Does this sound like you?
You were recently diagnosed with autism at age 21 and now it all makes sense why relationships are so hard.
You’re headed off to college and you’re nervous because new environments, new people, and changes to routine are EXTRA stressful and dysregulating.
You’re 21 years old and — even though you’ve been interested in dating — you’ve never had a girlfriend.
You made it through high school and got a part-time job, but you get teased a lot because you’re different and you’re tired of feeling lonely and rejected.
These are common complaints we hear from neurodivergent young adults ALL THE TIME.
Everything in our society — from school, to work, from dating to college, even friendships and family life — are modeled on social norms. Autistic individuals don’t think, process information, or communicate the way non-autistic people do. This can create a lot of stress, undermining confidence and self-esteem in ways that negatively impact any area of life, with many neurodivergent young adults falling into despair, depression, anxiety and isolation. But it doesn’t have to be that way…
We get it.
We see you.
You belong here!
Human beings are social animals. We are meant to thrive in connection with others. Even if we are painfully shy or have high levels of social anxiety, we still need friendships and connection with others in order to be physically and mentally healthy.
IRL Social Skills provides age-appropriate social and communication skills coaching neurodivergent young adults need to improve self-esteem and transform their relationships. Our program can help if you…
Have trouble communicating with authority figures, teachers, or people at work
Find it difficult to make or keep good friends
Are unable to get a job or have trouble keeping jobs
Find your academic performance to be negatively impacted due to bullying or peer rejection
Don’t know how to handle disagreements or resolve normal conflicts
Want to have a romantic relationship, but either communication or sensory issues prevent you from even trying
MARA McLOUGHLIN, MS, CCC-SLP
FOUNDER & LEAD FACILITATOR
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Schedule a FREE 15-minute Zoom consult to learn more about our how our program works. We’ll tell you everything you need to know, and answer all your questions. Discover how IRL Social Skills can help you live your best life!
Social Skills Coaching for Autistic Young Adults
Most programs that support autistic and other neurodivergent youth stop offering guidance after grade school or middle school. Our programs pick up where school district programs leave off (if they even exist!). We meet participants where they are, with age-appropriate supports that offer guidance and tools specific to that stage of development.
In our young adult courses we offer advice and skills to help navigate dating and intimate relationships, conflict resolution and disagreements, and communication with authority figures at work, in college, or law enforcement.
INCLUDED IN OUR SKILLS ACADEMY COURSES:
Trauma-informed nervous system education
Mindfulness practices for self-awareness
Interoception skills for co- and self-regulation
Effective and safe use of digital communication in social media, video games, forums, and dating apps
Skillful use of humor and assessment of humor feedback
Starting, entering, and exiting conversations between peers
Making friends based on common interests (e.g. games, art, music)
How to organize successful get-togethers with friends
Tips for developing healthy and safe romantic relationships (identifying green flags, boundaries and consent)
How to be your own self-advocate with authority figures, teachers, employers, etc.
Our courses are geared toward the autistic neurotype but many non-autistic individuals have found our courses to be very beneficial, helping them to improve their communication and social skills in every arena of life.
NOW ENROLLING for JANUARY 2024
How it works
Our classes meet weekly via Zoom for 16 weeks (4 months). This allows participants to establish meaningful connections with coaches, instructors, and peers. At the same time, a parent, social coach, sibling, caregiver, or relative attends a separate breakout room to learn how to provide support during the course and afterward.
The Domino Effect
This caregiver-mediated unique approach is what makes IRL Social Skills courses so effective. In fact, many of the family members of our students tell us they they also benefit from the program. We call it the domino effect—when the parent or caregiver and student begin relating and communicating better, the entire family dynamic is improved!
COST OF PROGRAM
The cost for our 16-week Social Skills Programs is $3999. That all-inclusive price covers:
16-weeks of specialized neurodivergence-affirming support for both students AND parent/caregiver/other coach
PEERS® curriculum—the only scientifically validated, proven-effective curriculum developed at UCLA
Three-and-a-half hours of coaching (1.75hrs for students, 1.75 hours for parents/social coaches)
Small groups, typically 8-12 families per class, allowing for maximum benefit and personalization
Expert educators, therapists and clinicians with over 50 years combined expertise working with autistic and neurodivergent populations
Two coaches for each breakout room (four coaches per class)
All class materials, handouts, videos and reference materials
Support outside the classroom
We are private pay and do not accept insurance. However, we can provide a sample superbill and share with you effective strategies to seek partial or full reimbursement from your insurance provider. Many states are now legally required to pay for services such as ours, but many families are not yet aware of the new laws.
Payment plans may also be available.
A TOTAL GAME-CHANGER
Stellar doesn’t even begin to describe the attributes of this team! Our son (22 years on the spectrum) blossomed under their tutelage; his dad and I became much better social coaches than we’d imagined.
Each week there was encouragement, no judgment, sharing bits of our stories. And progress! Oh, the progress! Being part of this cohort gave our son a place to belong, to perch, to learn, and to spread his wings.
He had actually been dreading the first class because he had participated in many “social” groups in middle and high school and felt that they had nothing to offer him. At the end of class one with IRL Social Skills, he was kind of giddy. It was a lovely unfolding surprise for us each week. We will keep working on the skills because it simply works. Thank you IRL for opening this door for us.
LELAH B. – PARENT PARTICIPANT
Peer support makes the difference.
Autistic and socially struggling teens and young adults are at greater risk of bullying, exclusion, and being “canceled” or rejected. These painful experiences cannot be entirely avoided but they can be handled skillfully.
By engaging with others who are experiencing similar discrimination or struggling with the same challenges, students become more than learners. Our programs turn students into skillful advocates and collaborators. For individuals who struggle to make friends, this is a key component of the success of the program.
Over the 16-week course, students form connections with peers who go on to become supports long after the curriculum has ended. Friendships are made with people who share a neurotype—people who “get” each other.
Our team of neurodiverse coaches teach social skills based on the The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) program*. PEERS is a highly effective, clinically proven social skills curriculum that has transformed the lives of autistic young people for decades.
DATING ADVICE THAT WORKS
Going into the class my son and I didn't know what to expect but in the end we couldn't be happier with the results. My son, who can't pay attention for more than a couple of minutes to anything, not once complained about spending close to two hours a week in this class. From day one he was ready to jump into the class each week.
I realized that he needed instruction from someone other than my wife or myself but if we tried giving him advice on friendship or — god forbid — DATING, he'd quickly walk away. In the class he participated eagerly and took the information seriously. We saw him applying the topics learned in real life. We couldn't believe it!
I highly recommend this class to young adults and their parents.
TREVOR C. – PARENT PARTICIPANT
*PROVEN EFFECTIVE
The Program for the Evaluation of the Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) was developed by UCLA's acclaimed Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. PEERS is critically acclaimed for providing evidence-based social skills treatment to youth and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression, and other socio-emotional problems. The program has been peer-reviewed by the psychiatric community many dozens of times, and confirms the efficacy of the program.
SOURCE: National Institute of Health, National Library of Medicine. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders
