Social Skills

WHAT ARE SOCIAL SKILLS?

Social skills are specific strategies used by an individual to perform social tasks effectively which will be judged socially competent. There are often two types: environmental social skills and social interaction skills.

Environmental Social Skills are essential to perform tasks in an educational setting and include skills such as listening and following instructions.

Social Interaction Skills are skills that facilitate any positive social interaction, such as starting and maintaining a conversation, complementing others and resolving conflict.

A child with limited social skills may display some of the following characteristics; -

• Having inability to remain calm and relaxed around others;

• Being particularly shy, introvert or aggressive;

• Not having many friends (due to the fact that they can find it difficult to build rapport with others and, in some instances, can find eye contact with other people very daunting);

• Finding it difficult to listen or to empathise with others.

It is common for children with limited social skills to also have a primary disability such as Autism which may impinge on their self confidence and ability to integrate with others.

As a result children who have limited social skills can often display anxiety and depression and experience other social difficulties including social rejection and interpersonal relationship problems.

There is no known treatment for children with limited social skills, although counseling, skills training or direct instructions can be used to encourage a child to acknowledge and discuss problems which they are worried about. Children with limited social skills also benefit from being given positive feedback and praise as this can assist in developing their moral and self confidence.

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Please note that every care is taken to ensure that the information included on this webpage is accurate. However, should you discover any information which you believe to be inaccurate please Contact Us as soon as possible.

Although the information we have provided here is meant to be helpful to you, Douglas Silas Solicitors cannot be held responsible for any damage or loss caused by any inaccuracy or reliance placed upon it. If you have any concerns about your child, you should seek professional educational or healthcare advice as soon as possible.