Social Skills Groups
At SDCST, we strive to help children and young adults succeed socially. We have a special interest in social pragmatics, and we value the importance of social skills linked to one’s success academically, in extra curricular activities, within his/her career, home life, and throughout a person’s lifetime. We work with children and young adults with a variety of social skills needs and levels, and we tailor our social groups to meet the needs of all of all of the participants.
Depending on the needs of our patients, we run a specialized program that we developed called “Social Stars” for children with social challenges, autism, and Asperger’s Syndrome. Social Stars is a unique program in that it is based on an inclusion model where typical peers and children with social challenges are able to interact and develop language and social skills through structured-play activities. This is one of the only groups in San Diego where peer role models are grouped with the children with social-language challenges. In our social groups, we use a variety of direct and indirect techniques and strategies derived from programs such as Floortime/DIR, Michelle Garcia Winner, Model Me, and RDI to teach language skills and socials development. Our sessions may involve direct teaching instruction and also play-based, child-focused activities. Our programs utilize age appropriate interactive social and language activities such as:
- Arts/crafts activities
- Cooking activities
- Sharing time
- Video modeling of social skills
- Music assisted learning
- Social stories
- Pretend/imaginary play
- Gross motor games
- Thematic acting/role play
- Comic book/cartoon creation
Topics and goal areas are introduced each session and materials for home practice are also provided. Topics are tailored to the patient’s needs and social developmental level and may include:
- Greetings
- Sharing
- Turn-Taking
- Asking Questions and Commenting To Peers
- Initiating and Maintaining Play and Conversations
- Shared Enjoyment With Peers
- Body Language and Eye Contact
- Emotions/Sensory Regulation
- Pretend/Imaginary Play
- Following Classroom Rules and Listening to the Teacher
- Engaging In Group Conversations
- Sensory Calming Strategies and Ways To Relax and “Go With The Flow”
- Ways To Be a Flexible Thinker
- How To Not Be A “Police Officer” When Someone Breaks A Rule
- Dealing With Peer Pressure
- Perspective Taking
- Ways To Be A Social Detective
- Social Problem Solving Strategies
- Understanding Sarcasm
- Reading Non-Verbal Cues
- How To Know When To Stop Talking In A Conversation
- How To Ask Other’s Questions In A Conversation
- Whole Body Listening
- Being Socially Curious
- AND MUCH MORE!!!!
Contact us to see what social groups we are currently running or what we are able to set up for your child!
Nicole's passion for her work is palpable, and her dedication to her patients' success is truly remarkable. What struck me most was her personal connection to the field; hearing about her own journey overcoming sleep issues was not only inspiring but reassuring. I left our consultation feeling hopeful and empowered, knowing I had found a true partner in my health journey.
Based on Nicole's recommendation, I will be seeing a sleep specialist, confident that together with her guidance, we will find solutions to my challenges. It was an honor to meet Nicole, and I look forward to continuing to work with her until we resolve this issue. I cannot recommend Nicole and the Myofunctional Center highly enough for anyone seeking expert care with a deeply personal touch.
I reached out to Nicole in desperation. I was suffering from 9/10 chronic pain which led to the deterioration of my mental health.
I live in Australia and had little hope that I would get a reply, I had just been discharged from a psychiatric ward and the future wasn’t looking bright.
Not only did Nicole reply, she shared her knowledge and also reached out to a team of health professionals she knew in my area with the next steps in my journey. She was kind and most importantly, she was honest.
6 months have passed and I have my life back. I’m happy and hopeful again, back to enjoying my life. I wouldn’t be in this position
without Nicole and for that I am forever thankful.
If you are deciding whether or not to seek help, you are in the best possible hands here.
- Thank you Nicole.
I started seeing her for a tongue thrust. Through our behavior sessions, she discovered that I couldn’t breathe well through my nose leading to open mouth breathing. Multiple doctors confirmed this and I wound up having a septum repair. Also, she suspected that I had a small airway and upper airway resistance syndrome. Sleep drs and dentists confirmed this as well.
She’s been a continuous resource for me on doctors, breathing, sleep and issues of the mouth. She presents at conferences and has really strong relationships with the best doctors in her field who think really highly of her.
When my 5 month old daughter was born in Feb, she again was a resource for me about tongue and lip ties. She connected me with the best doctors and dentists in the field.
If you are thinking about going to another speech or myofunctional therapist, don’t! Nicole is the absolute best in San Diego and probably the US.
San Diego Center for Speech and Myofunctional Therapy for issues related to a tongue tie. Kris and Nicole were both amazing to work with and always took the time to answer any of my questions or concerns. Their knowledge is unmatched and I would highly recommend their services.
I highly recommend Nicole and her team!
I started seeing her for a tongue thrust. Through our behavior sessions, she discovered that I couldn't breathe well through my nose leading to open mouth breathing. Multiple doctors confirmed this and I wound up having a septum repair. Also, she suspected that I had a small airway and upper airway resistance syndrome. Sleep drs and dentists confirmed this as well.
She's been a continuous resource for me on doctors, breathing, sleep and issues of the mouth. She presents at conferences and has really strong relationships with the best doctors in her field who think really highly of her.
When my 5 month old daughter was born in Feb, she again was a resource for me about tongue and lip ties. She connected me with the best doctors and dentists in the field.
If you are thinking about going to another speech or myofunctional therapist, don't! Nicole is the absolute best in San Diego and probably the US.
