Outcomes Basic overview of social skills Understand the purpose and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
By Denise Caamano CHS Social Worker Corie Guberman SBS LAF Social Worker Chris Magno LAF School Psychologist April 24 th , 2013 Outcomes Basic overview of social skills Understand the purpose and importance of social skills Identify
By Denise Caamano CHS Social Worker Corie Guberman SBS LAF Social Worker Chris Magno LAF School Psychologist
April 24th, 2013
Basic overview of social skills Understand the purpose and importance of social
Identify current methods of social skills
Become familiar with methods to take social skills
Socially acceptable learned behaviors that enable an
individual to interact effectively with others and to avoid or escape negative social interactions with others (Gresham & Elliott, 1990).
The personal skills needed for successful social
communication and interaction.
Social skills is any skill facilitating interaction and
communication with others. Social rules and relations are created, communicated, and changed in verbal and nonverbal ways. The process of learning such skills is called socialization.
Effective communication Increase learning Success in a variety of environments Reducing problem behaviors Improve self-esteem Building relationships
Problem Behaviors Lack of Cues or Opportunities Lack of Knowledge Lack of Practice
Deficient Social Skills Functioning Lack of Reinforcement
Social Intake: noticing and understanding other people’s
speech, body language, eye contact, and cultural behaviors.
Internal Process: interpreting what others communicate
to you as well as recognizing and managing your own emotions/reactions.
Social Output: communicating with and reacting to
critical components (steps) of a skill.
implement or execute a skill.
skills.
the skill in different settings/contexts or circumstances.
Skill deficits are about not yet having a skill
within your repertoire (i.e. John doesn’t know how to play the game Sorry).
Performance deficits are about not using a skill
that you have previously shown you know how to do but you aren’t motivated to do it (i.e. John knows how to play Sorry but doesn’t do it at a friend’s house).
Introduce the skill at a neutral (scheduled) time Model and practice the skill Provide behaviorally specific acknowledgement and
correction
Consistently enforce the skills throughout the day Provide pre-correction & prompts Re-teach, when necessary Monitor/support students to skill mastery
Basic interaction skills (e.g. making eye contact,
showing interest in others)
Making conversation (e.g. taking turns when talking,
using humor)
Building and maintaining friendships (e.g. initiating
conversation)
Empathy (e.g. noticing other’s feelings) Dealing with conflict (e.g., being able to discuss a
conflict calmly)
Cooperation (e.g. following directions, following
classroom rules)
Assertion (e.g. ask for help from adults, questions rules
that may be unfair)
Responsibility (e.g. respects the property of others,
takes responsibility for own actions)
Engagement (e.g. makes friends easily, invites others
to join in activities)
Self-control (e.g. makes a compromise during a
conflict, stays calm when teased)
Parents of children with social skill problems
with their child. Be mindful of the fact that oral language is difficult for the youngster, and his/her lack of language fluency can hinder his/her comprehension and production of the spoken word. Adults should adjust their own language to accommodate the child’s language deficits (Lavoie, 2005).
If you ask a typical adult a broad, global question, you generally receive a broad, general
you think of last week’s election?” results in a lengthy response. “Well, I feel that the Democrats…and the Republicans…and the young voters thought…and the results demonstrated…” Conversely, if you ask a specific, focused question – “Who did you vote for in last week’s election?” – you will receive a brief, specific response (“Jim Smith”).
Interestingly, this dynamic works in just the opposite way when conversing with children with limited language skills. A general, broad question renders a specific response – “How was school today?” might receive the response, “It was good” – while a specific question – “How was your 3rd period science class today?” – is more likely to result in a more detailed response. By asking more specific questions, you are enabling the child to focus his/her language skills on a narrow topic, which enables him/her to generate a more detailed and factual response.
1.
Be interested, not just interesting: It’s most important to be an interested partner, asking questions and providing the other person with body language signals that demonstrate that you find his/her input to be compelling and important.
2.
