Social Skills Program for youth with Asperger’s syndrome

12-week Social Skills Program at NCEFT.

This 12-week social skills program is tailored for 12 to 18-year-old youth with Asperger’s syndrome.

In this experiential program, we will focus on increasing self-mastery and building character skills that will enable participants to feel more confident in their ability to

circumnavigate the social aspects of daily life. In both human and equine realms, expected and unwritten social rules dictate “acceptance.”

Temple Grandin, autistic author of Animals in Translation, reports that both horses and the majority of people with Asperger’s “think in pictures.” We will focus on “thinking with our eyes,” to heighten observation skills and create

awareness of subtle physical cues that signal what both horses and humans are thinking.

This sort of observation will improve social communication with both equines and humans.

Participants will learn to identify and read non-verbal cues equines use to communicate with humans and other horses.

This Native American-themed program centers on the connectedness of humans, animals and nature; called the “The Circle of Life,” it is based on over-arching respectful relationships.

Social Skill Program Highlights

• Interactive Social Skill curriculum

• Small group size (6-8 participants)

• 90-minute hands-on sessions

• Equine ground and mounted activities

• Character skill-building focus

• Verbal/non-verbal communication skills

• Respectful interactions

• Social rules/expectations

• Cooperative skill-building games