Making an Argument for Social Skills Support in School
 |
|
|
Factoring in these key ingredients will enable you to greatly enhance social interaction among your students. Download this free Social Relationship Worksheet |
|
Did you know that young adults who lack social skills and have minimal social supports are far more at risk for job loss than those who lack basic academic skills? Poor social relations in childhood are a relatively reliable predictor of poor adult outcomes, including decreased likelihood of independent living, decreased life expectancy, and severe mental health problems. The importance and impact of social relationships are even stronger with regard to students with disabilities.
Students with disabilities encounter a number of social difficulties, many of which are due to their lack of effective social behavior, but some of which are due to a lack of opportunities for social activity.
Most school curricula do not place the achievement of stable, positive social networks on par with reading, mathematics, and geography. However, for children with disabilities, as for most of us, good social relations are an essential indication of quality of life. Children who are not accepted by their peers often:
• do not like school
• do not achieve well academically
• are more prone to emotional disorders than their peers who are well liked.
Social difficulties and students with disabilities
Consider what the studies have shown about social skills and students with disabilities:
• The social opportunities of students with disabilities are often more limited than those of their typically developing peers.
• Students in general education classes who are eligible for, but not yet receiving, special education services are perceived negatively by their typically developing peers.
• Eight- to thirteen-year-old boys with intellectual disabilities experience significantly more loneliness and social isolation than their peers without intellectual disabilities, as do students with learning disabilities in inclusive classrooms.
• Children with autism are less likely to respond to social initiations from peers and spend more free play time engaged in solitary or nonsocial play than their typically developing peers or other children with developmental delays.
• Students with disabilities often are vulnerable to social networks that support or maintain problematic social behaviors.
• Elementary and high school students with disabilities rate themselves significantly lower than their peers without disabilities on the quality-of-life variables of satisfaction, well-being, and social participation.
• More than 20% of students with multiple disabilities and about 33% of students with autism or deafblindness are reported by their parents to engage virtually never in social activities with friends (e.g., visits to one another’s homes, telephone calls, recreational activities) outside of school.
• Fifth- and sixth-grade students with disabilities have greater dissatisfaction with their relationships with teachers, poorer bonds with school, and perceived higher school danger than their peers without disabilities.
|
Six factors that influence social relationships |
|
Opportunity—being physically present around typically developing peers on a regular basis with routine and spontaneous occasions to interact Atmosphere—staff and student attitudes toward human differences and values about social relationiships, peer support, competition versus cooperation, and student involvement in resolving social concerns Social support and motivation—having the needed supports and encouragement from adults and peers to interact socially and build relationships Academic achievement—possessing needed academic skills and the confidence that comes from having and using these skills Social competence and interaction skills—being able to initiate interactions with peers, respond to peers, and elaborate on the initiations or responses of peers at a typical rate Maintenance and generalization of relationships—keeping and extending social relationships as well as remembering and transferring known social skills across different people and settings |
On the bright side
In contrast, students with disabilities who have effective social skills along with the necessary social supports from peers and adults do experience a sense of belonging and self-esteem.
Students who are socially competent and have adequate social supports report feeling included in their community and have a positive self-concept. Students with learning disabilities in inclusive educational settings who have reciprocal relationships with their classmates report feeling satisfied with their social life at school.
Clearly, strong justifications exist for including the development of social skills and relationships in the school curriculum. By instituting approaches or programs that support social skill development, teachers can bolster the four primary functions of social relations for students:
1. The natural support function—social relations provide noncontingent support for completing various tasks and for gaining entrance into social groups.
2. The advocacy function—positive social relations promote a sense of value and self-worth.
3. The informational or social learning function—social relations teach us about appropriate behavior and social conventions.
4. The affirming function—social relations aid the development of a sense of belonging and support.
In addition to enhancing quality of life, social skills are required in many daily routines at home, at school, and in the community, and a positive relationship exists between social competence and an absence of problem behavior.
Schools take an important first step in the process of making a difference in students’ social lives, adult outcomes, and quality of life when they recognize the value of positive social relationships among students and their ability to affect those relationships. The critical next step is for educators to gain the skills and knowledge needed to support social skill development.
* Adapted from Social Relationships and Peer Support by Rachel Janney & Martha Snell
|
||||
