Social Skills

Social Skills:  Making the Connection

• It's true for all of us:  the ability to communicate effectively helps ensure that we can enjoy healthy, fulfilling relationships at home, in school, in our workplace, and in our community.
• In the case of children, their ability to interact effectively with peers, teachers, and families is crucial to their social-behavioral development and adjustment at school.
• Furthermore, poor social-behavioral skills correlate highly with low academic achievement. especially regarding reading ability, and anti-social behavior patterns put children at early risk of poor adjustment to school.

Why social skills coaching?

• Some of us do best when we have the opportunity for coaching in areas of social communication that do not come naturally.  And, that is where social skills coaching groups come in.
• Social skills coaching helps participants develop appropriate interpersonal communication skills, self-discipline, and problem-solving skills.  It combines a number of strategies to prevent and replace penalizing behaviors, and increase skills and behaviors that lead to social competence.
• It is most effective when it becomes a part of the daily academic curriculum and is implemented on a class-wide and school-wide basis.
• Sessions outside of the classroom can also provide the foundation for bringing friendship and peer support into a person's life.

For more information, contact:
Office of Special Education Programs
Office of Special Education and Rehab Services
US Department of Education
330 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20202
(202) 205-5507
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/index.html
also contact: 
http://www.ideapractices.org

Additional information about local resources:

Key Principles                 Providers