I don't think I will like social skills classes.

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To start, I will say that I am currently in between testing dates with a psychologist, getting tested of ADHD and Asperger's Syndrome. Before that, I went to a counselor, who I will go to again after results from testing come. That counselor said that whether or not I do have Asperger's, she highly advises that I go to social skills classes. I just wanted to know what it is that is making me so different, and so much like my friend with Asperger's, but I don't really want to change that much about how I communicate. I guess it is just that I don't understand all these stupid social 'rules' and I don't particularly want to memorize them. If I end up going to social skills classes, I just feel like they are going to teach me all of these things that I will just completely disagree with, and not want to do. Then again, I feel like it may be fun to discover what the classes would be like, ONLY because of the fact that I always imagine how things could end up, but I don't really actually want to go..
This was brought up months ago, and I'm thinking that my mom and counselor may have forgotten about it or something, but they may remember it later...

Could somebody just tell me what social skills classes or groups or meets are like? What do you do? About how many people are usually there at the same time? Do they have different age groups, and if so, how is that usually divided? Do you personally like them, or find them helpful? Do you have to do group things? Well.... Now that I think about that, I suppose you would have to do group things. Actually, I now think that that is a little obvious. Somebody just tell me about it, so I can get an idea of it.

Also, I am a 13 year old girl, and I am going to the 8th grade this month.

I've never had any formal social skills training, so I'm not speaking from that kind of experience.

In a way, I wish I had. As a child & teenager I was obsessed with etiquette/ manners & would memorize the writings of Emily Post. When I've had to deal with people over the years, it's been helpful to know what the norm is: how people expect one another to behave, by social contract.

Similar to yourself OP, I definitely don't choose to go by the rules all the time. When I defy them, I like to be aware that I'm doing so, rather than just making clueless faux pas (which I do plenty of regardless; no amount of rules memorized will ever completely prevent me from accidental blunders all the time, I'm very prone to it).

Maybe someone who has actually taken such classes would know this: is there an actual attempt to change the students' behavior in social skills training, or does it lean more toward being informational, leaving the choice of behavior optional to the individual...?

I'm going to be blunt. If your happy with your social life, then it would be a waste of your time and the instructor's time and could be detrimental to the class if your not there to take it seriously.

I didn't know I had AS until I was already well into adulthood, so I can't tell you what a social skills class is like, but I know my parents recognized very early on that my natural social skills were few to none and I remember them drilling me over and over on things like eye contact, giving firm handshakes, polite responses, etc. It was common in my generation for kids to be taught to use 'Sir' and "Ma'am' very early and all the time, but they went out of their way to remind me of these things every time we went out in public, otherwise I would have just looked at the ground and been silent whenever a stranger spoke to me.

I'd guess it may be something like that, but probably with more subtle points, since you're not a child. It may involve role playing with another person, to practice - I would hate that - few things make me more uncomfortable than people staring at me expectantly, waiting to see me perform. Being "put on the spot." Surely they must realize Autistic people don't respond well to that.

I had to go to a class once on job interview skills - something the state was making people do as a requirement to get unemployment benefits. It was all about role playing and pretending to be interviewed for a job. Duh. My problem was never getting a job, I can fake being normal that long. My problem was keeping a job, but they never offered a course in that.

I am 14 and going into the tenth grade. I am not dx'd, but I think I might get tested soon. My mother seems like she is thinking about it (keeps buying books about Asperger's, stuff by aspies, and all that). I did go to one "social skills classes". Just one. It was a nine year old to fourteen year old group, and I was already fourteen. It was early in my fourteen- year, though. The age gap didn't bother me, but the skill sets being taught didn't apply to my situations anymore. I needed to know what to do when my teacher asked me a sarcastic question or how to react when my PE coach fails me in B ball because I didn't know how to interact with the other players due to sensory issues( mostly touch and sound). The youngest kid was in fifth grade and the oldest (besides me) was in seventh grade, he was 13. I was definitely curious about what it would be like, and had there been a group to better suit my age, I think it would have been very beneficial to me. It might work for you if you are more towards the average age or grade level for your group. I am young for my grade, so I got put in the younger group. Definitely try it, maybe it will be fun for you, maybe you could make some friends! I wish I could have, but they were all so much younger (grade wise). Actually, it was at the Psych visit after the first (and only) group meeting that I attended where Asperger's was first mentioned to me by a professional. I have been pretty sure I have Asperger's since I was ten (sixth grade), though, and I though I was Autistic starting at age seven (third grade). I hope this helps! Maybe we can PM (if you are comfortable with that, of course) because we are around the same age and both going through similar situations. You could tell me how your classes go so maybe I could try again if an older kid one becomes available.

P.S. I am fourteen and consider myself a child, so we can be teen children together.

I have never taken a social skills class and wish that I had taken one before. I have taken a speech class, but that does not count as a social skills class.

I've taken social skills classes in college; sessions usually involved looking at people's eyes, mouths, or faces and trying to determine what they were feeling; to a previous poster's chagrin, there were things similar to role-playing, if I recall (the last time I went was about a year ago). But I feel that it was quite beneficial.

But if you don't want to go, you shouldn't have to.

I definitely wish I had social skills training when I was young. Not to change myself, just to learn to deal with people when I want to, or to be better at making friends with people I like.

Isn't social class a bit like drama class? Maybe a drama class is more useful as it will actually teach you facial expressions, body composure to learn and mimic.

I was obviously really bad in drama, and it wasn't really the reason for going there. WrongPlanet did explain a lot of things for me.

I think I was forced into one once and every thirty seconds they dropped hints that I wasn't making eye contact. So just remember that. And think of conversation starters right before you go to the class to be prepared.

I wish I had had a social skills class just to have the opportunity to see what other people are expecting me to do. That does not mean that I want to conform always, but sometimes it would be an advantage to me.

It might be an advantage for you if you are being assertive to a bully or if you want an after school job in a few years and have to have an interview and please customers...or maybe you meet someone new and just want a better chance at a friendship because you made a good first impression.