Please share your experience with social skills classes

My DS is starting a social skills class this summer. We have been putting this off due to funds, but he really needs it. I'm wondering, though, what type of success (or failure) we may see. I remember when we did therapuetic listening, before that DS would not do anything except growl at ppl when they approached him (seriously, no hello etc.... just a growl). After a year of TL DS became a chatterbox and really came out of his shell. It was amazing to see. I'm wondering if the changes due to the class will be as apart or more subtle?

For ds, social skills classes were a good way to work as a group toward a common goal, learn about compromise, deal with disappointment, learn to talk to others, and in general make friends. They would work on longterm projects as well as weekly things. They had to give different group names and then narrow it down and finally vote (this was super hard for ds to deal with his not being chosen). They played games as teams. Overall it was positive, but not a complete magic bullet. We have done 2 rounds in the past and it was a time of progress. I have not pushed to sign up this summer.