Essential Life Skills II builds upon Essential Life Skills. It is a Special Education course constructed to provide a safe and fun environment for high school students to continue to develop their communication/language (verbal & non-verbal), executive functioning, social-emotional, and self-advocacy skills. Led by Speech and Language Pathologists and an Educational Specialist, communication topics such as figurative language, understanding facial expressions, social situations, perspective taking and collaboration will be taught and practiced to build skills and confidence. In addition, students will participate in a social-emotional skills group led by a Mental Health Therapist. Students will practice social skills, coping mechanisms for emotion regulation, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in a group setting to address social and other anxieties. Lastly, through explicit instruction and self-reflection, students will learn and practice executive functional skills (planning, time management, impulse control, etc.) to improve learning and managing daily life.