Social Squad: Empowered with Knowledge: A Curriculum for Creating a Social Skill Group Including Peers as Models and Advocates Paperback – December 8, 2016

Social Squads were developed to provide an opportunity for typically developing children (Peer Mentors) to mentor their peer who has challenges with social skills (child of focus). These groups were designed with the following in mind: *Children learn best from their peers *Educating Peers with facts eliminates the need for students to guess why certain peers behave differently than most others and help to foster empathy and compassion rather than confusion, frustration, and even sometimes fear. *Providing information and practice for the best ways to support each other reduces bullying and isolation. *Mentors make great advocates in the classroom, playground and other school and community settings. The child of focus might be a students with Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Anxiety or perhaps a student with social challenges due to other life factors. Overall, Social Squads are made up of a mixed group of students bringing "typically" developing peers alongside children with social challenges to develop a more empowered and supportive school community. Read more