Need help with running your social skills groups? Or even getting a social group up and going? That’s totally easy to keep going even when you’re at your busiest? This resource is for you.
Your students can really benefit from being in a social skills group, but ultimately, you’re just looking for a way for them to connect with their peers and classmates at school and make friends. And believe me, their peers and classmates will ALSO really benefit from this group.
Enter the Peer Connections program.
This social skills group curriculum helps you connect your special education students with their peers.
All of the members of the group get to learn how to interact with others different from them through hands-on experiences. Creating a group like this cultivates meaningful friendships, natural social experiences with peers, and promotes inclusion for all of our students.
It can be a challenge to find a curriculum that is easy to implement and is engaging and fun for everyone.
This type of social skills group focuses on social experiences to be made not specific social skills to be drilled on.
However, it is totally applicable for students with social goals and as a place to practice specific types of social skills.
Applicable for students on the autism spectrum, disabilities, special education, as well as their peers. For students in upper elementary to middle school to high school.
- It is evidence-based. Links to research within the manual show the use of peer groups for students on the autism spectrum and with disabilities with their neurotypical peers.
- The lesson plans are simple, so all you have to do is print and facilitate. Great for general education teachers who want to be involved. And believe me they will! This program spreads fast within schools.
- The ultimate goal is to let the group make choices for their games and activities (sometimes with guidance and facilitation from you)
- Step-by-step guides for you as the facilitator to recruit and select peers for your groups and run them.
- Mini-lesson for peers and groups to learn more be supportive and inclusive of everyone
- Pre-made templates ready to go (agenda slides, peer applications, orientation guides, weekly meeting guides, binders for each group you facilitate, schedules).
Most importantly? It makes social skills groups fun for your students. AGU has heard over and over again while in elementary and high schools how much fun this is for teachers, students on the autism spectrum, students with disabilities, and their peers. Even some admin have jumped in on the fun! It’s an awesome way to spread inclusion and acceptance around your school community.
How It Works
The manual walks you through every single step along the way of creating a group to running a group with these components:
- Creating a group: how to start with your special education student and create a group around them
- Recruiting and selecting peers: selection criteria, coordinating schedules, applications, recruitment flyers
- Orientation: getting the group together, share its purpose, set the stage for how the group will run (group choices for the agenda)
- Peer Support and Check-In: provide additional support and feedback for peers, they are not meant to be mini-teachers!
- Peer Group Binder: helps you stay organized with running your group and when you run multiple groups, you will need one small binder or notebook for each group
- Weekly Meeting Guide: checklist for facilitators for each week, reflections on how the group is running
What’s Inside
- 50+ page manual and overview
- Detailed facilitator directions and suggestions for simple implementation
- Checklist to organize and coordinate the group
- Recruitment materials - 2 types of recruitment flyers, 3 page peer application
- Parent/Guardian permission forms (peers and target students)
- 8 week, 16 week, and 36 week suggested activities
- List of 15+ games and activities (optional)
- Orientation materials (Orientation slide deck, Guide)
- Agenda slides (8 week, 16 week, 36 week)
- Facilitator binder (group member info, scheduling forms, meeting planners)
- Multiple ideas for providing feedback and support to peers and groups as they are running
