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1. Social skills
STUDY GUIDE
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2. Social skills
Contents
• Peer relationships
• Creating a supportive environment
• Social competence
• Teaching social skills
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3. Social skills
Peer relationships
Many students with general learning disabilities demonstrate difficulties in developing social
relationships with adults and peers in their environment.
Westwood (2009) tells us that social skills are the specific behaviours an individual uses to
maintain effective interpersonal communication and interaction with others and that social
competence comprises a set of skills and behaviours that allow an individual to initiate and
maintain positive interactions and to cope effectively with the environment.
Many students with General Learning Disabilities (GLD) have difficulty relating to others and
interacting with peers. Poor peer relationships during school years can have a lasting
detrimental impact on social and personal competence in later years. Elksin and Elksin
(2001) claim that establishing good social relationships with other children is one of the most
important goals of education.
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4. Social skills
Peer relationships
Results of studies of inclusion indicate that merely
placing a student in a mainstream class spontaneously
improves their social status (Turnball et al, 2002).
Three basic problems may arise:
• Students with GLD are not readily accepted by their
peers
• They do not automatically observe and imitate social
models around them
• Teachers may fail to intervene positively to promote
social interactions on the students' behalf. It is of
paramount importance that inclusive classrooms provide
the necessary support for positive social interactions to
occur (Sparzo & Poteet, 1997).
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5. Social skills
Creating a supportive environment
It has long been acknowledged that teachers’ attitudes
are one of the key factors influencing the effectiveness
of inclusive education (Cook, 2001). In turn students'
attitudes are influenced when teachers build a climate of
care and concern for others in the classroom.
Consideration of individual differences can be an
ongoing theme within the taught curriculum. Facilitating
peer and buddy systems can provide unique
opportunities for students to establish understanding and
respect for each others’ differences and abilities.
Students need to be given opportunities to interact with
each other both within and outside the classroom –
teachers are advised to use group activities regularly
and to encourage cooperation among students at all
times (Johnson and Johnson, 2000).
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6. Social skills
Creating a supportive environment
Choice of tasks for group work activities is very important. Tasks need to be selected that
require collaboration and teamwork. In addition, group members need to be taught how to
work together. They need to be shown behaviours that encourage or enable co-operation –
listening to others, sharing, complementing, encouraging, offering help. Students need to be
taught how to assess each other on the new learning. Specific tasks and duties of students
with special/additional needs should be clearly delineated. It is useful to focus on the
outcomes for the group and not for any one individual within the group. Frequent use of
group activities will enable students to learn the skills and the rules – the rules as stated
must be taught, modelled, role played and discussed in preparation.
Westwood (2007) identifies three conditions that must be present for positive social
interaction and the development of friendships among students.
• The teacher needs to foster a positive and accepting attitude towards all students.
• Maximum opportunities are provided to engage socially in pair/group work.
• Specific skills need to be taught to enhance social contact with peers.
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7. Social skills
Social competence
Social skills contribute to a broader domain of human
behaviour described as social competence. Warger and
Rutherford (1996) state that a person is socially
competent when they are able to:
• Recognise social rules and expectations
• Perform socially appropriate behaviours
• Perceive social situations accurately and identify the
relevant skills to use
• Correctly interpret information and cues from others
• Initiate social interaction appropriately
• Communicate effectively in different social situations
• Perform social skills in a consistent and generalised
manner
• Establish and maintain friendships
• Solve interpersonal or social problems as they arise
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8. Social skills
Teaching social skills
Define the skill to be taught: describe the skill to be
taught, discuss why the skill is important and how it
helps social interactions to occur. The skill can then be
illustrated using film, video, puppets or by pointing to
other students engaging in the activity – look at the two
boys sharing – what do you think they might be saying to
each other?
Model the skill: break the skill down into its component
parts and demonstrate these clearly yourself or get
another student to do so. The student then tries out the
skill in a structured situation – in order to do this the
steps required must be clear, small and manageable for
the student to copy and retain. The use of picture cues
can help support the student to learn the sequence
correctly.
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9. Social skills
Finish
Feedback should be positive and informative: you’re doing well but you are not quite
there yet – you need to look at her while you speak – that is much better now – you were
looking at her this time.
Provide opportunities for the skill to be used: watch for instances of the child applying
the skill without prompting – provide descriptive feedback, praise and reward.
Studies suggest that social skills training programmes for students with general learning
disabilities can be successful if they target the precise skills and knowledge the student is
lacking. If they are intensive and long term in nature they promote maintenance,
generalisation and transfer of new skills outside the individual daily life (Kavale & Mostert,
2004).
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