Social Skills Therapy for Autism · Southeast Florida
Many children with autism can communicate and follow instructions — but still struggle to connect with peers, read social cues, and build friendships. Our social skills ABA therapy program is designed specifically for this gap. BCBA-supervised, evidence-based, and available across Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Monroe Counties.
Ages 3–21
Social Skills ABA
BCBA-supervised program
100%
BCBA-Supervised
Every session, every case
4
Counties Served
Miami-Dade · Broward · Palm Beach · Monroe
What Is Social Skills ABA ABA Therapy?
Social skills therapy for autism uses Applied Behavior Analysis to systematically teach children the skills they need to interact with other people — initiating and maintaining conversations, reading facial expressions and body language, understanding unspoken social rules, responding to peers, and building friendships. This window of time is when the brain is most flexible and most responsive to learning. Research consistently shows that children who begin intensive ABA therapy during these years make the largest and most lasting gains — in communication, social skills, adaptive behavior, and daily living.
Social skill deficits are one of the defining characteristics of autism spectrum disorder. Unlike communication skills, social skills cannot be taught through drills alone — they require practice in real social situations with real peers, guided feedback, and careful shaping. ABA therapy provides exactly that structured framework. It breaks down complex social behaviors into teachable steps, provides repeated practice opportunities, and uses data to track which skills are generalizing and which need more support.
At Sunshine Behavioral Health Services, our social skills ABA program is designed for children and teens who have the foundational communication skills to participate in peer interactions — but who struggle to navigate the complexity and unpredictability of real social situations. All programs are supervised by a BCBA, delivered in naturalistic settings where possible, and include parent training so families can support social skill practice at home every day.
What social skills ABA therapy targets
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Initiating conversations with peers and adults
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Maintaining conversations and staying on topic
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Reading facial expressions and body language
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Understanding sarcasm, humor, and figurative language
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Taking turns, sharing, and cooperative play
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Emotional regulation in social situations
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Responding appropriately to peer invitations
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Navigating group settings and classroom dynamics
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Building and maintaining friendships
All social skills goals are developed collaboratively with your family and reviewed regularly by your child’s BCBA. The program starts with a thorough Functional Behavior Assessment and reviewed regularly by your child’s BCBA.
What We Target
Social skill deficits affect children with autism across three main domains. Here is what our program addresses in each.
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We teach the mechanics of conversation — how to start one, how to keep it going, how to switch topics gracefully, and how to end it appropriately. Many children with autism have the vocabulary but not the social script. We build the script through structured practice and natural generalization.
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Friendship requires more than good intentions. It requires reading cues, reciprocating interest, tolerating differences, and navigating conflict. We break these complex skills into teachable components and practice them in structured and naturalistic settings with real peers whenever possible.
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The school classroom is one of the most socially demanding environments a child faces. We target the specific skills children need to succeed in group settings — following group instructions, participating in class discussions, handling peer teasing, and navigating lunch, recess, and unstructured social time. Learn about school-based ABA →
How Our Program Works
Our social skills ABA program starts with a thorough Functional Behavior Assessment by a BCBA. The assessment evaluates your child’s current communication, play, social, and adaptive skills. It also looks at any challenging behaviors to understand what is maintaining them. This assessment is the foundation of everything that follows.
From the assessment, your child’s BCBA identifies the specific social skill gaps that are most impacting your child’s daily life — whether that is making friends at school, managing conflict, navigating group conversations, or learning to read emotional cues. Goals are set collaboratively with your family and prioritized by impact.
Social skills therapy is most effective when it includes real peer interaction — not just role-playing with a therapist. Where possible, we deliver social skills programming in naturalistic settings: at school alongside real classmates, in community settings, and in group sessions where children practice with peers under BCBA supervision.
Each session combines structured skill instruction with naturalistic practice. The therapist introduces a target skill, models it, guides your child through practice, provides immediate feedback, and then creates opportunities for the skill to be used in a more natural context. Progress is tracked with data every session so the BCBA knows exactly which skills are sticking and which need more support.
Every session is tracked with objective data. Generalization — whether the skill transfers to real settings with real peers — is the ultimate measure of success. Your BCBA reviews this data regularly and adjusts the program until skills are truly generalized. Families receive regular progress reports. Learn about treatment planning → Parent training is built into every early intervention program.
Social skills program structure
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Flexible frequency based on BCBA assessment
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In-home, school-based, or center-based delivery
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BCBA designs and supervises all treatment plans
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Direct therapy with real peer practice where possible
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Parent training included — practice extends to home
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Data collected every session including generalization
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Treatment plan reviewed every 3 to 6 months
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Progress reports provided to families regularly
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School and teacher coordination included
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Bilingual services in English and Spanish available
Most insurance plans cover social skills ABA therapy
Florida law requires most plans to cover ABA therapy for children with an autism diagnosis. Social skills programming is a covered ABA service under most Florida insurance plans. Verify your coverage →
By Age Group
Social skill demands change significantly as children grow. Here is how our program adapts at each stage.
