The document discusses strategies for supporting children with special needs in developing social skills, emphasizing the significance of social competence for positive peer relationships and overall well-being. It outlines practical methods like social narratives, direct teaching, and modeling to enhance pro-social behaviors such as cooperation, empathy, and self-control. The guide also advocates for collaboration with educators and tailoring intervention plans to suit individual children's experiences and needs.

1. Parenting Children with Special
Needs: A Focus on Social Skills
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Kristine Strong, Ph.D.
Licensed Educational Psychologist
#2314
Copyright 2012

2. Goals for Training:
 Design a Specific Plan for Your Child Using
Planning Sheet
 Provide a Format for Collaborating with Your
Teachers
 Focus on Two Specific Methods for Supporting
your Child:
 Social Narratives/Social Stories
 Social Skills Intervention Strategies

3. The Importance of Social Skills
 Social competence or
Social “Intelligence” is
important to future
quality of life
 Peer relations,
friendships, and social
support networks are
protective factors in the
face of risk factors or
challenges

4. Who Can This Help?
 Children with attention and impulsivity
challenges
 Children with an autism spectrum disorder
 Children with an emotional disturbance
 Children with learning disabilities
 Children with health impairments

5. Social Skills Overview
 Focus on Pro-social
behaviors, these lead
to positive outcomes
and include:
 Cooperation
 Assertion
 Responsibility
 Empathy
 Self-Control

6. Pro-Social Behaviors
 Cooperation:
 Using free time
appropriately
 Making transitions
 Assertion: QuickTime™ and a
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 Giving a compliment
 Initiating a
conversation
 Responsibility:
 Asking permission
 Asking for help

7. Pro-Social Skills
 Empathy:
 Show appreciation of
others
 Expressing Concern
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 Self-Control:
 Controlling anger in
conflict situation
 Responding to teasing

8. Desired Outcome: Positive
Peer Relations, Friends
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• The ultimate outcome or goal for increasing
social skills is to lead to the development of
positive peer relations and friendships.
Brainstorm: What leads to friendships?

9. Designing a Plan: Handout
 Focus on one or two skills that will promote
positive interactions with peers
 Define the skill that you want your child to learn
 Write out an action plan
 Make it a plan you can use as a part of a daily
routine
 Collaborate with your child’s teacher/therapist

10. Social Narratives
 Social Narratives are considered to be an
evidence based practice
 They are short stories based on real life
situations and are specific to your child’s
experiences
 They are simple, to the point, and use visual
supports such as pictures or drawings

11. Social Narratives cont.
 Social Narratives can address:
 Positive social interactions such as greetings,
compliments, positive comments
 Reducing repetitive or problem behaviors
 Frustration, conflict resolution
 Problem behaviors

12. Social Narratives: Step by Step
 Step one: Describe a specific social situation
relevant to your child’s social experiences
 Step two: Define and target a specific skill or
behavior-Collaborate with your teacher
 Step three: Write a short story based on
developmental level of your child using pictures
or drawings
 Step four: Implement - how often, when, where,
who
 Step five: Measure progress

13. Example Narrative
 10 year old boy
 Target skill: Initiate conversation with a peer at
recess to increase positive social interactions
 Review social story before recess and each
morning, evaluate how it went after recess with
teacher, and at home after dinner and homework is
done--develop a home routine

16. Narrative: Initiating a
Conversation
 Pg 1:I am walking out to recess and see my friend
Ethan.
 Pg 2: He likes the Giants.
 Pg 3: I ask him, “Did you watch the Giants last
night and see Buster hit the home run?”
 Pg 4: I ask him, “Who do you think is the best
pitcher?”
 Pg 5: I let him know if I agree or not.
 Pg 6: We walk out to the playground.

