Developing Social Skills

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Developing Social Skills
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The 4 Developmental Domains

• PHYSICAL
• COGNITIVE
• SOCIAL
• EMOTIONAL

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Some Facts

• Unless children achieve minimal social competence
  by about the age of six, they have a high
  probability of being at risk throughout life
• Peer relationships contribute a great deal to
  both social competence and cognitive development
  and the effectiveness with which we function as
  adults

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Some Facts

• Indeed, the single best childhood predictor of
  adult adaptation is not IQ, not school grades,
  and not classroom behavior, but rather the
  adequacy with which the child gets along with
  other children.
• The risks are many poor mental health, dropping
  out of school, low achievement and other social
  difficulties such as poor employment history
• Quality of relationships is more important than
  quantity

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Some Facts

• Everyday experiences in relationships with their
  parents are fundamental to childrens developing
  social skills.
• In particular, parental responsiveness and
  nurturance are considered to be key factors in
  the development of childrens social competence.

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Some Facts

• Children whose parents frequently play with them
  have more advanced social skills and get along
  better with peers.

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Some Facts

• Children who have more frequent conversations
  with a parent about peer relationships are better
  liked by other children in their classrooms and
  are rated by teachers as more socially competent.
• Sources Casas, 2001 Hartup, 1992 McClellan
  Katz, 1993 Peth-Pierce, 2000 Katz McClellan,
  1991

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The 4 Developmental Domains

• PHYSICAL
• COGNITIVE
• SOCIAL
• EMOTIONAL

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The Skills

• Taking turns
• Conversation - opinions
• Greeting
• Following directions
• Personal space
• Reading faces tone of voice
• Paralanguage and Prosody

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The Skills

• Compliment giving and accepting
• Active listening
• Humor
• Sharing
• Problem-solving
• Eye contact
• Negotiates - Compromises
• Gains access to ongoing activities and
  discussions

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Mastering Social Skills

• ESTIMATE WHAT AGE YOUR CHILD IS WHEN IT COMES
  TO SOCIAL SKILLS
• Think Younger

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CONSCIENCE DEVELOPMENT
The Skills

• INTERNALIZED SET OF MORALS AND VALUES
• EMPATHY
• RECIPROSITY
• FIXING MISTAKES
• RESTITUTION
• Im sorry. How can I make it up to you?

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Developmental Delays

• Cause and Effect Thinking
• Problem-Solving Skills
• Moral Development
• Social Skills

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Parenting Pearls

• Developmental Parenting
• Developmental interruptions result in delays
  that leave the individual developmentally
  immature

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Mastering Social Skills

• BACKTRACK TO THE YOUNGER AGE AND BEGIN BUILDING
  NEW SOCIAL SKILLS
• Social and Emotional Age vs.
• Chronological Age
• Observe
• Read
• Testing

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Mastering Social Skills
Solitary Parallel
Group
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Mastering Social Skills

• SELECT NO MORE THAN THREE
• SKILLS TO WORK ON SIMULTANEOUSLY

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Mastering Social Skills

• TAKE A PROBLEM-SOLVING APPROACH
• THE SOCIAL AUTOPSY
• What happened?
• How did that make others feel?
• How did that work out?
• What could have been done differently?
• PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRACTICE
• Within the family utilize siblings
• With younger children (when safety permits)

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Mastering Social Skills

• EYE CONTACT
• Games, Staring Contests, Request It at All Times,
  Mimic Faces, etc.
• REVIEW RESPONSES PRACTICE CONVERSATION
• Hello! Im Arleta How are you?
• PRACTICE UPCOMING SOCIAL SITUATIONS

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Mastering Social Skills

• OVERTEACH or RE-TEACH
• Children learn by repetition
• UNOBTRUSIVE SIGNAL SYSTEM
• Utilized to halt troubling behaviors without
  causing undue embarrassment or conflict.
• IDENTIFY AND EXPRESS FEELINGS
• PROVIDE THE CHILD WITH A POSITIVE MODEL
• THIS TAKES TIME!!

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Mastering Social Skills

• PRIORITIES
• Tick Tock Making Time
• No Batteries Needed

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Books by the Attachment and Bonding Center of
Ohio
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• Arleta James, PCC
• Attachment and Bonding Center of Ohio
• 12608 State Road
• Suite 1
• Cleveland, OH 44133
• 440-230-1960, ext. 4
• Arletaj_at_aol.com
• Visit my website www.arletajames.com