SOCIAL SKILLS Instruction and Competence

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SOCIAL SKILLSInstruction and Competence

• Donna M. Janney
• University of Arizona

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Agenda

• Definitions
• Purpose
• Evaluating programs
• Ways to enhance programs
• Programs
• Resources

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Social Competence

• The goal of social skills instruction.
• Ability to develop and maintain effective,
  prosocial, interpersonal relationships in various
  settings.

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Social Skills

• Learned behaviors that make it possible to
• Get along with others
• Gain acceptance
• Develop and maintain friendships
• Manage anger
• Maintain self-control
• Problem solve

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Social Skills include

• Social behaviors
• Maintaining eye contact
• Taking turns
• Asking before taking
• Social knowledge
• e.g., what it means to take turns

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Social Skills include

• Social-cognitive processes
• Utilize problem solving skills
• Regulation skills
• Enable one to inhibit disruptive behavior

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Purpose of Social Skills Instruction

• Promote prosocial, interpersonal behaviors that
  lead to the development of social competence.

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Social Skills Instruction

• What does it do?
• Combines strategies to teach appropriate
  interpersonal, self-discipline, and problem
  solving skills.

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Social Skills Instruction

• Who needs it?
• Everyone
• Students who have social difficulties.
• poor peer relations
• difficulty with self-management
• trouble following directions
• difficulty managing anger

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Social Skills Instruction

• Who receives it?
• That is for the YOU to decide. Social skills
  instruction can be provided to an individual
  student or groups of students.
• prevention
• intervention

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Social Skills Instruction

• Taught by same procedures and principles used to
  teach academic skills.
• Universal, secondary and tertiary levels of
  intensity.
• More effective if accompanied by reductive
  techniques to reduce or eliminate problem
  behaviors (e.g., PBIS functional behavioral
  assessment behavior intervention plan)

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Evaluating Programs

• Checklist

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Ways to Enhance Social Skills Instruction

• Embed social skills instruction in the classroom
  and schoolwide curricula.
• Match intensity of instruction with intensity and
  type of problem behavior.
• Informal use teachable moments
• Formal planned, focused, scheduled

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Ways to Enhance Social Skills Instruction

• Incorporate strategies to promote generalization.
• Evaluate based on accuracy, fluency, degree of
  improvement, change in perception of child by
  others.

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Ways to Enhance Social Skills Instruction

• Make it relevant to the student culturally and
  personally
• Provide numerous opportunities for observation of
  behaviors
• Provide numerous opportunities to
  imitate/practice behaviors

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Second Step Program

• FOR Pre-K 8th grade
• WHAT Violence prevention program designed
• to reduce impulsive and aggressive
• behavior in children.
• HOW Grade-specific curriculums taught by
• teachers and youth service providers.
• FAMILY COMPONENT Yes
• http//www.nal.usda.gov/pavnet/ye/yesecste.htm
• http//www.rres.srvusd.k12.ca.us/2ndstep1.html

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Skillstreaming

• FOR Early childhood, elementary, and
• adolescent
• WHAT Curriculum set with guide, student
• manual, forms, and skill cards.
• HOW Modeling, role playing, performance
• feedback and homework
• FAMILY COMPONENT Yes
• http//www.skillstreaming.com

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PeaceBuilders

• FOR Young child, child, pre-teen and teen
• WHAT Anti-violence curriculum for creating safe,
• positive environments.
• HOW Curriculum set with guide, student
• manual, forms, and skill cards.
• FAMILY COMPONENT Yes
• http//www.peacebuilders.com/

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I Can Problem Solve

• FOR Early Childhood
• WHAT Program for changing thinking style
• HOW Use of pictures, role-playing,
• puppets, and group interaction.
• FAMILY COMPONENT No
• http//www.thinkingchild.com/icps.htm

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ASSIST ProgramAffective Social Skills
Instructional Strategies and Techniques

• FOR Primary and Intermediate
• WHAT Curriculum focusing on skills related to
• the classroom, basic interactions, getting
• along, making friends, and coping.
• HOW Scripted, direct instruction.
• FAMILY COMPONENT No
• http//books.google.com/books?vidISBN0761977767i
  d-kQy3rJ1vz8CpgRA1-PA63lpgRA1-PA63otsqpFi4X
  nExxdqAffectiveSocialSkillsInstructionalStr
  ategiesandTechniquessig4hSyB1g-Xy4FXXxWDM2ocm0
  Tp2UPRA1-PA57,M1

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The ACCEPTS Program

• FOR Kindergarten 6th grade
• WHAT Social skills curriculum
• HOW Series of teacher handbooks related
• to cooperation, friendship, self-
• concept, caring and sexual abuse
• FAMILY COMPONENT No
• http//www.proedinc.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idPro
  duct625

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Additional Resources

• www.teachingld.org/pdf/alert9_03.pdf Social
  skills instruction for students with learning
  disabilities.
• http//www.promisingpractices.net/programs_topic.a
  sp Provides quality, evidence-based programs
  that are rated as proven or promising practices.