Social and Interpersonal Skills Training

Description of the Strategy

Since the 1970s, social skills training has been widely used to assist children with impaired social competence. This strategy focuses on teaching the interpersonal skills necessary for successful social interactions and relationships. Social skills training is designed to improve the verbal and nonverbal behaviors related to interpersonal effectiveness and peer acceptance, as well as others' judgment or impression. The underlying assumption behind this approach is that social skills are learned behaviors that can be taught to children using structured teaching methods.

Numerous social skills programs are available for children and adolescents. The specifics of these programs differ, based on the population for which the treatment was designed (e.g., socially anxious, impulsive, or oppositional children). The basic social skills intervention ...