Social Group

Now that we have had a few days to process and absorb the new letters in Thomas' alphabet soup, we are starting to move forward. First step, Social Group.

This isn't Thomas' first venture into the world of social group, he did a 12 week social group program at his OT's office last fall. It ended with mixed results. He liked the kids well enough, but I don't think that he actually learned much in the group. He didn't come out of it more able to deal with his social shortcomings, or more able to use his strengths. He had fun, so it wasn't a complete waste of 3 months.

This time I hope will be different. I feel that the clinic he will be doing his group in is more equipped to help Thomas find his positives and build off of them. He will also, most likely, be in a group of kids who are slightly older that he is. This is good for two main reasons. First, Thomas is huge! He is 4 feet tall and weighs 67 pounds. He is as big as most 8 year old boys, and he plays hard. So he can be very intimidating to kids his own age. The second reason is that he is very smart, and his vocabulary use alone can separate him from his peers. He uses big words, and other kids his age just think he "talks weird." So between being intimidated, and not understanding him when he talks, Thomas often finds himself left out when he's with other 6 year-olds.

Next Monday will be Thomas' first group, and it will be an observation to see which group of kids he'll fit in best with. Which one he will both be accepted in, but also challenged by. This part of the process is also very different from our last attempt at social group. It won't be a case of, "we have enough kids of the same age," but instead, we have the right group for Thomas.

It's an amazing feeling to be moving towards finding the tools Thomas needs to succeed. I know he has a great future, and it's my job to make sure that he has all of the support he needs to make his dreams come true. He WILL be the engineer/inventor/father/man he wants to be!