Social Skills and Children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

1. Social Skills and Childrenwith Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Kristen Gerpe

2. What are Social Skills: • Social Skills are specific behavior that lead to social competence which is the degree to which children can function in a social situation. Building Social Relationships by Scott Bellini

3. Types of Social Skills: • Basic Skills: Following directions • Reading social cues: Body language • Empathy: Taking the role of the other • Interpersonal Skills: Sharing • Problem- Solving Skills: Asking for help Building Social Relationships by Scott Bellini

4. Why are social skills important ? • Positive Outcomes: • Good social skills lead to resiliency in times of stress • Self-worth and overall happiness • Creates a positive school environment • Negative Outcomes: • Experience problems in relationships with peer and adults which can continue into adulthood • Lead to peer rejection and loneliness • Risk factor for mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression • Can result in aggression and discipline problems www.nasponline.org

5. Social Skills Deficits • Skill acquisition deficit absence of a skills • Performance deficit has the skill ,but does always use it • Start by determining if there is a acquisition or performance deficit • Building Social Relationships by Scott Bellini

6. Stages in Social Skills Training • Select the behavior or deficient • Organize/operationalize the behavior • Demonstrate or model the behavior • Provide feedback • Provide opportunities to demonstrate the behavior in the classroom • Reinforce the behavior • Have the student practice the skill in other settings, situations and with other people • Evaluate effectiveness Teaching Social Skills to Children and Youth by Gwendolyn Cartledge and JoAnne Fellows Milburn

7. Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: • 4-6% of children have ADHD • 1-3% of children have Conduct Disorder • Social Anxiety: 4-7% of children • Generalized Anxiety: 5% • Depression 1-12% depending on age of the child Child Psychopathology Edited by Eric Marsh and Russell Barkley

8. Types of Interpersonal Style: • Aggression: ADHD and Conduct Disorder • Lack of empathy • Impulsive • Careless • Avoidance: Social Anxiety and Depression • Passivity • Procrastination • Dependency on others Developing Children’s Social and Emotional and Behavioral Skills by Marianne Csoti

9. Development of Interpersonal Style: Social Skills are Learned • Parents’ Reactions to Children’s Negative Emotions: Relations to Children’s Social Competence by Eisenberg, Fabes and Murphy • Study of Toddlers-6th graders Mothers’ positive reactions: • Calm or comfort • Support appropriate expression of emotions • Children encouraged to solve the problem Associated with social competence and self-efficacy Negative Reaction: • Minimizing • Maternal Distress Associated with low social functioning and social avoidance

10. Assertiveness • Aggressive children pursue what they want regardless of the consequences • Passive children put others first and fear disapproval Assertive Communication: • Express what they think and feel • I feel ____________when_______________ • Communicate a need or solution Developing Children’s Social and Emotional and Behavioral Skills by Marianne Csoti

11. Social Problem Solving Model/Cognitive-Behavioral • Emotional awareness and self-control • Identify and articulate a problem • Select a goal • Generate solutions • Envision outcomes • Select a solution that meets the goal • Plan or rehearse implementing the solution • Evaluate the effectiveness of the solution and outcomes Social Decision Making/Social Problem Solving: A Curriculum for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning by Maurice Elias and Linda Bruenne Butler

12. Problem Solving Perspective Negative • Problems are a threat • Doubt ability to solve a problem • Easily frustrated and upset by problems Positive • Problems are an opportunity or challenge • Self-efficacy • Problems are solvable Social Decision Making/Social Problem Solving: A Curriculum for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning by Maurice Elias and Linda Bruenne Butler

13. Teaching the model • Role-Playing • Modeling • Journaling Then Use: • Repetition • Prompts and Cues • Rewards Social Decision Making/Social Problem Solving: A Curriculum for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning by Maurice Elias and Linda Bruenne Butler

14. Worksheet • Tier One • Emotional awareness • Self-monitoring • Builds self-efficacy • Allows progress monitoring • Can modify for different age groups Social Decision Making/Social Problem Solving: A Curriculum for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning by Maurice Elias and Linda Bruenne Butler

15. Research • Tier Two • Denham did a Meta-analysis for SPS At Risk Students • Increased scores on post tests • Moderate to large improvement • Tier Three • Kazdin study of aggressive children ages 7-13 who were in a hospitalized for two to three months • Twenty sessions each were 45 minutes • Combined with 20 individual therapy sessions • Used response-cost procedures • Improvement in home and school functioning that lasted for at least one year

16. Research Continued • Sample of 52 boys in a residential facility for emotionally disordered youth • Ethnically diverse and age range between 7-15 • Most came from abusive or neglectful homes • Watch 10 tapes of “peer models” working through problems Outcomes: • Less socially isolated • Improved self-control specifically anger and distress • Reported fewer stressors • When put into a distressing situation they kept their behavior and emotions under control better than non-treated peers www.promisingpractices.net

17. Video Self-Monitoring and SPS • Tape a situation were a student successfully manages a conflict with a peer or adult • May require hours of footage • Tape role-playing scenarios • Edit out emotional outbursts • Edit out coaching such as prompts and cues • Have student watch video of themselves • Increases self-efficacy • Evidence- based practice Building Social Relationships by Scott Bellini

18. General Tips • Include parents and caregivers • Reinforce skills at home • Individualize and modify the intervention based on data • “Catch them being good” www.nasponline.org “Social Skills: Promoting Positive Behavior, Academic Success and School Safety”