Does social skills training work?
My 10 year old dd struggles socially. She doesn't really fit in. Our kids go to a very good private school and she does well academicaly when her meds are working but she is not really accepted by her peers. This year she was being teased by 3 boys in her class all year and she just told me about it last week!! She ignored it all year hoping it would go away (bless her heart) but coudn't take it anymore when they started calling her stupid! Well her teacher and the school counselor put a stop to it immediately. The school does not put up with any sort of teasing/bullying. (guess that's what we're paying for!!!!!) She does have one very good friend that she's had since they were 4 but that's about it. HEr friend is really starting to branch out and mine is not. I do see her in social settings a lot. She is not hard to get along with at all and loves other children. It seems like her biggest problems are saying off the wall remarks and not really engaging in conversations very well. She can be somewhat unaware socially. Sometimes it seems like her meds actually make her less conversational. At home she is very easy and fun. She gets along great with her brother, cousins and family friends. SHe is just not accepted by the kids at school. I don't know if socail skills training would be helpful or not. It just makes me so sad for her. She is SUCH a sweet girl & so bright in so many ways! I am so nervous about these middle school years approaching that things are going to go downhill socially. Help!! Any advice???
yes social skills classes work on just that, having good eye contact, listening skills, taking turns in conversations. Worth it if you can find one.
4th grade was the worst by the way.
We started social skills class with our son, now 9, about a year ago. It hasThat is a tough one. My dd is 11 and in the past has really struggled with friendships. One of the things I have been grateful for is her outside activities. It has allowed her to have a whole set of friends that are separate from school - girls that don't judge her based on her behavior in class, and it really helps.
Usually the exposure is a few hours a week, versus all day long at school, so there is less time to have any conflict. It gave my daughter an identity outside of school and she didn't have to deal with schoolmates. It lets us concentrate on social things in small doses.
So maybe you could find some activity for her to join outside of any school sponsored or community sponsored group. Give her an identity of her own?
alisonsmom39552.3113541667I just posted something similar to what you are experiencing with my son who is 12. Maybe what is going to happen here is that the ADHD makes them emotionally younger and therefore a hard fit. This gets worse as the kids mature faster, but then it gets better as the gap is closed? Can anyone comment on this theory?I just wanted to say that my dd is the same way. It breaks my heart too. I have her in Girl Scouts and some of the girls exclude her a bit but they are "required" to be more excepting there so I think in most ways they are. I know in school she started off the year (6th grade) with a really good friend in her class but the girl never returned her phone calls or wanted to see her outside of school. There may have been words but my dd has not called her for quite a while. With meds she can concentrate on school work but she is still kind of awkward. I have not found a social skills class outside of a large practice 45 minutes away which is not covered by insurance so we have not gone there. One of the things that I think is in her favor is that she has always liked adults and they tend to love her. Also, she likes to hang with younger kids so in the higher grades I hope it will matter less. (when she is no longer the youngest in the school)
Good luck,