Social Skills

Social skills are generally defined as socially accepted behaviors that result in desirable social outcomes. Although there is no specific agreed-upon definition, social skills most often are conceptualized as learned behaviors that:

• Are comprised of discrete verbal and nonverbal behaviors
• Require effective responsiveness to social situations
• Are influenced by the social environment

For example, saying “Hello” and shaking hands when meeting someone are learned verbal and nonverbal behaviors that are demonstrated in reaction to meeting a new person. However, this response may not be appropriate in another culture. Therefore, the social skills involved in greeting someone require responsiveness to the social environment.

There are five major domains of social skills that emerge from the research on social behaviors:

• 1.
  Cooperation involves behaviors such as helping others, sharing, and complying with the rules.
• 2.
  Assertion involves behaviors such as initiating social interactions (e.g., asking to enter a game) and responding assertively to others (e.g., responding appropriately to peer pressure).
• 3.
  Self-control involves behaviors such as managing anger in conflict situations and receiving criticism or feedback from others.
• 4.
  Peer relationships involve behaviors such as empathizing, complimenting or praising peers, and getting along with peers.
• 5.
  Academic social skills involve behaviors such as taking responsibility for completing assignments and completing academic tasks independently.

Social skills are further conceptualized as being part of a broader area of behavior called social competence. Whereas social skills are comprised of learned behaviors that facilitate social interactions and relationships; social competence involves multiple dimensions of functioning such as emotional adjustment, communication skills, and cognitive abilities. Social competence is further viewed as a summary term that reflects the social judgments and evaluations of others about the quality of an individual's overall social behavior.

Understanding children's and adolescents' social skills is important for several reasons. From a developmental standpoint, it is important to understand how children develop social skills as they mature. Social skills are necessary for the establishment of friendships and for interacting in the social world, including the school setting. Therefore, the establishment of positive peer relations and social interactions are important for children's social development. In research, the identification of the development of social skill strengths can aid one's understanding of the behaviors of socially successful children. These behaviors can, in turn, be used to understand children's and adolescents' social skill deficits and can aid in the design and study of social skills assessments and interventions. Children with social skills deficits often experience poor peer and adult relationships and often experience negative social and emotional consequences that can continue throughout adulthood. These negative consequences can include low academic achievement, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, poor self-concept, social withdrawal, fewer positive employment opportunities, and antisocial behaviors such as aggression and criminality. Children with poor social skills also are at risk for becoming victims of bullying and other aggressive behaviors. Researchers have estimated that at least 10% of children experience negative peer relationships. [Page 512]Therefore, a large number of children with poor social relationships are at risk for developing behavioral and emotional difficulties. Children with disabilities often have social skills deficits that put them at heightened risk.

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