The Central Role of Teaching Social Skills

Abstract

We can no longer assume that all children come to school knowing how to behave and how to respond appropriately in varying social situations. Some children believe that the only way to express anger is to hit someone or to yell until they get attention. Albert, a 15-year-old student who was involved in a gang, did not know how to wait his turn to speak and continually strove, like a 3-or 4-year-old, to get the teacher's attention. He became very upset if someone else in his instructional E/BD class received attention. Tyler, a 16-year-old, is in a regular high school but is scorned by other students because he continually acts like a Power Ranger. Jenny, a IO-year-old receiving resource services from the special education teacher in the building, speaks very quietly and cannot assert herself to make her needs known. All of these students need to be taught appropriate social skills. Mathur and Rutherford (1996) state that adequate social development can be considered the foundation of personal and social adjustment in life. Deficits in social skills are linked to poor social adjustment, mental health problems, delinquency, and low selfconcept. According to Deshler, Ellis, and Lenz (1996): "Social skills knowledge is just as important as content knowledge" (p. 371). They believe that poor social skills in school are related to the following factors: (1) limited opportunities to learn; (2) negative academic and social self-concept; and (3) social isolation.

Teaching Online Social Skills to Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

“…Students with EBD often lack the general social skills needed to participate in both school and community environments (Fitzgerald, 2005;Grehsam, Sugai, & Horner, 2001; Hill & Coufal, 2005;Johns, Crowley, & Guetzloe, 2005;Lane et al, 2008;Mikami et al, 2007). In school, deficits in appropriate social skills have been linked to lack of peer relationships, deficits in academic subjects, low levels of engagement, and high drop-out rates (Cumming et al, 2008;Gresham, Sugai, & Horner, 2001;Gresham et al, 2010;Fitzpatrick & Knowlton, 2009;Hill & Coufal, 2005;Lane, Givner, & Pierson, 2004;Lane et al, 2008;Miller et al, 2005).…”

“…Because social skills impact a variety of factors (e.g., academic achievement, post-secondary job placement, and psychological well-being), educators employ several methods to teach these skills within the classroom environment (Barton-Arwood et al, 2005;Gresham, Sugai, & Horner, 2001;Johns, Crowley, & Guetzloe, 2005;Maag, 2005;Rotheram-Borus, Bickford, & Milburn, 2001;Rutherford, DuPaul, & Jitendra, 2008;Williams & Reisberg, 2003). Although social skills should be taught using direct and explicit instruction in the general education environment, little direct instruction actually happens (Dobbins, Higgins, Pierce, Tandy, & Tincani, 2010;Spence, 1983;Williams & Reisberg, 2003).…”

“…The most common approach to teaching appropriate social skills to students with emotional and behavioral disorders is through direct and explicit instruction of targeted skills (Barton-Arwood et al, 2005;Bullis, Walker, & Sprague, 2001;Johns et al, 2005;Goldstein & McGinnis, 1997;Gresham, Sugai, & Horner, 2001;Maag, 2005;Rotheram-Borus et al, 2001;Rutherford, DuPaul, & Jitendra, 2008). Although the terminology used in these curricula varies, the major components of most social skills instructional models include (a) discussion of the inappropriate social skill, (b) direct instruction of the new social skill, (c) modeling of the appropriate implementation of the targeted skill, (d) student role-play of the skill with immediate feedback from the teacher and peers, and (e) assigned practice focused on the generalization of the social skill (Johns et al, 2005;Goldstein & McGinnis, 1997;Gresham, Sugai, & Horner, 2001;Maag, 2005).…”

“…Common characteristics of students with EBD include verbal and physical aggression, impulsive behavior, and a general inability to maintain interpersonal relationships due to deficiencies in communication skills (Gresham, Sugai, & Horner, 2001;Hill & Coufal, 2005;Lane, Barton-Arwood, Nelson, & Wehby, 2008;Mikami et al, 2007)). Social skills instruction is a commonly accepted intervention for addressing these deficits for students with EBD (Gresham, 2001;Gresham et al, 2001;Hill & Coufal, 2005;Johns, Crowley, & Guetzloe, 2005). This instruction is most effective when direct and explicit instruction of the targeted social skill is used (Bullis, Walker, & Sprague, 2001;Goldstein & McGinnis, 1997;Gresham, Sugai, & Horner, 2001).…”

“…This instruction is most effective when direct and explicit instruction of the targeted social skill is used (Bullis, Walker, & Sprague, 2001;Goldstein & McGinnis, 1997;Gresham, Sugai, & Horner, 2001). The direct instruction should include an appropriate replacement behavior and occur in the natural environment (Johns et al;Maag, 2005).…”