Social Skills Facilitation Techniques

social skills

Any competence facilitating interaction and communication with others where social rules and relations are created, communicated, and changed in verbal and nonverbal ways

socialization

the process of learning social skills

social skills in leisure

imperative to one’s QoL. makes an activity meaningful and more enjoyable. the purpose of some activities may be entirely social

social competence

a complex set of skills that can be defined from a variety of viewpoints

cognitive-based social competence

knowledge and understanding of social relationships

behaviorally-based social competence

mutually satisfying interactions that result in positive outcomes for the interactors

performance-based social competence

the way one’s social behavior is judged overall by all others within a context

combined social competence

one’s ability to execute social, behavioral and performance-based competencies collectively

mastery of social competence

the process of one taking an active role to learn what works, and what doesn’t in social situations so as to master the skills required. Essentially, social competence becomes effortless.

social competence problems resulting from disability

lack of opportunity to practice skills due to disabling conditions, displaying inappropriate behaviors, lack of social skills, demonstrating the wrong skill in the wrong environment, and inadequate friendships

outcomes of social competence

develop support systems, develop moral judgement and values, improve self esteem, promote competence and adult-like behavior, develop independence, recreation, status in peer group, courtship and mate selection 

considerations for teaching social skills

-Instruction-based interventions do not work

-Must involve “real world” social exchanges with normalized peers

-When using inclusive interventions, peers without disabilities must also be trained on how to interact

-Social interaction with peers with and without disabilities

-Peers without disabilities must view themselves as a peer not a teacher.

-Teach the skills that can be generalized to a variety of social settings

-Training should occur in naturalized environments

-In order to maintain skills, lessons should progressively build upon each other

deficits 

acquisition, performance, fluency

deficit: acquisition

difficulty uptaking information about skills

deficit: performance

difficulty demonstrating the desired behavior

deficit: fluency

the person knows the skill and can demonstrate it but lacks fluidity, they are awkward in execution of the skill

peer mediated intervention

classmate/peer helps to teach or model

RT populations with social competence deficits

Children with Behavioral Disorders (ADHD, Conduct Disorder, Attachment Disorder, etc.) and/or ASD. Individuals with psychotic disorders such as Schizophrenia. Individuals with intellectual or learning disabilities

plan to teach social skills

-Identify clients in need

-Identify need for performing – deficits - assess

-Identify components of the skill through task analysis – goals/objectives

-Write a plan - interventions

-Implement - Model the behavior, Provide rehearsal – monitor

-Evaluate - Generalize training

topics

Peer relationships

Self-management

Academic

Compliance

Assertion

goals for kids with behavior disorders

Making appropriate and productive conversation

Make introductions

Speaking assertively

Being courteous

Asking for help

Offering/giving help

Giving/accepting criticism

Negotiating conflict

goals for people with schizophrenia

-Engaging in behavioral rehearsal in order to execute conversations

-Shaping behavior towards competent performance

-Align treatment goals with cognitive capabilities and motivators

goals for individuals with intellectual disabilities

-Learn socially-based emotions within a social context

-Recognizing the emotion one is experiencing

-Recognizing the emotion one is experiencing in a social context

-Identifying the appropriate emotion to the corresponding social situation

goals for children with ASD

-Increase social motivation

-Increase social initiation

-Improve appropriate social responding

-Reduce interfering behaviors

-Promote skill generalization

social competencies to teach

basic interaction, making conversation (in person and online), build and maintain friendships, empathy, dealing with conflict, hygiene, time management, finances, food, transportation, volunteering

basic interaction skills

Eye contact, smiling, confident body language, politeness, showing interest

skills for making interactions

-Initiating and maintaining conversation

-Giving positive feedback - giving compliments

-Giving negative feedback - correction

-Accepting negative feedback w/o hostility

-Following instructions

skills for dealing with conflict

Resisting peer pressure 

-Solving personal problems

-Negotiating solutions to problems