Social Group for Youth

When: The group meets every Wednesday from 4:00-5:00

Where: UMACC, 1111 E. Catherine St., Ann Arbor

UMACC offers a group for youth age 13 to 16 with high functioning autistic spectrum disorders or Asperger Syndrome. The group is open to boys and girls.

The Social Group for Youth focuses on building common social interaction skills relevant to teens, such as conversation, perspective-taking, and sharing interests. Social group meetings combine brief skill instruction and practice with fun, interactive activities, in which participants get to use their social skills in a more natural way. Activities in group are selected to be enjoyable, age-appropriate, and interesting. Group leaders provide positive reinforcement and feedback to the participants throughout the structured activities to further emphasize the social interaction skills.

Each group meeting starts with time for conversation among the peers. The conversation usually starts with a topic chosen by a group leader, such as, "What is your favorite movie," and the youth discuss it together. Next, the group receives a more structured lesson on the skill of the day. For example, the Social Group has worked on identifying body language in others, using eye contact and other listening skills during conversation, and thinking about how emotions impact behavior. Finally, the group does a fun activity designed to give them an opportunity to use the skills they have learned. Our activities have included playing board games, planning and hosting a dinner party, and designing a website.




Contact:
Themba Carr, Catherine Fan or Jen Weng
um.autism@umich.edu
734.936.8600