Ages 3–5 · Preschool
At preschool age, social skills focus on parallel play, turn-taking, sharing, imitation of peers, and following simple social rules. Many children with autism are not yet engaging in interactive play with other children at this age. We build the foundational skills that make peer interaction possible. See our early intervention program → Read our toddler ABA guide →
Ages 6–12 · School Age
School-age children face the most socially complex environment of their lives. Our program targets conversation skills, conflict resolution, handling teasing and peer pressure, reading social cues in group settings, and building genuine friendships. We coordinate closely with teachers and ESE staff. See our school-based program →
Ages 13–21 · Teens and Young Adults
Teenagers with autism face unique social challenges — navigating romantic relationships, workplace social dynamics, online communication, and the increasing complexity of peer groups. Our teen program focuses on the social skills that matter most for independence, employment, and adult relationships. Dignity and self-advocacy are central to everything we do. Read our preschool ABA guide →
Signs to Watch For
Many families wait too long before starting ABA therapy — often because they are told to “wait and see” or because they are not sure what they are looking for. These are some of the signs that suggest your child could benefit from an early intervention evaluation.
If you see any of these signs, contact us for a free consultation. A BCBA assessment will identify exactly which social skills to target and build a program around your child’s specific gaps. Schedule a free consultation → Read our full guide on signs to watch for →
At school or in groups:
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Has no real friendships at school
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Gets left out of group activities or peer conversations
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Misreads social cues and responds in ways peers find strange
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Becomes overwhelmed or withdraws in unstructured social situations
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Is frequently bullied, teased, or taken advantage of by peers
In conversation and play:
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Talks at people rather than with them — monologues on one topic
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Does not ask questions or show interest in others’ experiences
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Struggles to take turns in conversation
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Does not understand humor, sarcasm, or non-literal language
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Prefers adults over peers and avoids unstructured peer play
These signs are not permanent. With targeted ABA-based social skills therapy, most children make meaningful progress. Contact us for a free consultation →
Social skills therapy for autism uses Applied Behavior Analysis to systematically teach children with ASD the skills they need to interact with other people. This includes conversation skills, reading facial expressions and body language, navigating peer relationships, managing conflict, and participating in group settings. ABA is the most evidence-based approach to teaching social skills because it breaks complex behaviors into teachable steps and provides structured practice with real data tracking.
Social skills groups provide peer practice opportunities, which is valuable. ABA-based social skills therapy is more individualized — your child’s BCBA conducts a detailed assessment of exactly which skills are missing, designs a program targeting those specific gaps, and tracks progress with objective data. ABA therapy also includes deliberate generalization training so skills learned in sessions transfer to real-world settings. Many children benefit from both: ABA individual therapy and a peer social skills group.
Social skills therapy is effective across a wide age range — from preschoolers ages 3 to 5 through teenagers and young adults. The earlier social skills are targeted, the easier it is to build them. However, many teens and young adults with autism make significant gains in social skills therapy even when it starts later. Contact us to discuss your child’s situation →
Yes. Social skills programming is a covered ABA therapy service under most Florida insurance plans for children with an autism diagnosis. Florida law requires most insurance plans to cover ABA therapy, and social skills is one of the most commonly targeted ABA skill domains. Our team verifies your benefits at no cost before your first session. Verify your insurance →
Yes. ABA-based social skills therapy produces real, measurable improvements in most children with autism when delivered consistently with a well-designed program. What you can expect depends on your child’s starting point, the intensity of services, and your family’s involvement. Most families see improvement in targeted skills within 3 to 6 months. Full generalization to real-world peer settings takes longer and requires deliberate practice outside of therapy sessions. Your child’s BCBA will set realistic, specific goals and review progress with you regularly.
We deliver social skills ABA therapy in the setting that best supports generalization for your child. For school-age children, school-based delivery allows us to practice skills in the actual social environment where they matter most. For younger children, in-home delivery and parent coaching is often the starting point. Where peer groups are available, we incorporate structured peer interaction into the program. Your child’s BCBA will recommend the right delivery approach after the initial assessment. Learn about school-based ABA →
Related Services
Social skills therapy works best as part of a coordinated ABA program. These services are commonly combined with our social skills program.
Social skills must be practiced outside of therapy sessions to generalize. Parent training teaches families how to create social practice opportunities at home, during community outings, and in everyday interactions.
Every social skills program begins with a thorough BCBA-led assessment of your child’s current social skill profile — identifying the specific gaps that matter most.
In-home ABA therapy supports social skills generalization in the home environment — with siblings, during playdates, and in neighborhood social situations.
The school is where social skills matter most. Our school-based ABA team works directly in the classroom and at recess to support peer interaction in the real setting where it needs to happen.
Where We Serve
We provide social skills ABA therapy across all major cities in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Monroe Counties. In-home, school-based, and center-based delivery available.
