Social Learning

WHAT IS SOCIAL LEARNING?

Social learning is often an area of weakness for children with diagnosed learning differences. We tend to consider school a place where children go to learn facts, concepts and academic skills. But there is another side of school that is just as important, and often times equally challenging for students with learning differences. The social side of school involves making friends, keeping friends and learning how to be part of the world of one’s own age group. And it can be one of the most difficult parts of school.

Oak Hill Academy’s social learning curriculum is a blend of dynamic therapies and concepts, including Social Thinking®, developed by Michelle Garcia Winner. This is an innovative, deeper way to teach social skills to people struggling with social communication deficits (including ADHD, high functioning autism, nonverbal learning disorders, language delays, anxiety or no diagnosed disorder). This effective model teaches the “why” behind a social interaction instead of behavioral social skills. By taking such a supportive and intimate approach to therapy, we can focus on challenges specific to those social learning differences. The goal is to give students the skills to interpret social situations on their own and help them fulfill their own personal social potential.