics which may be covered, depending upon the needs of the group include, but are not limited to, the following:
 | Conversation skills |
| Joining in with peers |
| Understanding and responding to body language |
| Initiating interactions |
| Conflict resolution |
Kidpower can enhance and improve children's and adolescents' social skills as well as help them to learn new skills in a positive environment.
Read an article about Social Communications
Disorders published in
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To schedule an appointment, contact us at:
Princeton Speech-Language & Learning Center,19
Wall Street, Princeton, NJ 08540, fax (609) 924-6563 This site designed and maintained by VisionPoint® Copyright© 2005 |
