Social Skills - Implementation

System (Gresham & Elliott, 1990) or Walker-McConnell Scales of Social Competence and School Adjustment (1995), provide norm-referenced scores to determine the level of severity and guide selection of specific skills. Questions to guide the assessment process include:

What social skills deficits are of most concern to you?

Provide a clear, specific definition of each behavior that concerns you.

How often does the behavior occur?

How often would you like it to occur?

Are there activities or times of the day when the desired social skills is most likely?..least likely?

Is the desired social skill more likely to occur with some peers than others?

Step 2: Determine the type of social skills deficit.

Once the areas of concern have been identified, strategies may be appropriately selected by determining the type of social skills deficit.

Acquisition deficit (a can’t do problem)- the student does not know how to use the skill.

Performance deficit (won’t do problem)- the student knows how but does not use the skill.

Fluency deficit – the student needs practice using the skill to demonstrate competence.

Maintenance or generalization problem – the student demonstrates the skill appropriately in some, but not all settings.

Step 3: Determine if certain problem behaviors are
preventing the student from using the skill.

Many students demonstrate a combination of the social skill deficits listed above and will require several different interventions. It is also important to recognize that many students have problem behaviors that interfere with the development and use of social skills. A primary goal for social skills training should be to teach and support students in using the appropriate social skills, rather than problem behaviors, to meet their needs in different settings. The following provides an example of how social skills can be selected for training to address problem behaviors.

Cooperation (attends; ignores distractions)

Assertion (joins activities; makes friends)

Self-Control (controls temper; compromises)

Hyperactivity (doesn’t listen; easily distracted)

Internalizing (alone; shows anxiety)

Externalizing (gets angry; fights)

Step 4: Select an appropriate strategy.

The following section provides research-based strategies for teaching students who have not acquired specific social skills. To support students who have acquired specific skills but do not perform them (a “won’t do” problem), please see strategies for “Enhancing Social Skill Performance.” To support students that do not consistently use social skills proficiently, see “Developing Fluency with Social Skills.” Finally, “Maintaining Social Skills” provides strategies for students that have acquired and used skills appropriately but have difficulty using the skills in different settings or over time.

Strategies for Promoting Skill Acquisition:

To teach skills that have not been acquired, three specific steps are necessary: (1) modeling, (2) coaching, and (3) behavioral rehearsal. Lessons for teaching social skills should be planned just as academic instruction is planned. That is, goals for content mastery should be identified, and the delivery of instruction should be appropriately designed for the specific classroom environment.

First Instructional Component: Modeling

(1)	Point Out Benefits of Learning the Skill.
	-	Ask why the social skill might be important.
	-	Identify potential consequences for using the social skill.
	-	Use examples from movies, television, books, and so forth in which characters use the social skill.
	-	Identify settings and situations where the skill could be and should be used
(2)	Task Analyze Skill Components
	-	Select a social skill to be discussed (e.g., compromising in conflict situations).
	-	Brainstorm behaviors a person would have to perform to compromise in a conflict situation.
	-	Write students’ ideas on flip chart or chalkboard.
	-	Discuss relevance of each idea and decide which behaviors would be important in compromising in conflict situations.
	-	Decide with the group which behaviors would be most important in compromising in conflict situations.
	-	Decide with the group the order or sequence in which the behaviors should be performed.
	-	Identify with the group potential problems that might occur when performing the skill (e.g., being taunted, verbal aggression).
(3)	Demonstrate the Skill Using Modeled Instruction
	-	Decide whether you or another student in the group will model the skill.
	-	Point out the necessary behaviors for performing the skill. Write these on the board before modeling the skill.
	-	Tell students to watch and see if each behavioral step is performed and if it was performed in the proper sequence.
	-	Model the skill or have another child model the skill.
	-	After modeling, solicit feedback from students in evaluation of modeling sequence. Discuss comments offered.
(4)	Rehearse the Skill
	-	Have students practice the skill with each other.
	-	Provide specific feedback regarding behavioral rehearsals.
	-	Offer suggestions for how performances might be improved.
	-	Re-model the skill and require repeated behavioral rehearsals to build fluency.
(5)	Program for Generalization
	-	Role-play a number of situations in which the skill could be used
	-	Vary the situations in which the skill could be used (e.g., number and type of persons present, type of conflict situation, where the conflict situation occurs).
	-	Teach a number of variations in performing the skill in the same situation.
	-	Show students how there are numerous ways of accomplishing the same goal in a social interaction (e.g., multiple ways of resolving conflict).
Second Instructional Component: Coaching
	-	Present a Social Concept (e.g., ask group what compromise means).
	-	Ask for definitions of the social concept.
	-	Sharpen group’s definition of social concept (e.g., “Compromise could also mean . . . as well as . . . “).
	-	Ask for specific behavioral examples of the social concept (“What are some things kids would do to show that they are compromising?”)
	-	Elicit from group potential consequences for using and not using the skill.
	-	Generate settings and situations in which the social skill would be appropriate and inappropriate.
	-	Use behavioral rehearsal to practice the skill.
	-	Use specific performance feedback about the behavioral rehearsals.
	-	Build fluency with repeated rehearsals of the skill.
Third Instructional Component: Behavioral Rehearsal
(1)	Covert Rehearsal
	-	Have students close their eyes. Present scene involving a social interaction.
	-	Have students imagine themselves performing the social skill in the scene. Have students imagine how other people in the scene would respond to their behavior.
	-	Have students imagine alternative behaviors they could perform in the scene and the consequences associated with each.
(2)	Verbal Rehearsal
	-	Present a social situation involving a social interaction.
	-	Have students identify each step in performing the social skill.
	-	Have student orally arrange these steps in a proper sequence.
	-	Have students describe situations in which skill would be appropriate.
	-	Have students describe potential consequences of performing the social skill.
	-	For each situation, have students describe alternative social .behaviors and the consequences associated with each behavior.
(3)	Overt Rehearsal
	-	Describe a role-play situation, select participants, and assign roles for each participant.
	-	Have participants role-play the social situation. Instruct observers to watch performances of each participant closely.
	-	Discuss and evaluation performances in the role-play and provide suggestions for improved performances.
	-	Ask participants to incorporate feedback suggestions as they replay the scene.
	-	Select new participants to role-play the same scene.
	-	Build fluency with repeated rehearsals of the social skill.