Outings with her social skills group can be hectic, said Jessica Keeran, a speech and language pathologist at the Sam B. Cook Healthplex in Jefferson City.
Keeran started the group in 2016 to help youths who face a range of challenges that prevent them from interacting with others. The group serves children - ages 8-18 - who face shyness, autism, impaired social skills, difficulty interacting with peers and other hurdles, she said.
Most of her clients are teenagers. Some have been in the group since its inception.
Helped by volunteers from Helias Catholic High School, Lincoln University, occupational and physical therapists, and other speech therapists, Keeran tries to address clients' speech, language, pragmatics (use of language in contexts), motor skills and more.
"We work on problem-solving, how to interact appropriately, build relationships, empathize with others, etc.," she said. "I give them a safe place where they can learn to be themselves."
Fees for the social skills group are $10. It has monthly meetings at the Sam B. Cook Healthplex, 1432 Southwest Blvd. However, it also hosts an outing each month to allow participants to practice the skills they have learned. The group has also gone fishing on a family farm and met at sites like the Jefferson City Animal Shelter or Where Pigs Fly farm in Linn.
"My goal for the group is to get kids outside of their 'bubble' and to introduce them to new things and new people - to show them how to engage in social interactions and meet new people," Keeran said. "I strive to provide scenarios in which they must work together and interact with peers or those that they might not normally be able to.
"I want my kids to be brave and to try new things, even if it's scary - especially if it's scary."
In just a little more than three years, 57 children have participated in the group. Twenty-five members of the group attend meetings regularly. A handful have been with the group since it began in October 2016.
"There is such a need for a group like this in the area. Kids need a place that they can feel safe and feel like they belong," Keeran said. "I want this group to be just that for them."
Keeran modeled the social skills group off one held at the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Columbia. The center is a premier autism clinical research and training center in the Midwest. It serves families from throughout the United States.
There's no simple way to measure the success of the program, she said. However, her clients return every month, eager to try new things.
Whenever her clients step out of their "safety zones" and get involved in new activities, it makes Keeran proud.
"One of my kids went to college this year. That is huge," she said. "I wrote a letter of recommendation for him, and it was probably the highlight of this experience when he received his acceptance letter."