JENNIFER D. WALKER

WA L K E R J D @ P W C S . E D U

Social Skills for Success

What Are Social Skills

Social Skills are a set of behaviors that allow individuals the opportunity to initiate and maintain positive social relationships, contribute to peer acceptance, and allow for effective coping.

(Rutherford, Quinn, & Mathur, 2004)

Social competence is “the degree to which students are able to establish and maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships, gain peer acceptance, establish and maintain friendships and terminate negative or pernicious interpersonal relationships”

(Gresham, Sugai, and Horner , 2001, p. 331)

Why Are They So Important?

Social skills help students…Experience success in schoolDevelop problem solving skillsDevelop interpersonal skills.Avoid negative life outcomes such as gang

involvement, juvenile delinquency, incarceration

Support family relationships.Reduce teacher and peer rejectionEncourage friendships, acceptance from

peers

Bridging the Gap

School

• Academic• Social

Interactions

Work

• Employee & co-worker relationships

Community

• Places of worship

• Neighborhoods

Circle of Friends

Me

Family, Best Friends

Acquaintances, Friends with moderate/ limited contact

Neighbors, Friends of friends

People I pay to have in my life

“For students at all age levels, competence at managing the social situations that arise in the classroom is often a prerequisite, and a critical ingredient for making academic change.”

Leffert, Brady & Siperstein, 2009

Behavior Change Depends On:

Self- Control

Motivation

Skills

3 LeggedStool

The Absence of Social Skills

Acquisition Deficit - absence of knowledge about a particular social skill

Performance Deficit – having a social skill in one’s repertoire, but failing to perform it in appropriate contexts.

Fluency Deficit – student has knowledge of a skill and a desire to perform it, but is awkward and unpolished.

Social Skills Deficits

Deficits may be a result of:

Cultural differencesUnclear or inconsistent expectations

Developmental delaysLack of motivationLack of opportunity

• (RUTHERFORD, ET AL, 2004)

Dimensions of Social Skills

Dimension Related Social Skills

Peer Relations Offers help or assistance when needed, assumes leadership roles, participates in discussions

Self-Management Controls temper, remains calm during problematic situations, responds to teasing by ignoring peers, cooperates in group situations,

accepts criticism

Academic Skills Works independently, complies with directions, asks for assistance appropriately, works well

even when challenged with distractions.

Compliance Skills Follows directions and rules, responds appropriately to constructive criticism, uses free

time appropriately, finishes assignments and tasks on time.

Assertion Skills Expresses feelings when mistakes are made, initiates conversation, invites others to engage in

conversation and activities, introduces self to others

Specific Social Skills

Content Skills

Conversation Skills Joining a conversationStarting a conversationEnding a conversationUsing appropriate tone of voiceUsing appropriate distance and eye contact

Assertiveness Asking for helpMaking requestsExhibiting politeness

Coping Skills Listing possible solutionsResponding to teasing, name-callingTaking responsibility for self and choices

Task- Related Attending to tasksCompleting tasksFollowing directions

Specific Social Skills

Content Skills

Self-Help Skills Grooming (Cleanliness, neatness)Dressing (Clean, fit)Table manners and behaviors

Self-Related Skills Expressing feelingsAccepting feedbackAccepting consequences

Self- Advocacy Skills Expressing needsDealing with accusationsNegotiating needsDeveloping assertive communication

Job Interview Skills Listening skillsPreparation (Attire, application)Being attentiveDealing with pressure

Social Skills Training (SST)

SST can be implemented with published curriculum or by modifying classroom practices.

SST programs may utilize: social learning strategies (observation, modeling, guided practice, rehearsal, prompting, role playing), cognitive learning theory (self-assessment, self-recording, social problem solving).

Social skills programs that are most effective use direct teaching, modeling, coaching, and effective instruction. (Gresham, et al. 2001)

“It is normal to visit insanity...It is

pathological to stay there”

Virginia Satir

Step One: Assessment of Needs

SST interventions should reflect the needs of students.

Assessments should include: Direct Observation- consider situational context,

social validity of the behavior. Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)- collect

information that can provide effective behavioral support. Evaluate antecedents, behavior and consequences.

Transitions Plans- what are student goals? Rating Scales- can be completed by students,

teachers, parents, potential/ actual employers.

Step Two: Select an Intervention

After assessment is complete, select an

appropriate SST intervention based on student deficit areas.

Make an informed curriculum-related

decision.

Social Skills Curriculum Checklist

Is the curriculum’s scope and sequence a good match for your students’ needs?

Does the curriculum provide sufficient practice?

Does the curriculum provide generalization?Has the program been successfully

implemented with students similar to those you are working with?

Can the materials be adapted to meet your needs? If not, can the program be implemented with fidelity?

Challenge Solution

How do I fit social skills into an already crowded school day?

Infuse social skills into existing instructional activities.

Teach individual lessons to small groups

Step Three: Social Skills Instruction

1-5% 1-5%

5-10% 5-10%

80-90% 80-90%

Academic Systems Behavioral SystemsIntensive, IndividualInterventions•Individual students•Assessment-based•High intensityTargeted GroupInterventions•Some students (at-risk)•High efficiency•Rapid response

Universal Interventions•All students•Preventive, proactive

Universal Interventions

• All students, all settings

• Preventive, proactive

Targeted GroupInterventions•Some students (at-risk)•High efficiency•Rapid response

Intensive, IndividualInterventions•Individual students•Assessment-based•Intense, durable

Social Skills Instruction Infused Environment

Develop instructional strategies that integrate social and academic instruction.

Combine literature lessons with instruction in social skills. Use descriptions of non-verbal and language cues that are conveying feelings and intentions (encourages collaboration among students with diverse background and interests).

Include social skill instruction in any small group academic activity.

