Dr. Eric Flake and his daughter Sadie discuss the importance of social skills in the success of children and youth, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the development of these skills.  This podcast features the unique perspective and experiences of one military-connected youth.

This podcast is made possible by generous funding from BAE Systems, Inc. To learn more, visit https://www.baesystems.com/en-us/home.

Audio mixing by Concentus Media, Inc., Temple, Texas.

Show Notes:

Bio:

Colonel (Ret) Eric Flake M.D.

is a team member of Olympia Pediatrics, the largest independent pediatric group in Thurston County, Washington. He is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician and created the Developmental-Behavioral Family Readiness Center for the DoD. Dr. Flake is faculty of the only Department of Defense (DoD) Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Fellowship at Joint Base Lewis McChord, Tacoma, Washington, and founded the only DoD Autism Center — JBLM Center for Autism Resource, Education and Services (CARES). He attended the military medical school (USUHS), graduating in 2001.

Dr. Flake has published numerous articles and presentations regarding childhood resilience, autism and the psychosocial effects of deployment on children. He is an Associate Professor at the Uniformed Services University and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, currently serves in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and serves on the science advisory board for the Military Child Education Coalition.

Sadie is a 16-year-old junior at Steilacoom High School in Washington. She is a member of MCEC's Student 2 Student, National Honor Society, and SNHS programs and is a varsity cheerleader. She also enjoys singing in the Advanced and Chamber Choirs. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading books, playing the piano, and riding horses. Sadie has moved four times in her life. She has lived in Mississippi (2), Germany, and Washington (2). She has three sisters, one brother, and her dog Toby.

Resources:

MCEC’s On the Move® magazine

See article Top Ten Social Skills Students Need to Navigate Life’s Challenges.

https://www.semel.ucla.edu/peers

The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS^®) is world-renowned for providing evidence-based social skills treatment to preschoolers, adolescents, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression, and other socio-emotional problems.

Positive, Engaged, Achieving Kids (PEAK) is a national study to evaluate the effectiveness of a classroom social skills curriculum in early elementary grades.