IRL Social Skills

At IRL Social Skills, we provide a safe space where autistic, neurodivergent and other socially struggling teens and young adults can learn essential social, relational and communication skills to live their best life. We teach UCLA's Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills — a highly effective, evidence-based, parent/caregiver mediated program that gets results. Everything we do that involves other people requires social and communication skills. These skills may be underdeveloped for autistic and other neurodivergent people. Isolation throughout the pandemic has also affected many people’s comfort in social interactions. PEERS® was developed in 2004 by UCLA’s Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson, a licensed clinical psychologist and an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. PEERS® provides didactic instruction with concrete research derived steps to help socially struggling adolescents and young adults and their social coach (parent/caregiver). Students must attend each session with a social coach (i.e., parent, family member, adult sibling, life coach, job coach, peer mentor, etc). Social coaches are taught how to assist clients in the acquisition of the skills presented by providing feedback during weekly socialization homework assignments. At IRL, we provide social skills coaching with a focus on autistic and other neurodiverse teens and young adults. The coaching we provide transforms lives through improved relationships, better communication in a variety of environments, and self-knowledge, advocacy, and empowerment. IRL courses are fun, interactive, supportive and highly effective. Our 16-week Social Skills Academy is unique in its approach. Each course has no more than 20 participants—10 student learners and 10 parents or caregivers. While student learners are receiving instruction and practicing their new skills with neurodivergent peers and IRL coaches, parents receive guidance around how to support their socially struggling loved one. We also add in trauma-informed, interoception skills and somatic experiencing practices — vital for emotional co-regulation and self-regulation. Our approach sets students up for success at home, reinforcing the lessons learned and practiced in class. Parents also feel better supported as they learn how to coach specific skills using an easy-to-follow, step-by-step method that works. Homework assigned at every class is due prior to the following week’s class. Parents are given a homework tracker form to report to help assess progress and integration of the lessons. Courses include all handouts and materials (no books required) that will be available for review to students after the course has been completed. Classes are recorded and made available for review throughout the course and for six months afterward. Enrollment begins with a brief consultation with a member of our staff to hear about your loved one’s individual needs. During this 15-minute call, you and your child can ask questions about the courses and get all your questions answered. There is no charge for this consultation.