Social Skills Training

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Social Skills Training

• Heidi Wolfe
• CEP 841
• Summer 2006

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Whats the problem?

• According to the National School Psychologist
  Center(NASP) when children have poor social
  skills they
• Have difficulties communicating with parents,
  teachers, and peers
• Create negative responses from others that leads
  to peer rejection peer rejection has been linked
  to school violence
• Display depression, anxiety, and aggression
• Display poor academic performance
• Tend to have a higher incidence of involvement in
  the criminal justice system later in life

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More on Whats the Problem?

• Research points to a variety of factors that
  contribute to the decline in proper social
  skills.
• Factors such as television, violence, children
  spending less time with their families, and
  having less supervision.
• Social skills play a critical role in creating a
  positive school environment, reducing school
  violence, and contribute to success into
  adulthood (Project Archive, (NAPC) Social Skills,
  Social Skills Enhancement).

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Facts of Social Skills

• Children who are able to work cooperatively with
  their peers, and use adults and classmates as
  resources, and who have friends themselves are
  more likely to succeed academically and lead
  fulfilling lives (Dodge, Jablon, Bickart 1994,
  p. 44).
• Social skills allow one to adapt and respond to
  the expectations of society. Many students with
  disabilities have difficulties with social
  skills (Vaughn, Bos, Schumm, 2006, p. 222).

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More Facts of Social Skills

• Grant funded program was based on Boys Town
  Social Skills Program
• Taught and integrated social skills into
  curriculum
• Students allowed back to their regular school
  after achieving 90 success in learning new
  social skills.
• Results
• 50 of students
• improved in all social skills taught
• made significant improvement in academic
  performance
• returned to their regular classrooms with fewer
  referrals and suspensions.

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Even preschoolers can facilitate the learning of
social skills

• English, Goldstein, Shafer, Kaczmarek did a
  study of interactions among preschoolers. It
  involved buddy training among children with and
  without disabilities(199763,2).
• After the training the students with disabilities
  communicated more and played longer.

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The Importance of Social Skills

• Dodge et al. state the following social skills
  being directly tied to academic success
• Share ideas with others
• Listen when others are speaking
• Take turns and share
• Compromise
• Accept different points of view
• Negotiate in order to build consensus
• Take appropriate risks without fear of failure
• Respect another persons belongings and physical
  space

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Definition

• Social Skills and Social Competencies is defined
  as
• those responses, which within a given
  situation, prove effective, or in other words,
  maximize the probability of producing,
  maintaining, or enhancing positive effects for
  the interactor (Foster and Ritchy, 1979, p.26).

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What is Social Skills Training?

• Direct instruction approach at teaching specific
  social skills
• Many models- Most include 5 steps
• Identification and rationale of skill in need of
  training
• Model examples and non examples of the skill
• Role play or practice the skill (with all
  students)
• Provide feedback to students performing (are
  there other ways to show the skill?)
• Transfer training to learn how and when to use
  the skill in real life settings

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Identification of the skill

• The best way to determine what social skill is in
  need of development is to do a functional
  analysis. Examine the actual situation in which
  problem behavior is occurring and encourage the
  students to examine why it is necessary for
  change (Jones and Jones, 1994, p 356).
• For example, a student takes a pencil from
  another student without asking. The student
  lacks the skill for asking to borrow something.
• Another example, a student shouts at and hits
  another when rejected from playing a game. The
  student lacks the skill in how to ask to be
  involved in the game or how to play to game
  nicely.

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Model Examples and Non-examples

• Discuss what it looks and sounds like when asking
  someone if you can borrow something.
• Describe the opposite too what does it feel like
  to have someone take something of yours without
  asking?
• List the steps Say the persons name, ask them
  in a kind tone

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Role play and practice the skill

• Be sure that every student has an opportunity to
  practice this skill and provide an explicit
  example then allow students to ad lib.
• Skill Asking to borrow something from someone.
• Explicit Example
• Step 1 Say the persons name Hi____.
• Step 2 Ask May I borrow _____?
• Step 3 Tell the person why you need it say I
  cant find my____ and I need it for____.
• Step 4 Tell the person when you will give it
  back say I will give it back as soon as Im
  done with it.
• Step 5 Tell them thank you and say Thanks____.

