SELmedia releases evidence-based program that helps HFA kids develop social skills

Feb 16 2010

SELmedia announced today that it has released its newest addition to the growing suite of S.S.GRIN (Social Skills Group Intervention) programs. S.S.GRIN HFA is the first evidence-based program that teaches social skills to young children diagnosed with High Functioning Autism (HFA). The program is appropriate for use in schools, community settings and clinics.

Designed for children ages 7 to 12, S.S.GRIN HFA is a small group intervention that helps kids develop the social skills they need to succeed in school and in life including communication skills, working with others, making and keeping friends and dealing with teasing and bullying. The program emphasizes multiple modes of learning with didactic instruction, group discussion, videos, and practice through role playing, modeling, and hands-on activities.

S.S.GRIN HFA incorporates the Social Stories™ and Comic Strip Conversations strategies developed by Dr. Carol Gray, Director of the Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding. These strategies are used worldwide with children, adolescents, and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Dr. Gray served on the Advisory Committee to the S.S.GRIN HFA research project.

Parent involvement is an integral part of the S.S.GRIN HFA curriculum. Parents and children participate together in several sessions and during community exercises, children have the opportunity to practice new skills in a naturalistic setting with the help of their parents as coaches.

Research on S.S.GRIN HFA showed that children had a significant improvement in their social skills including nonverbal communication, ability to compromise and initiating conversations with peers. The program also benefited parents, who demonstrated significantly greater ability to help their child with social problems and reported marked reduction in stress levels after completing the program.

As with all programs from SELmedia, S.S.GRIN HFA comes with an unlimited subscription to the online resource center which includes training videos, downloadable refill materials and discount pricing on replacement components.

Source SELmedia