Social Skill Builders
What is Social Skill Builders?
Social Skill Builders is a program designed by CARES, the Center for Autism Research, Evaluation & Service to aid children and youth on the autism spectrum (ages 7-17) in the development of social skills.
What makes this program different from other social skill programs?
Social Skill Builders is a home and community based intervention program with a unique three-phase approach that teaches the individual the skills needed for peer play and integration into community activities.
How do I enroll my child in the Social Skill Builders program?
Due to the final inclusive goal of the Social Skill Builders program, prerequisites for this program are rather stringent. Please call the CARES office to have a prerequisite form mailed to you. Parents who review the prerequisites and find that their child is not displaying readiness are urged to inquire about the Social Skill Builders sister program: Little Builders.
Little Builders
What is Little Builders?
Little Builders is a social and behavioral play-based intervention program for children with autism spectrum disorder ages 3-7.
The program focuses on the development of skills in the areas of:
- Negotiation
- Initiation
- Compromising
- Communication
- Imagination
- Language
The Group:
- Facilitates the interaction and socialization of children in a natural, group setting.
- Provides opportunities needed to develop skills that are not emerging from natural, every-day situations.
- Provides adult assistance and typical peer modeling while all children are guided through stages of play, paralleling those of natural development.
When and Where is Little Builders?
Groups are designed to be 1 1/2 hours per session, 2 days/wk for 10 weeks. The Little Builders meet at our Scripps Ranch and Temecula offices.
For more information regarding the Social Skill Builder or the Little Builder programs, contact the CARES office at 858-444-8823
UCLA PEERS
The UCLA PEERS (Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills) and the CFT (Children's Friendship Training) programs are for motivated children and teens in elementary, middle and high school who are interested in learning ways to help them make and keep friends. The PEERS and CFT programs were designed to address some of the shortcomings of previous social skills interventions by aiming to improve generalizability of skills learned, involve the parents in the process and assess treatment outcome. Both are manualized, evidence-based, parent-assisted social skills interventions aimed at improving social adaptive skills and friendship quality among children and adolescents with high-functioning autism (HFA) or Asperger's Disorder (AS).
During each group session, teens are taught important social skills and are given the opportunity to practice these skills in session during socialization activities. Parents attend separate sessions at the same time and are taught how to assist their teens in making and keeping friends by helping to expand their teen’s social network and providing feedback through coaching during weekly socialization homework assignments. There is much content overlap between the PEERS and CFT programs. However, topics do differ to some extent, due to the need to address different issues for children and teens across different age groups. The groups will address such topics as:
- Conversation skills
- Appropriate use of humor
- Choosing appropriate friends
- Good sportsmanship
- Participating in peer get-togethers
- Bullying, teasing and embarrassment
- Handling disagreements
What is Social Skill Builders?
Social Skill Builders is a program designed by CARES, the Center for Autism Research, Evaluation & Service to aid children and youth on the autism spectrum (ages 7-17) in the development of social skills.What makes this program different from other social skill programs?
Social Skill Builders is a home and community based intervention program with a unique three-phase approach that teaches the individual the skills needed for peer play and integration into community activities.How do I enroll my child in the Social Skill Builders program?
Due to the final inclusive goal of the Social Skill Builders program, prerequisites for this program are rather stringent. Please call the CARES office to have a prerequisite form mailed to you. Parents who review the prerequisites and find that their child is not displaying readiness are urged to inquire about the Social Skill Builders sister program: Little Builders.