Special Education Developing Social Skills

Special Education

Developing Social Skills Special Education

Social skills problems or perceived deficits often arise from nonverbal learning disabilities. There are several different theories and approaches that arise from addressing nonverbal learning disabilities and there affects on social skills development.

There are numerous studies which explore the relationship between learning disabilities and a student's ability to acquire and develop appropriate social skills (Strain & Odom, 1986; Rubin, Bukowski & Parker, 1998; Chandler, et. al, 1999). Many of these support the notion that students with learning disabilities lack the ability to interpret nonverbal social cues, thus often have difficulty succeeding in a social environment or climate, and often fail to engage others from a social perspective successfully (Chandler, et. al, 1999; Claire, et. al, 2003).

Many studies have emphasized the importance of working with learning disabled students as early as the preschool years in order to help develop appropriate social competence (Chandler, et. al, 1999). The suggested strategies for social skills training and development include observational guidance, teaching direct instruction and peer interaction (Chandler, et. al, 1999). The results of a majority of studies suggest that sharing, exchanging, use of group play, negotiation of play roles and teaching responses to behaviors and actions will help develop social interaction skills (Chandler, et. al, 1999).

Social Skills Development and Deficits

Smith (1995) suggests that at first glance one might assume that behavior management involves controlling student behaviors and preventing inappropriate ones. Further she acknowledges the difficulty educators have working with learning disabled students, who generally exhibit social skills development problems, often referred to as a "social skill deficit."

This type of deficit is common when a student has not learned exactly "how" to act. Smith suggests that in the case of special education students they simply have not been given the opportunity or have had limited models for learning appropriate social skills behaviors (Smith, 1994).

There are several approaches to addressing these deficits including: offering positive and negative feedback, teaching students to resist peer pressure and follow instructions and teaching students to initiate and subsequently maintain conversations (Smith, 1995). Illustration via example and rehearsal will also facilitate the process.

Candl (2004) like Smith suggests that simply placing children in a classroom together is not enough to teach social skills. Further Candl support the notion that any student not demonstrating appropriate social behaviors simply lacks the social skills needed to perform social tasks and cooperative behaviors. Candl suggesting teaching students how to interact by discussing the importance of social skills development, by taking turns praising other students who are communicating effectively, by selecting a particular skill needed to learn and by actually teaching the skill by identifying what a student need do to acquire the skill. Candl (2004) further suggests that a social skill can be taught the classroom via student cooperative activities that encourage use of the skill. Students should be asked to evaluate their methods of interaction and encouraged to describe how they used the skill successfully or otherwise.

Brown (1987) points out that learning disabled children lacking social skills may grow into adults that lack the "vital skills of social interaction" thus their lives may be filled with unnecessary struggles and unemployment. Factors that can help learning disabled students succeed and develop the skills necessary to succeed include creation of strong familial social networks, encouraging children to observe their environment and respond to it, active inquisition of children's observations and encouraging students to observe non-verbal behavior, which will help them understand cues and signals people give off in a social environment (Brown, 1987). Children have to be taught the "hidden rules of conversation" and learn to recognize subtle non-verbal cues including people's faces and signals, so they learn when to engage in conversation and when to hold off (Brown, 1987).