Understand silence: Many people mistakenly interpret a partner's silence during a conversation as representing agreement. There are many reasons why a conversation partner may fall silent in response to something that you have said. Teach the child how to read body language to determine the meaning behind a sudden silence.
breaking eye contact when involved in conversation. Suggest he/she lean in toward the speaker, maintain an open posture by keeping his/her arms by his/her side or gesturing appropriately, maintain an appropriate distance, avoid crossing his/her arms, and make and maintain eye contact.
quality of you partner's speaking. Teach the child to communicate the fact that he/she is listening by nodding, smiling, and making brief comments.
the best way to begin a conversation is to ask a question. It is equally important to conclude a conversation in an appropriate way. The child should conclude every conversation by bidding the partner good-bye and/or bringing some sort of closure to the conversation.
become aware of the appropriate timing and techniques of changing conversation
making some feel badly, if a single topic is discussed for a long time, or if the child knows little about the topic.
Effective conversationalists are also responsive
listeners.
The best way to foster effective listening (oral receptive
language) is to model effective and appropriate listening skills.
A recent survey asked adolescents about their pet
peeves regarding their parents. The most common response cited the fact that parents simply do not listen to their children (Lavoie, 2005).
If you want your child to become a better listener, it is
important that you listen more attentively to him/her.
Drop what you are doing, establish eye contact with the child,
and really listen.
Initially, accept what he/she is saying without passing
judgment on the content.
Listen to both the words and the feelings that the child is
expressing.
Reflect back what you hear the child saying and feeling. Avoid introducing topics and events that do not relate
directly to the situation under discussion.
Avoid attempting to read the child’s mind. Avoid cutting off the child or interrupting him in
midsentence.
Example 1: CHILD: “But all the other kids are going to go to Jake’s
swimming pool for a party on Sunday.” BAD RESPONSE: “I don’t care what the other kids are doing, you are going to stay in on Sunday and finish that science project.” GOOD RESPONSE: “It sounds like you really want to be with your friends.”
Example 2: CHILD: “I don’t want to submit anything to the science fair
this year.” BAD RESPONSE: “No way! This is just like this summer when you wanted to quit boy scouts.” GOOD RESPONSE: “You don’t want to submit a display this year? I thought you were excited about the magnet experiment you were working on. Has something happened to change your mind?”
Behavior that is reinforced is replicated. What makes reinforcement valuable:
Size (or amount) Timing Response effort
Positive feedback (praise, reward, privileges) changes behavior; negative
feedback (punishment, scolding, loss of privileges) only stops behavior. You will not make meaningful lasting changes in a child’s behavior by punishing them.
Positive Reinforcement: When a favorable outcome, event, or reward occurs
after an action, that particular response or behavior will be strengthened.
Ex: After the child cleans up his/her room, parent gives child reward (verbal
praise or tangible reward , i.e. such as candy)
Such as “great job”, toys, computer time, t.v., and video game.
Behavior change is gradual, and each step toward the targeted behavior must
be reinforced. Reward direction not perfection.
MODELING ROLE PLAY PROMPTING SOCIAL STORIES BOOKS/STORIES GAMES
Enact the social interactions you want the child to
learn.
Ex: If you want the child to learn how to play the
game four square, you demonstrate how the game is played
Act out the activity
Ex: Pretend you see someone playing a game at recess
that you like, how could you get them to let you join to play.
1: Hi, Can I play tag with you? 2: Yes, we are playing base tag, do you know the
rules?
1: No, can you teach me the rules? 2: Of course, what is your name? 1: Thanks, Joe Smith. What’s your name? 2: My name is John Q. (Demonstrates the rules)
Encouraging or suggesting an action.
Providing Verbal or Non-Verbal Cue
Example: Another child gives your child a turn in a game. John: “I want to play that game.” Bill: “Here, you can take my turn.”
John takes ball and begins to play.
Parent prompts child: “John, when someone is nice to you,
you should say, Thank you.”
John: “Thank you”
Describes a situation, skill, or concept in terms of
relevant social cues, perspectives, and common responses in a specifically defined style and format.
Social stories are stories that describe with words and
pictures, different activities or events that happen in life in a step by step detailed way.
