We always knew our daughter was exceptionally bright, but she was always a bit different from the other kids. She could read The New York Times at age three, but was socially “young” in many ways. She constantly had trouble at school, both academically and socially. It drove us crazy! She would do her homework, but forget to turn it in, or lie and say she didn’t have homework at all because she wanted to play on the computer instead. There were many “uneven” relationships with kids at school. She would either overwhelm one child with attention until they would practically have to run and hide from her, or she would allow a bossy kid to push her around just so she could be a part of some kind of a group. There was a period of two years where she was only invited to one play-date and one birthday party – total. It simply broke our hearts. She wanted so badly to have friends and to belong. she just couldn’t understand how to do it. We tried psychologists, psychiatrists, homework Hellers, tutors – even an art therapist – and no one seemed to really hit the nail on the head.
Someone suggested that perhaps a Social Thinking Group might help her, and so we tried PSLLC. She began having both individual and group sessions at age 11, and the transformation in her has been absolutely a joy to watch. She is now 13, and what she has learned there truly saved her. A few of the many skills they have given her are the ability to better negotiate transitions, to read people’s facial expression and body language, to set goals for herself, and to organize her time better. As a result she is no longer constantly frustrated and stressed out over the day-to-day demands of her school work. Her relationships with her peers, siblings, teachers, and her parents have improved tremendously. She has much more confidence in herself. We have watched the fog of stress and depression lift from around her, and see a genuinely happy kid emerging.
A side benefit of our daughter’s working with PSLLC has been that we, her parents, have also been given all sorts of hints, tips, and suggestions as to how to parent our daughter more effectively. This has helped reduce our level of stress and anxiety as well. Our other children are also benefiting from our use of these strategies. PSLLC has been nothing short of a Godsend to our family.