Capital Region | Capital Health | Winter 2020

crmc.org 3 Social support for K I D S Group helps develop pro-social behaviors and life skills For one outing, group participants visited the Healthy Therapeutic Riding program in Linn, Missouri, where they explored the facility, interacted with horses and rode them. Twomonthly sessions Choose the meeting that’s best for you: � First Monday of every month or first Tuesday of every month from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. � Cost: $10 per meeting, plus the cost of the group outing(s). If you are interested in having your child join this group or simply wish to learn more, contact Jessica Keeran, MS, CCC-SLP, group leader, at jkeeran@ crmc.org . Does your child… � Have difficulty making and maintaining friendships? � Have difficulty interpreting social cues? � Have trouble initiating, engaging in and maintaining a social conversation? � Shy away from or have anxiety in social settings? Social skills impact every aspect of our lives. Developing these skills is as important as developing academic skills, which is why the pediatric therapy team at the Sam B. Cook Healthplex has created a program to help. The Social Skills Group, for children ages 7 to 17, assists children in improving their social language skills when engaging with their peers. The group then applies their skills to a “real life” setting by doing a monthly social activity, such as golfing, baking, a fitness class or a hay ride. If you have noticed that your child struggles to use appropriate social skills (for example, turn-taking skills, eye contact, interpreting indirect information, knowing when to comment versus ask a question, understanding figurative language or understanding body language), the Social Skills Group can help.