Social Skills Programs

LEGO Connections

Building Bricks and Relationships

LEGO Connections is a fun filled group that fosters communication and improved social skills through play based learning. Participants won’t even realize all of the skills they are gaining as they venture through structured and free build activities. They will be members of a small group with other builders around their age that allow a safe place to engage, resolve conflict, and find common interests. Based on an evidence-informed program, Ascent brings LEGO Connections to our area.

LEGO Robotics Social Skills Club

Building Robots and Relationships

By partnering with Centreville Robotics team, we are able to bring a LEGO robotics program that incorporates LEGO building, coding, and tackling specific tasks all while growing socially. Through the use of explicit teaching, natural social interactions, and the need to communicate in order to complete the project, our team of group leaders will help your child learn and fine tune their social skills. This group is aimed at children in 4th-10th grade, but please reach out if you feel your child would benefit and they are outside of this range.

The Art of Friendship

Connecting over Crafts

The Art of Friendship social skills group is geared towards girls between ages 7-13. While the group uses their creativity to venture through the art process, they will also learn social skills to improve their relationships. We will have weekly projects that aim to stretch their creative and social abilities within a safe space for girls to open up and grow.

Friendship Explorers

Navigating Friendship Skills

Our Friendship Explorers social skills group is geared towards children who are in the transition to school age (3-6). Through explicit instruction, modeling, teachable moments, and feedback, our leaders help shape the social skills of our youngest. Kids will travel through different “lands” and receive stamps in their friendship passport as they conquer new skills, such as turn taking, active listening, resilience, solving problems, and more!

Current Offerings

Click on the flyer below to be routed to the registration page for that session.

Please note that some sessions are offered in Ashburn, while others are at our Clifton location.

If you do not see a location or group topic that works for you, please join our mailing list below.

FAQs

  • Our programs are open to both neurotypical and neurodiverse clients between the ages of 4 and 14. Some programs have specific age requirements. Our social skills groups are appropriate for children with Autism Level I, ADHD, Anxiety, and other social/communication disorders. If you are unsure whether the program would be the right fit for your child, reach out for a intake call and we can discuss your needs.

  • An essential part of our mission is to ensure groupings are purposeful and based on information we gather through your registration process. Therefore, once we close registration, we form groups based on age, interests, communication level, and temperament. If we do not have an appropriate group for your child, we will reach out to inform you that best practices will be to wait for another session. Our goal is to ensure your child has a peer group that fosters their growth and the growth of those around them.

  • We are able to welcome students who require specialized programming for behavior. However, we are not staffed to have the level of support needed for students who have physically intense behaviors. If your child may exhibit these behaviors, please reach out to see what program may work for them.

    Our policy states that any physicality (hitting, kicking, biting, etc) toward another participant or staff will result in the participant not continuing with current groupings. We will work with you to find a more appropriate group.

    It is our top priority that clients are in a safe environment that allows them to take risks and grow.

  • Most of our programs rotate through a 6 week cycle, allowing flexibility for families. We have an average of 71% of families that return for another session after their first.

    We will open registration a few weeks before the upcoming session.

  • No; our social skills groups are all private pay and are not submitted to insurance. Some families are able to use FSA funds.