Topic 11
Social Skills Interventions for Groups of Students
The Basics
Social skills are most often thought of as a set of skills that allow us to communicate, relate and socialize with others. One should note that social skills from one culture to another may be defined differently. Social skills include both verbal and nonverbal forms of communication.
6 Key Social Skills
Eye Contact
Remain Calm
Listening Skills
Empathy and interest in others’ situations
Knowing how, when and how much to talk about yourself
Building Rapport
Terms to Know
Social Stories™ and Comic Strip Conversations. These resources use stories and drawings to build social understanding.
Hidden Curriculum. These strategies involve directly teaching "unspoken" social rules.
Social scripts. This strategy involves teaching "scripts" for common social situations.
Computers and other technology. These interventions involve using videos, software, or virtual-reality programs to teach complex social skills, such as recognition of emotions in facial expressions and tone of voice.
Social skills groups. These groups offer an opportunity for individuals with ASDs to practice social skills with each other and/or typical peers on a regular basis.
Websites to See
www.behavioradvisor.com
http://www.modelmekids.com/
www.autismspeaks.com
Essential Ingredients
Make the abstract concrete
Provide structure and predictability
Provide scaffold language support (simplify language and group children by language level)
Provide multiple and varied learning opportunities
Include "other"-focused activities (with children always working in pairs or groups, and with cooperation and partnership encouraged)
Foster self-awareness and self-esteem
Select relevant goals (such that issues most central to ASD are addressed)
Program in a sequential and progressive manner
Provide opportunities for programmed generalization and ongoing practice (so skills are applied outside group setting)
- Increase social motivation (foster self-awareness and self-esteem; develop a fun and nurturing environment)
- Increase social initiations (use strategies such as making social rules concrete, for example, "stay one arm's length away from the other person")
- Improve appropriate social responding (use modeling and role-playing to teach skills)
- Reduce interfering behaviors (reinforce positive behaviors by, for example, maintaining behavior charts and reinforcing desired behavior with stars)
- Promote skill generalization by orchestrating peer involvement, using multiple trainers, involving parents in training, providing opportunities to practice skills in naturalistic settings, and assigning "homework" -- having children practice between sessions
Parents and Teachers can do a lot to help their children develop good social skills, from the first year of life to adulthood:
• Model positive relationships within their own families. Kids learn a lot from what they see – with their friends, on TV, and, most of all, from their parents.
• Encourage children to identify and share their emotions and to recognize others’ emotions.
• Teach children to communicate desires assertively and without anger or whining. One way to do this is to respond to requests only if they are made in a friendly tone of voice – and to ignore them if they’re not, making sure to praise the specific behaviors you like.
• Teach children how to listen to others and help them to see things from others’ perspectives.
• Help practice problem-solving by reflecting on everyday social conflicts. Kids often come up with their own solutions by exploring alternatives with an adult. The parent’s job is to help the child think through potential consequences of each choice, not to solve the problem for him or her!
• Help develop friendship skills by discussing ways to be a good friend and by giving children lots of practice – through play dates and other social activities.
• Be available and supportive.
www.Aboutourkids.org
References
Interactive Autism Network
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