SKIT EXPANDING COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL SKILLS

This class builds upon the social communication skills addressed in the SKIT Developing Social Communication Skills class and utilizes established improvisational techniques to help address skills such as: active listening, perspective-taking, and interpersonal skills among others and adds in more discussion and complex skills. In this class, students will also focus on perspective-taking, social inferences, and problem-solving skills.

This class is designed for anyone who may benefit from:

- social and communication activities that involve more language, more complexity, and discussion

- additional focus on skills such as social inferences, perspective-taking, and problem-solving

Class Placement Guidelines

  • In this class, participants should have enough verbal language skills to be able to engage in role-playing and discussions. (For participants with less developed verbal language skills please consider our Developing Social Communication Skills classes and curriculum).

  • Taking the SKIT Developing Social Communication class first is NOT a prerequisite for the SKIT Expanding Social Communication skills class


Skills Focused on in the SKIT Expanding Social Communication class:

Social and Communication Skills

  • Active Listening 

  • Interpersonal Skills 

  • Conversational Skills

  • Perspective Taking 

  • Nonverbal Communication

  • Social Inferences 

  • Problem Solving 

  • Emotions 

    Executive Functioning Skills

  • Self Control

  • Working Memory

  • Flexible Thinking

Social-Emotional Learning Areas

In the SKIT Expanding Social Communication skills class, we focus on skills related to the areas of Social-Emotional Learning

Self Awareness

  • Responding to others emotions

  • Identifying emotions in self and others

  • Discussing feelings

Self Management

  • Self Control / Impulse Control

  • Making plans with others

  • Problem Solving

  • Maintaining Focus

  • Asking for information or assistance

Social Awareness

  • Perspective-taking

  • Identify social cues to understand social behavior (nonverbal communication, social inferences)

  • Flexible Thinking

  • Predicting others feelings and actions 

  • Discuss others feelings and actions

  • Active Listening

  • Social Skills 

  • Understanding others points of view and perspectives

Relationship Skills

  • Teamwork

  • Working cooperatively with others

  • Working towards a shared goal

  • Communication skills

  • Interpersonal skills

  • Conversational skills

  • Offering help to others

  • Introducing self and others

  • Greeting others

  • Conflict resolution

Responsible Decision Making

  • Identifying problems

  • Analyzing situations

  • Solving problems

  • Coming up with multiple ways to solve problems

 

Possible related Social Emotional Learning IEP goals or objectives

SKIT Expanding Social and Communication skills curriculum could be used to address any of the following Social Emotional Learning goals or objectives that commonly appear in IEPs such as: 

  • Constructively deal with situations that might lead to conflict (teasing, name-calling)

  • Identify possible ways to Resolve conflicts (stating emotions, ideas, walking away), and if can’t then seek assistance 

  • Attend to discussions using body language 

  • Listen to the opinions of a peer without interrupting or walking away 

  • Describe situations in which you may feel certain emotions 

  • Express emotions appropriate to given situations 

  • Learn and follow the rules of the activity 

  • Cooperate with group decision in which you may not be in agreement 

  • Participate in cooperative games and/or small group activities

  • Demonstrate on-task behavior/ ignoring distractions 

  • Adapt effectively to change 

  • Wait for one’s turn 

  • Attempt challenging activities and take risks

  • Accept group activity as defined 

  • Work with others 

  • Participate cooperatively in groups 

  • Make remarks relevant to the topic of conversation 

  • Practice self-control in various situations 

  • Identify and display emotions 

  • Initiate conversations with peers 

  • Join in a conversation 

  • Refrain from interrupting others in conversation 

  • Stay on the same subject as others 

  • Accept peers ideas in group activities 

  • Identify nonverbal cues 

We offer classes for middle school, high school, and adults.