There’s just no getting around it: much of social skill-savvy revolves around understanding emotions.
Children and adults with autism often struggle to recognize, articulate, and process emotional states, so is it any wonder that their socialization efforts are fraught with difficulty?
Whereas old stereotypes said that people with autism lacked empathy, newer theories suggest that hypersensitivity to emotion is more likely.
For example, “The Intense World” theory posits that people on the spectrum feel others’ emotions so intensely that they cannot function effectively.
In our work as clinicians, we find that many individuals with autism and ADHD want to connect and share, and that they need support in order to do so successfully.
That’s why our Rex Groups provide guidance on how to handle the myriad feelings that arise in social situations. Week by week, participants move forward in social understanding, getting closer to where they want to be in their relationships.
Emotions are a key part of this process. As Art Markman, Ph.D., writes in his Harvard Business Review article, You Can’t Manage Emotions Without Knowing What They Really Are:
Emotions provide valuable information about the state of your motivational system. Ignoring them is like driving around lost, not only refusing to ask for directions, but refusing to consult the map or the GPS, or even to look out the windshield. You will still be moving forward, but who knows where you will end up.
That’s why our Rex Groups teach practical emotional self-management skills, such as …
- How to recognize and handle frustration
- How to identify emotional states in oneself and others
- How to respond to bullying
- How to use calming strategies
If you’d like to increase your self-awareness and grow your social skills at the same time, we invite you to join us for our winter 2016 Rex Groups!
School-Age Group (ages 5-10):
January 19, 2016 – March 15, 2016, with no Group meeting on February 2, 2016
Tuesdays, 2:00 – 3:00pm
This group is designed to enhance social skills of children with high-functioning ASD and ADHD. Diagnosis is not required for participation.
Social skills are introduced through social stories and include greetings, conversation skills, types of social relationships, boundaries, managing frustration and anger, and more. Groups include sensory and gross motor activities to enhance play skills.
Note that a mandatory parent group meets at the same time as this group.
To schedule at intake, call (843) 792-9162 and request a Project Rex Assessment. Once the intake is complete, contact administrative assistant Lavinia Bowens at (843) 792-0037 to confirm attendance in the group series.
Medicaid covers the program 100% and most private insurance is accepted. There is a discount for self-pay.
Please plan to arrive 15 minutes early to each group meeting for sign in and registration.
Pre-Teen/Teen Group (ages 11-15):
January 21, 2016 – March 10, 2016
Thursdays, 4:00 – 5:30pm
This group’s curriculum will focus on understanding the feelings of others and social skills related to self-control and self-advocacy. Topics include bullying, teasing, staying out of fights, and standing up for one’s rights.
We will wrap each week’s session with instruction and practice of a calming strategy, such as deep breathing, muscle relaxation, and guided imagery.
Participants will practice skills through role-play and will receive relevant homework assignments.
With parent permission, video modeling will be used in group as a learning tool; participant role plays will be videotaped, shown to participants, and shared with parents as well.
To schedule at intake, call (843) 792-9162 and request a Project Rex Assessment. Once the intake is complete, contact administrative assistant Lavinia Bowens at (843) 792-0037 to confirm attendance in the group series.
Project Rex groups include a mandatory parent component that meets at the same time as the pre-teen/teen group. Please plan to arrive 15 minutes early for sign in and registration.
Medicaid covers the program 100% and most private insurance is accepted. There is a discount for self-pay.
Adult Group and PEERS Group
Dates for the next Adult Group will be announced early in the new year, probably in late January or early February 2016. PEERS will be offered again in 2016 as well, with dates and times to be determined.
Help Us Spread the Word!
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Thank you!
~The Project Rex Team
Please contact me when the dates for the Adult Group have been announced.
hi April! Everyone who has subscribed to our email list will receive an email as soon as dates for the Adult Group have been announced. (I’ve confirmed that you are on the list, so you’re good to go.) Hope that helps!
Thanks!
You’re most welcome, April!