One of the most common reasons for social difficulties is
behavior that annoys other children. Children, like adults, do not like behavior that is bossy, self-centered, or
does not share or does not follow the rules
Misunderstanding/Misinterpretation Fear of academic or social performance
Texting E-mails Appropriateness No tone Know who your audience is:
Teacher Professional Friend
District Policy
is occurring. Be sure to select an appropriate time and place to discuss this matter with your child and gather detailed information.
understanding statements.
make matters worse, but avoid promising that you can “make it all better.”
Explain to your child that these feelings are normal
and understandable.
Be aware that sometimes children may
“overgeneralize.”
Unless the incident is severe or dangerous, view
yourself as a coach in this matter.
Use brainstorming as an effective tool.
In order for children to be successful in school, it is
important for rules, boundaries, and expectations to be clear.
Children are encouraged to interact positively with others
in all settings and have feedback provided as appropriate.
When this does not occur, skills such as communication,
cooperation, and conflict resolution should be used.
Children should be made aware of the difference between a
typical childhood behavior and a “mean kid.”
Are these comments or actions reoccurring, or did this
What is the level of these mean behaviors? What is the relationship between the children?
Once this has been established, further steps can be taken. The targeted person could make a statement which might
allow the other individual to realize the impact.
Sometimes a simple statement of recognition can help turn
a situation around.
Other times, stronger actions need to be taken. For
instance, when continuous mean behaviors occur, children should share this with an adult such as a parent or teacher.
81% of children between 2-7 spend time unsupervised
watching TV .
The average American youth spends 1, 023 hours per year
watching TV .
The average American youth spends 900 hours a year at
school.
Children between the ages of 8-18 spend 6.5 hours a day in
front of a computer, TV , or video game.
Reality TV shows are ranked in the top 10 for preteen
viewing.
These shows glorify people that lie, cheat, steal, and back
stab others to win competitions.
Video games have a tendency to be violent and graphic,
which can cause people to have more aggressive thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
It can decrease empathetic and helpful
peer relationships.
1. Make a plan. (What is my position? What is his/her
position? What will make us both happy?)
2. Don’t use threats or insults. 3. Stick to one topic; don’t introduce past disagreements or
problems.
4. Be direct in stating what you need and feel. 5. Don’t exaggerate, lecture, be sarcastic, or put words in
his/her mouth.
6. Pick the appropriate time and place to have the
discussion.
7. Observe and respond to the other person’s body
language.
8. Use “I” messages. (“I was unhappy that you didn’t invite
me” versus “You’re a jerk for not inviting me.”)
9. Acknowledge and accept your role in the problem. 10. Restate and acknowledge the other person’s feelings.
(“It must have made you angry when I said that…”)
Social Story: write a brief story, with pictures if possible, that describes the activity and what the child will need to do to
home the night before. Priming: have the child play the game or activity in advance at school
Instruction Sheet: provide the child with an instruction sheet with rules and expectations for playing the game or activity. Communicate: teachers can let parents know what sports, games, or activities that they will be doing so they can prepare the child at
the school know what skills they are working on so that the school can incorporate them into the child’s school day when possible.
The goal of this curriculum is to provide a fun,
A Superhero who helps a child develop strategies to beat the Team of Unthinkables. The Team of Unthinkables keeps the brain rigid and make it difficult for the child to become a flexible thinker. In order to be able to participate in group activities and interactions with other children have to be flexible thinkers. SuperFlex helps us become friendly, flexible thinkers.
*When introducing the SuperFlex curriculum it is important to clearly make the distinction that these characters are fictional, particularly for those children who have difficulty differentiating reality from fantasy. You can explain that these characters are pretend and are not really in our brains (Madrigal & Garcia Winner, 2008).
HELPS US WITH PHYSICAL MOVEMENT (how we move) HELPS US WITH SOCIAL SMARTS (how we interact) HELPS US WITH SCIENCE SMARTS (how we do in school)
The success of social skills instruction must be
Social Stories
The Watson Institute:
http://www.thewatsoninstitute.org/teacher- resources2.jsp?pageId=2161392240601226415747290
Books
Julia Cook
http://www.juliacookonline.com/books/
Social Thinking (Super Flex)
http://www.socialthinking.com/books-
products/superflex-curriculum32