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Elizabeth Dicker | Student

The instructors at SKIT believe in the capabilities of everyone including students who have disabilities. They are very encouraging and respectful. Having autism being in a social group is hard. The class never seemed hard though it just felt like fun. Learning improv helped me to learn how to deal with changes and unpredictability and pushed me to speak up more in groups. 

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Mike Kaufman | Director | High Point School of Bergen County

My school had the honor and pleasure of working with Jody Wood and his Skit team. It was amazing to see students who usually do not like to emote feelings, to share stories, or to show their vulnerability be so open to his acting coaching and come alive while working with him. I believe the form of expression Jody endorses is vital for our students. They hold so much in, and to find such a positive way to release what they have inside is a true gift. I highly recommended using Jody Wood’s SKIT program in your school setting, especially if you want to give your students an opportunity to productively express themselves and discover talents they never even knew they had. 

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Susan Irgang | Mother of student

I had recently heard about the innovative use of improvisational acting skills training to enhance communication skills in people on the Autism Spectrum when I found the SKIT program. Improv skills can improve eye contact, attention to another’s words, and enhance spontaneity and interactions in conversations among other benefits. My 24-year-old daughter was curious but tentative, that is, until her first session! The SKIT instructors do an excellent job in encouraging the students to participate as they can and meeting them where their skills are; then they teach the students improv acting concepts with lots of laughs as well as encouragement. Ultimately these skills improve and enhance their communications, and the best part is that the participants are having so much fun they don’t realize how much they are learning! My daughter is now using the skills she learned – “yes, and” outside the SKIT program setting, and has become more aware and interactive in conversations. We are looking forward to taking more classes. Thanks to Jody the SKIT program!

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Rachel Irgang | Student

I liked the SKIT program because it taught me the importance of putting another person’s interest first when having a conversation. Jody Wood and the exercises he taught the class showed me the importance of being open to a topic and building on it. He embodied the idea of the phrase “Yes, And.” I’ve begun to use the phrase “Yes, and when talking to others. I’m still learning how to build on conversations and not direct the discussion back towards what I want to talk about. I have learned to support and build on the topics others are interested through SKIT.

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Penny Reilly | School Psychologist | Galloway Township, NJ Schools

On several occasions I’ve been privileged to observe Jody Wood and his SKIT team deliver an Improv Workshop to approximately twenty students with developmental disabilities who belong to our middle school FUN (Friends United Now) Club. The purpose of the FUN Club is to assist students in developing the social skills, confidence, and self –esteem necessary to foster meaningful peer relationships. As a school psychologist working with these students over the past two years, I have seen them struggle to find their place in the challenging and socially ambiguous atmosphere of middle school. During each of the SKIT workshops I have observed the potential of the activities to enhance social skills and build self -confidence. I was amazed to see awkward students shine, shy and anxious students take risks, rigidly serious students laugh at themselves and with each other, all of them having a genuinely good time while away from electronics and practicing vital skills. During a recent session the instructor played the Zip, Zap, Zop game. Social Skills that were immediately evident as students played the game were increased eye contact, focus, concentration, and cooperation. During the One Word Sentence game, students demonstrated attending skills, cooperation, and “thinking on your feet.”

The students also played “Yes And, Yes I am listening And I am going to Build on Your Idea.” This activity requires active listening and cooperation as well as both divergent (creative) and convergent (systematic and logical) thinking. Since the SKIT workshop, I have used this activity in my social skills counseling sessions with great success. Many of my students need to work on conversation skills and through this activity I have been able to work on skills such as topic choice, topic maintenance, nonverbal expression, and using questions to maintain a conversation in an enjoyable and unique way. The activities presented in the workshops emphasize cooperation, self -control, and appreciation for the ideas of others. They allow for the exploration of identity and emotions through role- play, help students develop reflective listening skills (showing empathy), and provide practical experience in maintaining conversations and understanding nonverbal communication. They provide practice for real world social experiences in working together and demonstrating mutual respect. I would highly recommend the SKIT workshops and programs for students of all ages and abilities.