Alert Groups vs. Social Groups: What’s the best fit?

Alert Groups vs. Social Groups: What’s the best fit?

Alert Groups vs. Social Skills Group: Where does my child fit best?

By: Abbie Paris, MS, CCC-SLP

Does your child struggle to make friends? Does he tend to sit alone at recess? Does she seem to always say the wrong thing or not know what to say in certain circumstances? If so, your child might benefit from group therapy to focus on those challenging areas. With all the resources out there today, it becomes important to discern which type of therapy group would be the best fit for your child.

Social skills (or Pragmatic Language) refer to how language is used. Children with otherwise strong language skills may have a difficult time using their language skills to interact appropriately with others. This can result in difficulties making and keeping friends. Social skills groups usually focus on skills like:

  • Conversation skills (saying “hi” or “bye”; asking how someone’s week went)
  • Body position (letting others know you are listening by facing them and making eye contact)
  • Identifying emotions and possible reasons for those emotions
  • Problem-solving and conflict-resolution (both in hypothetical situations and real instances as they occur in sessions)
  • Friendship management skills (e.g., allowing others to go first, losing a game calmly, offering support and/or compliments to peers)

Social Skills groups can be run by either a Speech-Language Pathologist or an Occupational Therapist. For additional information, visit our website.

Alert Groups use principles from the Alert Program (How Does Your Engine Run) and can be particularly helpful for children who have a hard time interacting with others due to difficulties regulating their body. Groups focus on learning Engine/energy levels and learning and trialing “Engine Tools” to help have a just right engine or energy level. If your child is able to interact appropriately with other children when they are calm and regulated but struggle to maintain a calm state, they might benefit from participating in an Alert Group. Alert Groups usually focus on skills like:

  • Engine levels
  • Engine Tools such as Touch, Mouth and Move Tools
  • Using these tools in group activities to help generalize skills

Alert Groups are run by Occupational Therapists. For more information on Alert Groups, visit our website.

Not sure which group would be a better fit for your child? You can schedule an evaluation with one of our skilled therapists to get their recommendation.