What is Skills Development?


Specialized Skills Development (SSD) is used to address the challenges participants may have because of limited social skills, perseverative behaviors, rigid thinking, difficulty interpreting cues in the natural environment, limited communication skills, impaired sensory systems, or other reasons.

Creating a setting where individuals develop necessary skills to communicate with others

How Does This Program Help?

  • The intent of Specialized Skills Development is also to reduce the need for direct personal assistance by improving the participant's capacity to perform tasks independently.
  • Direct or explicit instructions and "teachable moments" with practice in realistic settings.
  • Focus on timing and attention.
  • Learning behaviors that predict important social outcomes like friendship and happiness.
  • Communication, attitude, enthusiasm, teamwork, networking, and problem solving.
Planning, preparing, and practicing moments in a social setting

Why This Program?


SSD uses specialized interventions to increase adaptive skills for greater independence, enhance community participation, increase self-sufficiency, and replace or modify challenging behaviors.

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