By Denise Caamano CHS Social Worker Corie Guberman SBS LAF Social Worker Chris Magno LAF School Psychologist April 24 th , 2013
Outcomes Basic overview of social skills Understand the purpose and importance of social skills Identify current methods of social skills instruction Become familiar with methods to take social skills from practice to real-life application
Definition of Social Skills
Definitions Socially acceptable learned behaviors that enable an individual to interact effectively with others and to avoid or escape negative social interactions with others (Gresham & Elliott, 1990). The personal skills needed for successful social communication and interaction. Social skills is any skill facilitating interaction and communication with others. Social rules and relations are created, communicated, and changed in verbal and nonverbal ways. The process of learning such skills is called socialization.
Importance of Social Skills Effective communication Increase learning Success in a variety of environments Reducing problem behaviors Improve self-esteem Building relationships
The link between social skills, self esteem and relationships
What We Know About Social Skills Social Skills are: Learned from the Environment A discrete set of behaviors Interactive (It takes two) Maintained by social reinforcement
Variables that influence Social Skills Lack of Cues or Opportunities Lack of Knowledge Deficient Social Problem Skills Functioning Behaviors Lack of Practice or Feedback Lack of Reinforcement
3 Elements of Social Interactions Social Intake : noticing and understanding other people’s speech, body language, eye contact, and cultural behaviors. Internal Process : interpreting what others communicate to you as well as recognizing and managing your own emotions/reactions. Social Output : communicating with and reacting to others, through speech, gestures, and body language.
Types of Social Deficits Skill : lack of information regarding the critical components (steps) of a skill. Performance : lack of the ability to implement or execute a skill. Self-Control : lack of self-management skills. Generalization : lack of the ability to use the skill in different settings/contexts or circumstances.
Skill Deficit vs. Performance Deficit Skill deficits are about not yet having a skill within your repertoire (i.e. John doesn’t know how to play the game Sorry ). Performance deficits are about not using a skill that you have previously shown you know how to do but you aren’t motivated to do it (i.e. John knows how to play Sorry but doesn’t do it at a friend’s house).
What is Generalization? Taking a skill learned in one setting and applying it under similar circumstances in another setting. Goal: We hope to see the child consistently and independently transfer the skills they are learning within the teaching environment to their general education classroom, lunch, and recess.
How are skills reinforced? Introduce the skill at a neutral (scheduled) time Model and practice the skill Provide behaviorally specific acknowledgement and correction Consistently enforce the skills throughout the day Provide pre-correction & prompts Re-teach, when necessary Monitor/support students to skill mastery
Different types of Social Skills Basic interaction skills (e.g. making eye contact, showing interest in others) Making conversation (e.g. taking turns when talking, using humor)
Different Types of Social Skills Building and maintaining friendships (e.g. initiating conversation) Empathy (e.g. noticing other’s feelings) Dealing with conflict (e.g., being able to discuss a conflict calmly)
Additional Types of Social Skills Cooperation (e.g. following directions, following classroom rules) Assertion (e.g. ask for help from adults, questions rules that may be unfair) Responsibility (e.g. respects the property of others, takes responsibility for own actions) Engagement (e.g. makes friends easily, invites others to join in activities) Self-control (e.g. makes a compromise during a conflict, stays calm when teased)
Adjusting your Own Language Parents of children with social skill problems often report that they have difficulty conversing with their child. Be mindful of the fact that oral language is difficult for the youngster, and his/her lack of language fluency can hinder his/her comprehension and production of the spoken word. Adults should adjust their own language to accommodate the child’s language deficits (Lavoie, 2005).
Adjusting your Own Language If you ask a typical adult a broad, global question, you generally receive a broad, general response. For example, the question “What did you think of last week’s election?” results in a lengthy response. “Well, I feel that the Democrats…and the Republicans…and the young voters thought…and the results demonstrated…” Conversely, if you ask a specific, focused question – “Who did you vote for in last week’s election?” – you will receive a brief, specific response (“Jim Smith”).
Adjusting your Own Language Interestingly, this dynamic works in just the opposite way when conversing with children with limited language skills. A general, broad question renders a specific response – “How was school today?” might receive the response, “It was good” – while a specific question – “How was your 3 rd period science class today?” – is more likely to result in a more detailed response. By asking more specific questions, you are enabling the child to focus his/her language skills on a narrow topic, which enables him/her to generate a more detailed and factual response.
Enhancing Conversational Skills Be interested , not just interesting : It’s most 1. important to be an interested partner, asking questions and providing the other person with body language signals that demonstrate that you find his/her input to be compelling and important. Understand silence : Many people mistakenly 2. interpret a partner's silence during a conversation as representing agreement. There are many reasons why a conversation partner may fall silent in response to something that you have said. Teach the child how to read body language to determine the meaning behind a sudden silence.
Enhancing Conversational Skills 3. Use effective body language : Encourage the child to avoid fidgeting, yawning, or breaking eye contact when involved in conversation. Suggest he/she lean in toward the speaker, maintain an open posture by keeping his/her arms by his/her side or gesturing appropriately, maintain an appropriate distance, avoid crossing his/her arms, and make and maintain eye contact. 4. Listen carefully and effectively : Attentive listening can actually improve the quality of you partner's speaking. Teach the child to communicate the fact that he/she is listening by nodding, smiling, and making brief comments. 5. A good conversation has a defined beginning and ending : Explain to the child the best way to begin a conversation is to ask a question. It is equally important to conclude a conversation in an appropriate way. The child should conclude every conversation by bidding the partner good-bye and/or bringing some sort of closure to the conversation. 6. A good conversation may cover several different topics : Help your child become aware of the appropriate timing and techniques of changing conversation topics. It is appropriate to switch topics if the subject area being discussed is making some feel badly, if a single topic is discussed for a long time, or if the child knows little about the topic.
Listening Effective conversationalists are also responsive listeners. The best way to foster effective listening (oral receptive language) is to model effective and appropriate listening skills. A recent survey asked adolescents about their pet peeves regarding their parents. The most common response cited the fact that parents simply do not listen to their children (Lavoie, 2005). If you want your child to become a better listener, it is important that you listen more attentively to him/her .
How to Model Listening: Drop what you are doing, establish eye contact with the child, and really listen. Initially, accept what he/she is saying without passing judgment on the content. Listen to both the words and the feelings that the child is expressing. Reflect back what you hear the child saying and feeling. Avoid introducing topics and events that do not relate directly to the situation under discussion. Avoid attempting to read the child’s mind. Avoid cutting off the child or interrupting him in midsentence.
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