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Provide Feedback

• Allow all students an opportunity to give
  feedback through
• Praise
• Constructive criticism students can offer how to
  become more effective in using the skill

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Transfer Training

• As the teacher, be sure to notice when the skill
  is being used and comment positively on it.
• Learn how and when to use the skill in real life
  settings by offering students a chance to
  practice it using different circumstances.

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Transfer Training Research Brief

• According to Vaughn et al. social skills training
  hasnt been as effective as it could be (2006, p.
  235).
• Here is what you can do
• Be sure to keep practicing and discussing the
  social skills throughout the school year and
  across a variety of settings.

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Lets Practice

• You notice that Shy Suzie is having difficulty
  when it comes to asking for help.
• Identify the skill take notice when it is
  occurring.
• Collectively establish the rationale for asking
  for help.
• Model examples and non examples
• Role play
• Provide Feedback
• Discuss when and how to use the skill day to day.

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Conclusion

• Poor social skills are at the heart of many
  problem behaviors in the classroom.
• Teachers need to take the time to teach
  replacement behaviors and social skills instead
  of simply punishing poor behavior.

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Conclusion continued

• Dodge et al. state that social skills can be
  taught and nurtured most effectively when
  children are young, before negative behavior
  patterns become entrenched(1994).
• Without social skill training students are more
  likely to turn to violence.

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Where to find out moreWeb sites

• http//www.incrediblehorizons.com/social-skill-gro
  ups.htm This site offers social skills products
  like games, software, etc.
• http//www.users.globalnet.co.uk/ebdstudy/strateg
  y/social.htm This is a site that offers
  background regarding social skill training and
  also provides how to plan detailed lessons.
• http//www.projectachieve.info/ This is about the
  Stop and Think social skills program. It
  provides additional background regarding why
  social skills training is important.
• http//www.girlsandboystown.org/pros/training/beha
  vioral/teaching.asp Finally, this site is about
  the Girls and Boys Town social skills program.
  It offers information about conferences and
  online classes.

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References

• Dodge, D., Jablon, J., Bickart, T. (1994).
  Constructing curriculum for the primary grades.
  Washington D.C. Teaching Strategies Inc.
• English,K, Goldstein, H., Shafer,K.,
  Kaczmarek,l (1997). Promoting interactions among
  preschoolers with and without disabilities
  Effects of a buddy skills-training program.
  Exceptional Children, 63 (2), Research Library
  Core p. 229-243.
• Gresham, F. (1982). Social skills instruction for
  exceptional children. Theory Into Practice, 21
  (2), 129-133.
• Henley, P., Fuston, J., Peters, T., Wall, L.
  (2000). Rescuing elementary school
  troublemeakers. The Education Digest, 65 (8),
  48-52
• Jones, V. Jones, L. (1994). Comprehensive
  classroom management creating positive learning
  environments for all students. 4th ed. Needham
  Heights, MA Allyn Bacon.

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References continued

• Larrivee, B. (2005). Authentic classroom
  management Creating a learning community and
  building reflective practice. 2nd ed. Boston, MA
  Allyn Bacon.
• Namka, L. (1997). Social skills and positive
  mental health. Retrieved July 23, 2006, from
  http//members.aol.com/AngriesOut/teach4.htm
• Social skills enhancement. Retrieved July 23,
  2006, from http//www.users.globalnet.co.uk/ebstu
  dy/strategy/social.htm
• Social skills Promoting positive behavior,
  academic success, and school safety. Retrieved
  July 23, 2006, from http//www.naspcenter.org/fact
  sheets/socialskills_fs.html
• Stop think social skills program overview.
  Retrieved July 23, 2006, from http//www.projectac
  hieve.info/stopthinksocialskills/SocialSkillsOver
  view.htm
• Vaughn, S., Bos, C., Schumm, J. (2006) Teaching
  exceptional, diverse, and at-risk students in the
  general education classroom. 3rd ed. Boston, MA
  Pearson Allyn and Bacon.