Social Club Proposal

Adolescent social skills group for students with

high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Group Purpose
Social Club is a social skills training group for students with high functioning Autism
Spectrum Disorder. This group provides the opportunity for students with ASD to learn and
practice specific social skills. Social Club also provides the opportunity to gain friendships
and have fun.

Objectives
At the conclusion of Social Club, group participants will:

Demonstrate improved social skills outside of the classroom by showing improved

scores on the Social Responsiveness Scale completed by parents/guardians.
Demonstrate improved social skills in the classroom by showing improved scores
on the Social Responsiveness Scale completed by teachers.
Report lower feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction by showing improved
scores on the Loneliness Scale.
Show commitment to Social Club by attending at least 8 out of 9 sessions.

Group Components
The name of this group is Social Club. However, this name will be used to recruit
participants. Group members will create their own group name during the initial session.
The target number of students is 6 but the group will be conducted with 4-8 if necessary.
Additionally, 2-3 typically developing peers will be chosen to participate as well. Please see
screening plan below for more details.
Social Club will meet once per week on Wednesday from 3:30-5pm (90 minute sessions).
The program will meet for 9 consecutive weeks with the exception of the Wednesday
before Thanksgiving when the district is closed.
Proposed Fall 2015 Schedule:
September 8: Screening process begins
September 30: First session
December 2: Final session
December7: Evaluation of program
Assessments will be completed during the screening process and at the conclusion of the
group. Parents/Guardians and teachers will complete the Social Responsiveness Scale
assessment to measure social skill competence. Participants will complete the Loneliness

Scale to measure feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction. Please see supplemental
materials below for more information.

Screening Plan
Participants:
1. School counselors will identify students with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum
Disorder using the school districts IEP database.
2. Parents/guardians of children with ASD will be informed about Social Club and will
be invited to take the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) assessment as part of the
screening process. (see Supplemental Materials)
3. Two classroom teachers, one special education teacher and one general education
teacher) will complete the SRS for each potential group member. Teacher must have
student for at least one class period, with general education students, and on a daily
basis.
4. Students that meet the following criteria will be invited to participate:
a. Have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder
b. Average score of all three SRS assessments must fall into the Mild or
Moderate Deficiency Range: 60-75
c. Parent and child must agree and sign the attendance contract and parent
consent form.
5. All parents/guardians will meet with the school counselor to discuss the SRS results.
a. Those who qualify for Social club will further discuss the goals of the
program, explore personal goals, and emphasize commitment to the group.
Written attendance contract and parent consent form will be signed during
this initial meeting. Child will complete the Loneliness Scale assessment
administered by school counselor. Any questions will also be answered at
this time.
b. Those who do not qualify for Social club will be provided rationale, resources
for other school and community opportunities (if applicable), and any
questions will also be answered.
6. Note: It is possible that a students SRS scores may vary between parent and
teachers. If there is a large discrepancy in scoring, a meeting may be set up to
further discuss the students participation in Social Club. A final decision will be
made in the best interest of the students well-being. This meeting may include but
is not limited to: special education and general education classroom teachers,
parents/guardians, building principal, and school counselors.
7. This is a closed group. Pending evaluation of the fall program, the screening process
for a spring program will occur during the first week of the spring semester.
Typically Developing Peers:
1. Students will be recruited by recommendation from building faculty and staff.
School Counselors will meet attend a meeting with all Department Chairs to
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introduce Social Club. Department Chairs will be asked to gather student names
from their department.
2. School counselor will hold an information session with all typically developing peers
recommended for Social Club during lunch. General group overview and
expectations will be provided and any questions will be answered during this time.
Students may sign up for a consultation with the school counselor if they are
interested in joining the group.
3. One on one consultations will take place with the school counselors. Details of the
role of a typically developing peer will be provided, personal goals will be discussed,
and commitment to the group will be emphasized. Written attendance contract will
be signed at this time. Parent consent form will be given to the student. Signed
parent consent form will confirm participation.

Curriculum Outline
Below is the proposed curriculum for Social Club. Before the group starts, final changes will
be made based on the compiled SRS results and participant input. However, each topic is
stemmed from one of the five subtypes from the SRS assessment. Please see supplemental
materials below for sample session outlines.
Session
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

General Topics
Introduction and Group Overview; Introducing oneself to others; politeness
Starting a conversation; politeness; making eye contact
Listening to others
Recognition of non-verbal communication
Maintaining a conversation; ending a conversation
Awareness and expression of feelings; negotiating with others
Responding to teasing and bullying
Social Club wrap up; planning for end of group social event
Social Club social event (to be determined and planned by the group)

Ground Rules and Policies

I believe in empowering students to take responsibility and. During the initial session, the
group will create a shield that will symbolically represent the group. A paper cut out of a
large shield will serve as a rules contract. The group members will write the group name
and the group rules on the paper shield. Although students will ultimately create the
ground rules, I will guide the group to ensure the important rules listed below are included
or addressed.
Social Club members will
1. Be here and be on time. (Attendance)
2. Try our hardest. (Participation)
3. Keep what happens in group, in the group. (Confidentiality)
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Leader Statement
The Social Club leader is

A facilitator and active member. Every session is psychoeducational through

teaching specific social skills, and experiential through modeling, role-play, and
application.
Collaborative by working closely with parents, special education and general
education teachers, and administration to best meet the needs of participants.
Licensed school counselor or social worker and present in the group members
school.

Measurement Tools
Social Responsiveness Scale (Constantino, 2002)
The SRS is a 65-item measure of childrens (5-18 years) social competence. Traits are rated
on a 4-point Likert scale. The five treatment subscales are: Social Awareness, Social
Cognition, Social Communication, Social Motivation, and Autistic Mannerisms. The SRS will
be completed by at least one parent/guardian, one special education teacher, and one
general education prior to and upon completion of Social Club.
Loneliness Scale (Asher & Wheeler, 1985)
The Loneliness Scale is a 24-item questionnaire measuring feelings of loneliness and social
dissatisfaction. The scale will be administered to each participant prior to and upon
completion. The scale contains eight filler items about hobbies and interests that will be
included but not measured. Note: Typically developing peers will not complete either
assessment tool.
Disclaimer: Physical copies are not available at this time due to purchase price.

Supplemental Materials

Session Plans
Parent Consent Form
Social Club Information Sheet