Social Skills vs. Social Cognition
Social Cognition groups are different than Social Skills groups. In Social Skills groups, children are grouped and encouraged to interact using structured or unstructured activities that foster socialization.
In Social Cognition groups the basic social concepts are broken down for children and adults and taught to them using a variety of activities, examples, discussions, and worksheets, just like you would teach any subject. Nowadays children are expected to have the social skills and knowledge of basic social concepts, however, due to many reasons, these things don’t come naturally.
Social Thinking®
All of our Social Cognition groups use the Social Thinking® curriculum. Social Thinking® has been originally developed for the special needs population, but as later noticed, it has been very beneficial for typical children and adults who struggle with social challenges and/or self-regulation.
There is a lot of research on this methodology and I encourage you to visit www.socialthinking.com to find out more. The website contains a lot of great resources. The methodology addresses a lot of important concepts, such as being part of a group, whole body listening, flexible thinking, hidden rules, expected vs. unexpected behaviors, thinking with your eyes, thinking thoughts and feeling feelings, thinking about others vs. just myself, understanding different perspectives, size of my problem vs. size of my reaction, identifying triggers and finding tools for calming, emotional regulation,..etc.
Our Social Cognition Groups
Most of our Social Cognition groups meet once a week for 60 minutes, with each session lasting 8 weeks. We only accept up to 6 children in each group. (Exception is our Social Acting class which can have 8 individuals in the class.) The reason for this is that 6 is big enough to promote interaction within the group, but also small enough to give each child individual attention. Registration helps us determine if your child would fit into the classes we offer. It also helps us identify what your child’s strengths and weaknesses are. Even though every group uses a set curriculum, we modify the curriculum based on the needs of the children in the group. We are able to accommodate a variety of needs; however, you need to make sure you communicate those needs to us.
Our teacher talks to the parents, as a group, at the end of every class to let them know what the group discussed and learned in the class and the vocabulary used. The teacher also suggests how to continue the learning at home and in the community. During each group snacks are available.
We do not like parents to be in the class with their child. In our experience, children do work/learn to their full potential when their parent is with them. We are open to children bringing a 1:1 aide if necessary. Parents are encouraged to stay in the waiting room, just in case their child needs them. The classroom’s door is never closed and the waiting room is only a few steps away. If parents want to listen to what their child is doing in the class, they are welcome to. We simply move a chair right next to the classroom door. That way the parent can hear what’s going on in the class and the child won’t know they are there.
Our teachers
All of our groups and camps are taught by certified special education teachers. Our teachers have a lot of experience with typical and special needs children of various ages. They also both have experience teaching social groups in various settings. Mrs. Barbora used to teach social groups at a behavioral health agency. Mrs. Heather taught classes using the Social Thinking® curriculum at two different school districts in the East Valley. Mrs. Heather also attended clinical training clinic in California and is one of the few people in Arizona listed in the Clinical Trainee Directory on www.socialthinking.com Mrs. Barbora just got accepted to participate in the clinical training clinic in March 2020. Her name will soon be listed in the directory as well.
Our pricing
Due to both Barbora and Heather being certified teachers and Social Thinking(R)curriculum being ESA approved, Unicorn Haven is able to accept ESA as a form of payment. Because we feel Social Cognition classes are very important and make a big difference for many children we don’t want parents’ financial situation to prevent them from attending. This is why we have a sliding scale.
For a full explanation about our pricing click here.
Maximize learning
To maximize your child’s learning we recommend exploring the possibility of involving the school, their Occupational Therapist and/or their Speech Therapist. Talk to them about Social Thinking(R) and using the vocabulary. Many therapists are familiar with the methodology and might be open to expanding on the learning done in our groups. Share the worksheets your child has done in the group. Use the vocabulary at home.
Social Cognition groups are different than Social Skills groups. In Social Skills groups, children are grouped and encouraged to interact using structured or unstructured activities that foster socialization.
In Social Cognition groups the basic social concepts are broken down for children and adults and taught to them using a variety of activities, examples, discussions, and worksheets, just like you would teach any subject. Nowadays children are expected to have the social skills and knowledge of basic social concepts, however, due to many reasons, these things don’t come naturally.
Social Thinking®
All of our Social Cognition groups use the Social Thinking® curriculum. Social Thinking® has been originally developed for the special needs population, but as later noticed, it has been very beneficial for typical children and adults who struggle with social challenges and/or self-regulation.
There is a lot of research on this methodology and I encourage you to visit www.socialthinking.com to find out more. The website contains a lot of great resources. The methodology addresses a lot of important concepts, such as being part of a group, whole body listening, flexible thinking, hidden rules, expected vs. unexpected behaviors, thinking with your eyes, thinking thoughts and feeling feelings, thinking about others vs. just myself, understanding different perspectives, size of my problem vs. size of my reaction, identifying triggers and finding tools for calming, emotional regulation,..etc.
Our Social Cognition Groups
Most of our Social Cognition groups meet once a week for 60 minutes, with each session lasting 8 weeks. We only accept up to 6 children in each group. (Exception is our Social Acting class which can have 8 individuals in the class.) The reason for this is that 6 is big enough to promote interaction within the group, but also small enough to give each child individual attention. Registration helps us determine if your child would fit into the classes we offer. It also helps us identify what your child’s strengths and weaknesses are. Even though every group uses a set curriculum, we modify the curriculum based on the needs of the children in the group. We are able to accommodate a variety of needs; however, you need to make sure you communicate those needs to us.
Our teacher talks to the parents, as a group, at the end of every class to let them know what the group discussed and learned in the class and the vocabulary used. The teacher also suggests how to continue the learning at home and in the community. During each group snacks are available.
We do not like parents to be in the class with their child. In our experience, children do work/learn to their full potential when their parent is with them. We are open to children bringing a 1:1 aide if necessary. Parents are encouraged to stay in the waiting room, just in case their child needs them. The classroom’s door is never closed and the waiting room is only a few steps away. If parents want to listen to what their child is doing in the class, they are welcome to. We simply move a chair right next to the classroom door. That way the parent can hear what’s going on in the class and the child won’t know they are there.
Our teachers
All of our groups and camps are taught by certified special education teachers. Our teachers have a lot of experience with typical and special needs children of various ages. They also both have experience teaching social groups in various settings. Mrs. Barbora used to teach social groups at a behavioral health agency. Mrs. Heather taught classes using the Social Thinking® curriculum at two different school districts in the East Valley. Mrs. Heather also attended clinical training clinic in California and is one of the few people in Arizona listed in the Clinical Trainee Directory on www.socialthinking.com Mrs. Barbora just got accepted to participate in the clinical training clinic in March 2020. Her name will soon be listed in the directory as well.
Our pricing
Due to both Barbora and Heather being certified teachers and Social Thinking(R)curriculum being ESA approved, Unicorn Haven is able to accept ESA as a form of payment. Because we feel Social Cognition classes are very important and make a big difference for many children we don’t want parents’ financial situation to prevent them from attending. This is why we have a sliding scale.
For a full explanation about our pricing click here.
Maximize learning
To maximize your child’s learning we recommend exploring the possibility of involving the school, their Occupational Therapist and/or their Speech Therapist. Talk to them about Social Thinking(R) and using the vocabulary. Many therapists are familiar with the methodology and might be open to expanding on the learning done in our groups. Share the worksheets your child has done in the group. Use the vocabulary at home.
Social Cognition groups and camps are not a DDD covered services.
Disclaimer: This program, including its teacher or leader, is not affiliated with, nor has it been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by Michelle Garcia Winner and Think Social Publishing, Inc.