Our latest set of Rex Groups – Adult Group, Yoga Group, and School-Age Group with Spanish Language Parent Group – are up and running with strong enrollment.
As such, we’re doing a series for prospective Group members, for individuals and families who have been wondering what it’s like to be part of a Project Rex social skills group.
In this post, we’ll take you behind the scenes in our most recent Adult Group meetings so that you can get a sense for what we do and how it could help your loved one grow.
Adult Group, Weeks 2 and 3
In Week 2, our focus was having a two-way conversation. Group members were asked to do role plays, and they also watched demonstrations with Dr. Gwynette and James Truelove. First, the pair highlighted the wrong way to go about a two-way conversation.
After the “wrong” role play, we discussed what the experience would be like for the recipient, how certain social errors would impact the other person’s desire to continue the conversation or proceed in a friendship.
Then the pair did the role play right, highlighting key social skills. After that, the young adults in Group had a chance to practice their skills with one another.
First, each member did a self-assessment of conversational skills, then they engaged in a conversation with a peer, after which the peer provided them with feedback from a checklist. Finally, we had a group discussion about everyone’s experience with the practicing.
In Week 3, we learned about different styles of humor. We covered which types of humor correlate to friendship making and which do not.
Our practical exercise involved being able to identify if someone is laughing with you or laughing at you. Participants were coached to focus on eye contact and watch for non-verbal body language in order to make that distinction successfully.
Parent Group, Weeks 2 and 3
In our Parent Group, we’ve been emphasizing coaching skills, as well as encouraging families to work on finding social opportunities in the community. This allows for practicing and generalizing the skills that we’re working on in Group.
What About Other Groups?
Our School-Age Group with a Spanish Language Parent Group is going well, and our Yoga Group just began this past week.
In Yoga Group with Jennifer Warthen, we’re zeroing in on the social skills component. Our Parent Group will be learning relaxation strategies such as deep breathing, and progressive relaxation; parents will learn adult versions of the techniques that their children are practicing.
Thank you; it’s an honor to serve you and your families!
~The Project Rex team
