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).

Claire et. al. (2003) suggests that a variety of different methods be utilized in the classroom to help special education students develop social skills. Findings suggest that there is not one consensus among educators or researchers regarding the "specific features of social functioning" however most researchers agree that students with learning disabilities must be taught social skills interventions in the classroom, particularly during the first 3-5 years of a student's educational career (Claire, et. al, 2003).

Conclusions

There is much support for the idea that social skills must be taught to learning disabled students at a young age in order to ensure competency later in life. Learning disabled students have a great deal of difficulty interpreting nonverbal cues offered in a social setting as well as other basic elements...

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Social Skills