Use morning meeting activities to include greeting, sharing, activity and news and announcements as a way to infuse social skill instruction.

Take full advantage of teachable moments to model social skills.

Direct Instruction of Social Skills

Social skills can be taught as explicitly as academic skills (Darch, Kame’enui, & Chichlow, 2003) Be sure to explain why the lesson is important and what skills will be necessary to master the skill.

Students will gain fluency if they have direct practice with social skills.

Involve all staff to support social skill generalization and practice. (McIntosh & MacKay, 2008)

Consider whether the skills being taught are relevant, reasonable and reinforceable (Fenty, Miller,

& Lampi, 2008).

Social Skills Instruction

1. Define the skill2. Model the skill3. Identify areas

of need4. Role play 5. Performance

feedback6. Generalization

Step Four: Generalization

Training should be meaningful and realistic.

Ensure mastery before generalizing.

If possible, accompany student during initial generalization.

Elicit help from peers, parents, school staff, employers, community members.

Teach self-management skills.

Periodically retrain and remind.

Generalization: A Plan

1. Practice Assignment1. Skill:

If applicable:

2. Use with whom:3. Use when:4. Use where:

2. Describe what happened when you did the practice assignment. For example, did you skip any steps? What was the other person’s reaction?

3. Rate yourself on how well you used the skill. (Check one)

__ excellent __ good __fair __poor4. What will you do different next time?

Real-Life Generalization

Situational Terminology

Norms For

Interaction Appropriate Ways to

Address & Refer to People

Various Levels of Informality

Interacting with People

Of Different Status

Maintenance

Teach self- monitoring

Provide reinforcements

Provide prompts and cues.

Provide feedback.

Assess and Reassess

Is the skill too hard for students to use correctly (e.g., too many steps)?

Do students have enough opportunities to use the skills in a variety of real-life settings?

Are social skills being reinforced?

Is the student motivated to perform the skills?

Reviews of Social Skills Curricula

What Works Clearinghouse http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) http://nrepp.samhsa.gov/

Collaborative for Academic and Social Emotional Learning (CASEL) http://casel.org/

Blueprints for Violence Prevention http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/blueprints/

Resources

Community of Caring (Growing Up Caring): A K-12, comprehensive, whole school character education program that emphasizes the five core values of caring, family, respect, responsibility, and trust as important guides for adolescent life choices and decision making related to health, drugs, sex, and staying in school. The program also promotes good citizenship, civic responsibility, and respect for the environment.

Learning for Life: A K-12 general social skills program with 35-60 lessons per year designed to prepare students to successfully handle the challenges of today's society and enhance their self-confidence, motivation, and self-esteem. Citizenship is addressed through lessons on environmental, social, and other community issues with occasional participation in service-learning activities.

Resources

Lions-Quest "Skills" series: This K-12 series of curricula focuses on character education, service-learning, and violence and substance abuse prevention. Lions-Quest programs are designed to help students develop the behaviors and skills needed to become healthy and capable adults. With 64-103 lessons per year, this series includes Skills for Growing (K-5), Skills for Adolescence (6-8), and Skills for Action (9-12).The series provides broad coverage of substance abuse prevention, violence prevention, and citizenship. A Lions Club video showcasing the program can be seen here.

Michigan Model Teenage Health Teaching Module: A K-12 comprehensive health education curriculum with 43-58 lessons per year that extensively address health topics including relationships, safety, emotions, physical senses, pollution, exercise, and nutrition. Substance abuse, smoking prevention, and violence prevention/conflict resolution are addressed thoroughly. Healthy sexual development is also covered.

Resources

Productive Conflict Resolution : This K-12 program includes 32-69 lessons per year and aims to empower students to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence, develop their emotional intelligence, enable them to uphold social justice, become responsible citizens, and participate in creating a caring and cooperative school environment. Broad multiyear coverage of violence prevention includes peer mediation training, understanding conflict, and the role of media in perceptions of violence and bullying.

Tribes Learning Communities: Tribes TLC PreK-12 program aims to promote learning and human development by creating a positive school and classroom learning environment. The program is designed to help students feel included, respected for their differences, involved in their own learning, and confident in their ability to succeed.

Resources

The RULER Approach, Through a sophisticated yet accessible series of professional development offerings, classroom curricula, and instructional tools, The RULER Approach teaches 5 key emotional literacy skills: Recognizing emotions in oneself and others; Understanding the causes and consequences of emotions; Labeling the full range of emotions using a rich vocabulary; Expressing emotions appropriately in different contexts; and Regulating emotions effectively to foster healthy relationships and achieve goals.

School-Connect®: Optimizing the High School Experience: A 40-lesson curriculum designed to improve high school students' social, emotional, and academic skills and strengthen relationships among students and teachers.

Resources

Positive Action is an evidence based program shown to improve academics, behavior and character. Includes a PreK- 12 curriculum, drug education, climate development, bullying prevention, conflict resolution counselor program and family and community program.

PREPARE: Skillstreaming

Psychoeducational approach to teaching an array of prosocial skills.

3 sets of Skillstreaming curriculum: Skillstreaming in early childhood, elementary and adolescent.

Delivery: Groups of 2 – 12 students led by a facilitator.

Approximately 50 skills presented in a 4 part process.

Job-Related Social Skills:A Curriculum for Adolescents with Special

Needs

(Marjorie Montague, Ph.D. & Kathryn A. Lund, Ph.D.)

Delivery: This program provides for the direct instruction of 18 job-related social skills and job monitoring procedures to facilitate skill maintenance through the following techniques: direct instruction, active participation, verbal rehearsal, visualization, modeling, role playing, simulation activities, performance feedback, reinforcement, mastery learning, self-management, and monitoring in the workplace.

Session 30-50 minutes; 18 weeks; delivered by teacher