Behavior Therapy Associates is pleased to announce that we provide comprehensive social skills training in New Jersey for children with ADHD, Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, Learning Disabilities, and other disabilities.
Social Skills Training (SST)
Social Skills Training groups focus on teaching children a variety of social skills to help improve their ability to make and keep friends, express themselves appropriately, solve problems, manage frustration, develop more self-confidence, and behave more appropriately. Role-plays and group interaction will give the children opportunities to practice these skills during the group session. Dr. Mark Cooperberg will utilize behavioral reinforcement to promote rule compliance, participation, and use of appropriate social skills, while also encouraging and reinforcing the children to practice these skills outside of the session. Objective information regarding the children’s behavior will be gathered before and after the group to measure the children’s progress, and parents will be provided with written feedback at the conclusion of each group. Each session will be held on a weekday, most likely in the late afternoon/early evening hours. Groups will run throughout the year, based on need (at least 3 children are needed, with no more than 8 children in a group). The sessions will include children only, but there will also be a parent meeting after the last session to provide feedback and recommendations.
Summer Treatment Programs
Behavior Therapy Associates provides two intensive summer social skills programs:
HI-STEP Summer Program (Helping Improve Social-Skills Through Evidence-based Practices)
W.I.S.E. (Weekend for Improving Social Effectiveness)
Both programs are designed for children with social-emotional difficulties, attention problems, hyperactivity, oppositional/defiant behavior, high-functioning Pervasive Developmental Disorders (Asperger’s Disorder, High Functioning Autism), and/or learning disabilities (including nonverbal learning disabilities). Such difficulties often preclude these children from successfully participating in traditional summer programs. The programs include the following: structured activities with ongoing supervision; social-emotional skills training provided in a group format with role-playing; ongoing feedback and problem-solving via incidental learning; strategies to promote generalization of skills; small-group format (4:1 child-staff ratio); individualized attention and support as needed; sports and recreational activities emphasizing cooperation and group problem-solving rather than competition; ongoing feedback and Positive Reinforcement System to help shape appropriate social-emotional skill; parent handouts to assist child to generalize learned skills; and parent seminars. Social-emotional skills commonly targeted include: making and keeping friends; impulse control & problem-solving; anger/frustration management; handling teasing; complying with requests; complimenting others and accepting feedback; and conversation skills.
