1. Parenting Children with Special
Needs: A Focus on Social Skills
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Kristine Strong, Ph.D.
Licensed Educational Psychologist
#2314
Copyright 2012
2. Goals for Training:
Design a Specific Plan for Your Child Using
Planning Sheet
Provide a Format for Collaborating with Your
Teachers
Focus on Two Specific Methods for Supporting
your Child:
Social Narratives/Social Stories
Social Skills Intervention Strategies
3. The Importance of Social Skills
Social competence or
Social “Intelligence” is
important to future
quality of life
Peer relations,
friendships, and social
support networks are
protective factors in the
face of risk factors or
challenges
4. Who Can This Help?
Children with attention and impulsivity
challenges
Children with an autism spectrum disorder
Children with an emotional disturbance
Children with learning disabilities
Children with health impairments
5. Social Skills Overview
Focus on Pro-social
behaviors, these lead
to positive outcomes
and include:
Cooperation
Assertion
Responsibility
Empathy
Self-Control
6. Pro-Social Behaviors
Cooperation:
Using free time
appropriately
Making transitions
Assertion: QuickTime™ and a
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are
Giving a compliment
Initiating a
conversation
Responsibility:
Asking permission
Asking for help
7. Pro-Social Skills
Empathy:
Show appreciation of
others
Expressing Concern
QuickTime™ and a
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Self-Control:
Controlling anger in
conflict situation
Responding to teasing
8. Desired Outcome: Positive
Peer Relations, Friends
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• The ultimate outcome or goal for increasing
social skills is to lead to the development of
positive peer relations and friendships.
Brainstorm: What leads to friendships?
9. Designing a Plan: Handout
Focus on one or two skills that will promote
positive interactions with peers
Define the skill that you want your child to learn
Write out an action plan
Make it a plan you can use as a part of a daily
routine
Collaborate with your child’s teacher/therapist
10. Social Narratives
Social Narratives are considered to be an
evidence based practice
They are short stories based on real life
situations and are specific to your child’s
experiences
They are simple, to the point, and use visual
supports such as pictures or drawings
11. Social Narratives cont.
Social Narratives can address:
Positive social interactions such as greetings,
compliments, positive comments
Reducing repetitive or problem behaviors
Frustration, conflict resolution
Problem behaviors
12. Social Narratives: Step by Step
Step one: Describe a specific social situation
relevant to your child’s social experiences
Step two: Define and target a specific skill or
behavior-Collaborate with your teacher
Step three: Write a short story based on
developmental level of your child using pictures
or drawings
Step four: Implement - how often, when, where,
who
Step five: Measure progress
13. Example Narrative
10 year old boy
Target skill: Initiate conversation with a peer at
recess to increase positive social interactions
Review social story before recess and each
morning, evaluate how it went after recess with
teacher, and at home after dinner and homework is
done--develop a home routine
14.
15.
16. Narrative: Initiating a
Conversation
Pg 1:I am walking out to recess and see my friend
Ethan.
Pg 2: He likes the Giants.
Pg 3: I ask him, “Did you watch the Giants last
night and see Buster hit the home run?”
Pg 4: I ask him, “Who do you think is the best
pitcher?”
Pg 5: I let him know if I agree or not.
Pg 6: We walk out to the playground.
17. Use in Daily Routines
White board in kitchen or other area where
easy access, quick visual reference
Ready made one page or small booklets
blank or with scripted prompts
Visuals such as cut out pictures, photos, or
drawings
18. Reinforce what works
Give feedback daily on what worked
Evaluate and make changes to the narrative
as needed
Update narratives regularly according to
interests, social situations, peers
Encourage and use positive reinforcement,
praise, social rewards
21. Social Skills Intervention
Based on the use of positive behavior
interventions and use:
Modeling
Direct teaching, coaching, rehearsing
Targeting specific skills, practice
Social Problem Solving
Using reinforcement systems, contracts
Monitoring progress
22. Social Skills Groups
Small groups of Schedule regular
three to four meetings
children
Data collection
Similar needs
Work toward
Similar
developmental generalization
levels
23. Modeling
Choose skill you want to teach
Model the skill in a “mock” situation
Provide visual cues, pictures, sequence
Practice the skill, have your child model the
skill in a mock situation
Evaluate, give feedback
Role play the skill using different scenarios
or situations
24. Rehearsal
Help your child visualize a scene where he/she will
use the skill.
Help your child practice visualizing themselves using
the skill
Imagine how other people will respond.
Verbal rehearsal, using visual cues, verbally talk
through the social interaction.
A B C
25. Coaching
Verbal instruction, discussion, and
evaluation of using a specific skill
Provide “rules” for behavior
Evaluate the possible outcomes of using a
particular behavior
26. Example Lesson: Joining In an
Activity
Introduce and define
the skill
Identify key steps:
Get the attention of QuickTime™ and a
the leader of the TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
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group
Make a positive
statement
Ask if you can join
Thank the group
leader
27. Joining in a Group
Model and role play a situation
Choose different possible group situations,
ie., recess, lunch table, before school
socializing, in class group activities
Rehearse using visual cues, visualization
Set goals--ie., join in one group activity
each day.
28. Volunteering to Help Peers
Discuss noticing when Model and role
a peer needs help play in volunteering
Define skill and what situations
it means to volunteer
Ask students to
Identify Steps:
Brainstorm
Notice someone
situations
needs help
Ask if he/she needs Set goals--ie., to
help offer to help a peer
Be cooperative once daily
29. Problem Solving Steps
Problem solving is characterized by the following:
Stress that a solution is possible
Remind student of previous successes
Define the problem
Generate potential solutions
Evaluate and choose a solution
Define steps to implement solution
30. Social Problem Solving
Step 1: Define the Problem:
What does it look like?
When does it happen?
When does this problem NOT happen?
Step 2: What can we do about this problem?
List 3 solutions
Evaluate these solutions – will they help?
Choose one of these solutions
Step 3: How can this solution work?
Explain how you will behave differently
using a new solution to the problem.
What will be different?
Step 4: Practice your new strategy or
solution
Role play with your teacher and parent.
Visualize using this strategy.
Step 5: How did it go?
What worked?
How can you use your new strategies again?
When will you need to use your new
strategy?
31. Daily Behavior Report Card
Student: _________________ Date:__________
Please rate this child’s behavior today in the areas listed below.
1 = excellent, 2 = good, 3 = fair, 4 = poor and 5 = very poor
Please initial each row following your rating at the end of the activity being rated. Comments can
be added when needed. Please make a copy for parents and provide them with feedback as
indicated in the pa rent – school communication agreement.
Behavior to be rated Activity/Subject
Language Math Recess/ Science
Arts Lunch
Cooperation: Gets
ready for next activity
Social Skills: Accepts
ideas from others
Conflict Resolution:
Uses Problem Solving
Chart, Avoids Conflict
Situations
Comments:
32. Collaborate With Educators
Choose one or two
specific skills to focus on
for a three to four month
period
Discuss resources
available at your child’s
school
Develop a plan with
educational staff
Evaluate progress after
initial 6 weeks
33. Resources
Gresham and Elliott: Social Skills Rating
System
Gresham and Elliott: Social Skills
Intervention Guide
National Professional Development Center
on Autism Spectrum Disorders