People with Prader-Willi syndrome tell us they want to have more friends and feel less lonely. But often they find it hard to read others' emotional states and intentions and respond to everyday social overtures. The Building Our Social Skills (BOSS) curriculum was developed at Vanderbilt University as part of a grant funded by FPWR. It is a highly effective social skills intervention program for loneliness reduction in teens and young adults.

The BOSS curriculum can help people with PWS build skills to read facial expressions, tone of voice, and nonverbal cues. It can also help people try out problem-solving strategies, make new friends in the group and in real-world settings, and focus on what they can do better. Individuals who have completed the BOSS program (and their parents) note that they are better able to initiate social interactions. At the end of the 10-week program, they improved their abilities and had fewer behavioral problems. Many program graduates remain friends with members of their group!

BOSS Program Requirements

The BOSS program requires two or more facilitators and three to six dedicated group participants who have PWS. Facilitators ensure a safe, nonjudgmental space to practice social skills so that members can express their feelings openly and work together to problem-solve challenging situations.

After most sessions, participants will have “homework” so they can take the skills learned in each weekly Zoom session into the community, then come back to the group and discuss their experiences. Homework helps participants gain confidence and make connections within the group as well as in their lives outside of the program.

BOSS Basics

Each BOSS session focuses on a different facet of social interaction, deepening participants' understanding of verbal and nonverbal communication. The sessions provide ample opportunities to practice conversations and interactions.

In the session, the facilitators help participants to engage with the following ideas:

• Learning rules for taking turns, not interrupting, and showing respect for members

• Learning ways to avoid getting stuck or distracted

• Focusing on feelings, noticing their own and others’

• Noticing others’ facial expressions to “read” cues

• Working on establishing eye contact

• Learning about making things better (firefighter) or worse (fire starter)

• Learning about the intentions and motivations of others

• Focusing on what they can do better, taking responsibility, and forgiving others

• Learning techniques for conflict management using self-calming and self-soothing

• Establishing reasonable expectations and clear communication

• Learning the ABCs of effective communication