17. Use in Daily Routines
 White board in kitchen or other area where
easy access, quick visual reference
 Ready made one page or small booklets
blank or with scripted prompts
 Visuals such as cut out pictures, photos, or
drawings

18. Reinforce what works
 Give feedback daily on what worked
 Evaluate and make changes to the narrative
as needed
 Update narratives regularly according to
interests, social situations, peers
 Encourage and use positive reinforcement,
praise, social rewards

19. Curriculums/Programs That
Work
By Carol Gray

20. Curriculums/Programs That
Work
By: Michelle Garcia-Winner

21. Social Skills Intervention
 Based on the use of positive behavior
interventions and use:
 Modeling
 Direct teaching, coaching, rehearsing
 Targeting specific skills, practice
 Social Problem Solving
 Using reinforcement systems, contracts
 Monitoring progress

22. Social Skills Groups
 Small groups of  Schedule regular
three to four meetings
children
 Data collection
 Similar needs
 Work toward
 Similar
developmental generalization
levels

23. Modeling
 Choose skill you want to teach
 Model the skill in a “mock” situation
 Provide visual cues, pictures, sequence
 Practice the skill, have your child model the
skill in a mock situation
 Evaluate, give feedback
 Role play the skill using different scenarios
or situations

24. Rehearsal
 Help your child visualize a scene where he/she will
use the skill.
 Help your child practice visualizing themselves using
the skill
 Imagine how other people will respond.
 Verbal rehearsal, using visual cues, verbally talk
through the social interaction.
A B C

25. Coaching
 Verbal instruction, discussion, and
evaluation of using a specific skill
 Provide “rules” for behavior
 Evaluate the possible outcomes of using a
particular behavior

26. Example Lesson: Joining In an
Activity
 Introduce and define
the skill
 Identify key steps:
 Get the attention of QuickTime™ and a
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group
 Make a positive
statement
 Ask if you can join
 Thank the group
leader

27. Joining in a Group
 Model and role play a situation
 Choose different possible group situations,
ie., recess, lunch table, before school
socializing, in class group activities
 Rehearse using visual cues, visualization
 Set goals--ie., join in one group activity
each day.

28. Volunteering to Help Peers
 Discuss noticing when  Model and role
a peer needs help play in volunteering
 Define skill and what situations
it means to volunteer
 Ask students to
 Identify Steps:
Brainstorm
 Notice someone
situations
needs help
 Ask if he/she needs  Set goals--ie., to
help offer to help a peer
 Be cooperative once daily

29. Problem Solving Steps
 Problem solving is characterized by the following:
 Stress that a solution is possible
 Remind student of previous successes
 Define the problem
 Generate potential solutions
 Evaluate and choose a solution
 Define steps to implement solution

30. Social Problem Solving
Step 1: Define the Problem:
What does it look like?
When does it happen?
When does this problem NOT happen?
Step 2: What can we do about this problem?
List 3 solutions
Evaluate these solutions – will they help?
Choose one of these solutions
Step 3: How can this solution work?
Explain how you will behave differently
using a new solution to the problem.
What will be different?
Step 4: Practice your new strategy or
solution
Role play with your teacher and parent.
Visualize using this strategy.
Step 5: How did it go?
What worked?
How can you use your new strategies again?
When will you need to use your new
strategy?

31. Daily Behavior Report Card
Student: _________________ Date:__________
Please rate this child’s behavior today in the areas listed below.
1 = excellent, 2 = good, 3 = fair, 4 = poor and 5 = very poor
Please initial each row following your rating at the end of the activity being rated. Comments can
be added when needed. Please make a copy for parents and provide them with feedback as
indicated in the pa rent – school communication agreement.
Behavior to be rated Activity/Subject
Language Math Recess/ Science
Arts Lunch
Cooperation: Gets
ready for next activity
Social Skills: Accepts
ideas from others
Conflict Resolution:
Uses Problem Solving
Chart, Avoids Conflict
Situations
Comments:

32. Collaborate With Educators
 Choose one or two
specific skills to focus on
for a three to four month
period
 Discuss resources
available at your child’s
school
 Develop a plan with
educational staff
 Evaluate progress after
initial 6 weeks

33. Resources
 Gresham and Elliott: Social Skills Rating
System
 Gresham and Elliott: Social Skills
Intervention Guide
 National Professional Development Center
on Autism Spectrum Disorders