1. Teaching Social Skills
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
2. Social Skills & Behavior?
Problem behavior is absence of social skills
Who taught us social skills?
Who defines social skills?
Have Behavioral / Social Expectations
Changed over time ?
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
3. Response to Intervention (RTI)
Academic Systems Behavioral Systems
1-5% 1-5%
Intensive, Individual Interventions Intensive, Individual Interventions
•Individual Students •Individual Students
•Assessment-based •Assessment-based
•High Intensity •Intense, durable procedures
5-10% 5-10%
Strategic Interventions Strategic Interventions
•Some students (at-risk) •Some students (at-risk)
•High efficiency •High efficiency
•Rapid response •Rapid response
80-90% 80-90%
Benchmark Interventions Benchmark Interventions
•All students •All settings, all students
•Preventive, proactive •Preventive, proactive
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
4. Benchmark
Taught before problems
All settings, all students
Preventative, proactive
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
5. Strategic
Meant for at risk students
Rapid teaching of missing skills
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
6. Intensive
Must be assessment based
Very intensive
Meant for individual students
Requires more man/woman power,
resources and strategies
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
7. How do we teach this ??
How do you teach x ?
Positive consequences correct use of skill
Instruction and many different examples
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
8. How do we teach this ??
Instruction and observe others
Practice and feedback
Corrective feedback
Opportunities for generalization
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
9. Curriculum
How do we pick a curriculum or program?
Regardless of the curriculum, Social
Skills have to be taught.
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
10. Research based practice
No Child Left Behind
Gold Standard
5
Strong Evidence
4
Promising
3
Marginal
2
No Empirical Evidence
1
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
11. Research based practice
No Child Left Behind
Employs empirical methods
Involves rigorous data analysis
Peer-reviewed journal
Presented in a way to allow
replication
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
12. What does Research tell us?
Relationship between low peer status in
childhood and later problems in
adolescence / adulthood.
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
13. Who is at Risk?
Children with and without
disabilities
Children may be
– Withdrawn.
– Hesitant to interact
– Socially “aloof.”
– Unsuccessful attempts to interact
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
14. How can I help?
Planning around routines and activities
Actively teaching social skills
Arranging the environment
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
16. Routines
Preschool routines typically include:
Arrival time
Bathroom time
Cleanup time
Departure
Nap time
Snack time
Story time
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
17. Routines
Arranging the environment
Use of reinforcement
Adult cueing and prompting
Peer-mediated interventions
Careful planning routines and activities
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
18. Opportunities to support Social Skills
Allow children to practice
Assist children in
acquiring skills
Promote generalization to
other social settings
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
19. Activity
Routine Task
Arrivals Ask a child to greet friends
and ask them a question
Transition times
Circle and story times
Snack time
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
21. Feedback
Children need to know what is expected
Catch them being good!
It’s important to praise children for
efforts to interact with peers
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
