Definition: Social skills are those communication,
problem-solving, decision making, self-management, and peer
relations abilities that allow one to initiate, build, and maintain
positive social relationships with others.
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NOT everyone naturally gets social skills There is a direct
correlation between poor social skills, behavior problems, and
academic achievement! Poor Social Skills Behavior Problems Lack in
academic achievement
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Understanding social interactions helps us to predict the
behavior of others Helps students take part in groups Helps
students form friendships
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Ones social competence is linked to peer acceptance, teacher
acceptance, success of inclusion efforts with students with
disabilities, and post school success.
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Unable to handle rejection Greater difficulty with
relationships Difficulty managing their own emotions Often have
fewer skills for dealing with these problems
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Four primary reasons that explain why students are socially
unskilled:
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They dont know another way to (re)act other than their present
pattern of behavior They know (cognitively) other ways to behave,
but havent had enough practice to display them competently. They
tried another way, but it didnt work for them the first time(s)
they tried it, so they assume that it would never work for them.
Tension and anxiety interfere with the ability to perform the
practiced behavior well in real life.
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Be Proactive!! Not Reactive!! We are TEACHING!!
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(Among other things)
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How to approach others in social acceptable ways How to ask for
permission rather than acting impulsively How to make and keep
friends How to sharing toys/ materials
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Work habits/ academic survival skills Listening Attending to
task Following directions Seeking attention properly Accepting the
consequences of ones behavior
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Counting to 10 before reacting Distracting oneself to a
pleasureable task Learning an internal dialogue to cool oneself
down and reflect upon the best course of action
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Using words instead of physical contact Seeking the assistance
of the teacher or conflict resolution team
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1.Discuss the need for Social Skills 2.Select a Social Skill
3.Teach the Skill 4.Practice the Skill 5.Pause and Reflect 6.Review
and Reflect
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FOR TEACHING SOCIAL SKILLS
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Strategy #1 Helpful for students with limited receptive ability
Help students learn basic words so they can later respond to verbal
instructions and questions Help students attend to a task when they
do not respond to verbal instructions to pay attention Help
students maintain eye contact, and to identify objects, actions, or
adjectives
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What does it consist of?? Four components: A cue, prompt,
behavior, and reinforcement Highly structured Relies heavily on the
teacher cueing the child Build prerequisite language and attention
in preparation for other kinds of social skills training that may
facilitate greater social interaction
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Strategy #2 Teaching a student about a social situation as it
is occurring rather than in a structured lesson GOAL: to amplify
the social environment as it is unfolding so the student picks up
on social cues, rules, others feelings and perceptions that are all
part of the social situation Must always be part of teaching social
skills because it involves teaching students in the real situations
where they need the skills
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Explain to the student what is happening in a social situation
through words or visuals, and by coaching and praising the students
behavior. Incidental Teaching
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Strategy #3 Mini-books that depict, step by step, children
demonstrating various social skills Each skill is presented like a
cartoon strip
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Strategy #4 Utilizes cartoon-like drawings on index cards
combined with positive reinforcement principles Students are shown
the sequence of cards until they can repeat what is happening in
each picture Sequence is reviewed just before the student enters
the potentially problematic situation
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1.The antecedents to a problem situation 2.The targeted desired
behavior 3.A positive reinforcer
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Strategy #5 Core Teaching Model: Four Teaching Components
Didactic Instruction Modeling of skill steps Role Playing skills
with feedback Practice in and outside the group
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Involves the teacher explaining the steps of a particular skill
Verbal or Written The key to this approach is to engage the childs
attention
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Once the skill steps have been explained, it is important to
model them for the students before asking them to carry them out.
To do this, the facilitator needs (a) a situation to act out (b)
co-actors. Students and teachers can serve as co-actors to help
model the skill. Before the skill is modeled, it is important to
give the students who are observing very specific instructions on
what to look for to maintain their attention.
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During role-plays, students are asked to act out the skill
steps in the right order. More effective when done with two
teachers or one teacher and two students (this way the teacher can
avoid participating in the role-play directly and act as a coach to
help students through the skill steps) The observers of the
role-play should be given instructions to see if each step is done
correctly or not
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After each role play, the teacher provides feedback about how
each step was enacted. Feedback should always begin by noting what
was performed correctly and include ample praise Observing students
are asked to tell what the role playing students did well. Always
give corrective feedback!!!
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Lastly,
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Structured Learning is about to take place!
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http://autismteachingstrategies.com/autism-strategies/pie-chart-visuals-great-social-skills-tool-to-help-kids-
with-asd-to-talk-more-or-less-in-groups-or-class/ PIE CHART
TEMPLATE
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Raise awareness of okay vs. not-okay things to say when you are
mad Introduce and reinforce the idea that thoughts can be filtered
before they are turned into words.
http://autismteachingstrategies.com/autism-strategies/filter-the-anger-a-
hands-on-social-skills-activity-to-help-kids-with-autism-to-manage-angry-
verbal-outbursts/
Tell the kids: This is Compliment Tag. A compliment is when you
say something nice to someone about the way they look, something
they have, something they did, something they said, or they way
they are. When you play Compliment Tag, the person who is it tries
to tag you. To keep from becoming it, you have to give this person
a compliment quickly before they tag you. If they tag you before
you can give them a compliment, then you are it.
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ANGRYBEING TOLD NO HAPPY SAD OPENING A GIFT CONFUSED
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SITUATIONNEGATIVEPOSITIVE You have to take a test. I am going
to fail. This is going to be too hard. Ill try the best I can and
be happy with that. It will be OK. You are going to a new school
You need to ask the teacher a question
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A Decision Making Visual that allows the student to determine
what happens next, depending on whether they make a red choice or a
green choice. RED CHOICEGREEN CHOICE
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Posting visuals around the classroom Engaging in open
conversations with other teachers, administrators, parents, etc.
(in front of students) during unstructured times (cafeteria,
hallway, playground) Displaying some emotions in the class to the
class (be careful about this one!!!)
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Social skills training can take place in a large classroom or
in a small group The teacher may use a daily show and tell or
morning meeting to work on conversation skills like staying on
topic and starting a conversation. In the classroom, the formal
skill lesson may be conducted early in the week and the less
structured practice times spread out during the rest of the week
through specific conversation and play activities organized by the
classroom teacher
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When conducting Social Skills in the classroom, it is
beneficial to develop a daily plan that outlines which social
skills you all will teach throughout the day. See example
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http://www.behavioradvisor.com/SocialSkills.ht ml
http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-
and-Assessment/Special-Education-
Services/Documents/IDEAS%2013%20Handouts/So
cial%20Skills%20in%20the%20Classroom%20ppt.pd f Baker, Ph.D, Jed E.
(2003). Social Skills Training: For Children and Adolescents with
Aspergers Syndrome and Social- Communication Problems. Kansas:
Autism Asperger Publishing Co