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This group is designed for 4th to 6th grade students in general education classes who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and also show need for improvement with social skills in the classroom. The purpose of the sessions will be to improve social skills for these students. The group will work on learning how to start a conversation, turn-taking in conversation, listening to peers, embracing their own strengths to build confidence, and setting boundaries to avoid overstimulation in social settings.

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From the ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success, the goals that the participants should master are:

B-SS 1 Effective oral and written communication skills and listening skills

B-SS 2 Positive, respectful, and supportive relationships with students who are similar to and different from them

B-SS 9 Social maturity and behaviors appropriate to the situation and environment

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The plan to advertise this group would be through emails and announcements to teachers, since the student's teacher will be the one responsible for referring them to the group. The school's administration and counselors will also be made aware of this group the emails and announcements. Outside of emails, the details and forms for this group will be announced at faculty meetings.

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Once the teacher submits a referral to the group and the student shows that they have met the group criteria, the parent should contacted by phone or email. The contact with the parent should explain what the group is, why the student was referred to the group, and why it may benefit the student. The parent and student will decide together if they would like to participate. Before beginning the group, the group leader/ coordinator should meet with the student and at least one parent. The goal of this meeting is to outline the goals of the group and what will be taking place in the session. During this meeting we will gain informed consent from the parent. We will also screen the participant for their prior knowledge of the SLOs and listen to their thoughts going into the group. This should be an individual meeting with each participant.

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During the meeting with the parent and student prior to beginning sessions. We will obtain informed consent from the parent by asking them to sign a consent form after discussing the purpose of the group and the activities that will be done. We will also obtain assent from the student. We will ask them their thoughts going into the group and have them sign a paper that says they are willing to participate. We will also make both the parent and student aware that they are able to leave the group at any time if they no longer feel comfortable. I have attached a consent form, this can be filled out differently depending on the start date and the counselor responsible for the group.

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We will discuss this form in our first meeting after welcoming everyone. We will go over this as a group and allow group members to share their ideas for the "looks like" or "sounds like" section. Doing this as a group will allow for everyone to be on the same page. Rules that will be pre-determined by the leader will be rules that account for respect and dignity for all members involved.

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Stage 1:

We will build trust between the group by focusing on group activities and allowing each person the opportunity to share. Group norms will be established by sharing expectations from the start and engaging in similar activities each session. This will hopefully allow each individual to find their comfort zone in the group. We will stress the importance and encourage confidentiality between group members and ensure everyone knows that confidentiality cannot be guaranteed between group members. If confidentiality is broken between group members we will meet with the participant and their parent to discuss the situation and evaluate if they should move forward in the group, ultimately this is their decision.

Stage 2:

The group activities and moderators should ensure that the group remains working cohesively and effectively. At the end of each session the group leaders and other group moderators will meet with the students briefly to discuss the good things they did in each session and what they can keep in mind for next session. This will also be a time for the students to ask any questions they may not feel comfortable asking in front of the group.

Stage 3:

After the group has ended, we will meet with the parent and student again. This will allow us to understand the student's feelings about the group overall, the group ending, and what they learned. This will also allow for the parent and student to express any concerns regarding the group. We will send a questionnaire to the parents and teachers of the student once a month for 3 months to obverse any improvements or declines in social skills after the group ending. In this meeting we will also give a reminder of the importance of confidentiality even though the group has ended.

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ASCA Ethical Standards For School Counselors:

A.1.C: Support all students and their development by actively working to eliminate systemic barriers or bias impeding student development.

I feel that this responsibility applies to this group because students with autism who are in general education classes may be overlooked. since they are not in special education or may not have any learning disabilities, they may not raise any flags in the school system. Creating groups like this can help address difficulties that these students can experience. The goal of this group is to help improve the quality of their education by addressing their social deficits.

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I believe that the authoritarian leadership style will work best for this group. This will help the group activities run smoothly, I believe this will also help the skills learned be applicable in the classroom. In the classroom, when the teacher instructs the students to do a group assignment, there is not much room for discussion.

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I believe that two therapeutic factors you could see through this group are development of socializing techniques and imitative behavior. The goal of the group is do develop social skills, by participating in group learning, games, and other activities. The members should develop new social techniques within the group to apply to their everyday life. If there are group members that have a better repertoire of social skills, other members may copy their behaviors. They may copy conversation starters, phrases, or jokes that get others attention.

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ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors:

A.7.G: Reflect on group outcomes and determine adjustments that may improve future group interventions.

I believe that this pertains to the group because we will meet with the student and their parent after the group has ended. We will take their feedback and criticism and apply it to future groups to make it a more effective experience for all involved.

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References:

ASCA student standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for student success. ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success - American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (n.d.). https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Standards/ASCA-Mindsets-Behaviors-for-Student-Success

Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators. (2015). Professional school counselor small group counseling guide: A professional school counselor’s guide to planning, implementing, and evaluating school-based counseling groups.

Yalom ID. (1995). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (4th ed.). New York: Basic Books.

ACSA ethical standards for school counselors. ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors - American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (n.d.). https://www.schoolcounselor.org/About-School-Counseling/Ethical-Responsibilities/ASCA-Ethical-Standards-for-School-Counselors-(1)