How Does Social Skills Training Improve Your Child's Interactions?
- Dr. J.J. Tomash
- May 15
- 5 min read
If you recall any part of yourself growing up, you will always embrace your social life. That is the magic of interpersonal skills, which helps you interact with others. They contribute to a child’s social, cognitive, and emotional skills. Strong social skills are often linked with one’s improved physical and mental health.
However, with the rising rates of autism in the US, we might see several changes in this picture. After all, autism spectrum disorder can come with its set of challenges; difficulties in making and maintaining relationships with peers are some of them. They can also include struggling to interact with others and understanding and reciprocating to others emotions.
Despite the increasing rates of autism diagnosis, we have better options like social skills training. Now, if you are a parent of a child with autism, the good thing is that you can have access to this training through various options like Applied Behavior Analysis.
We are a team of professionals offering ABA therapy in Denver. However, right now, we are your guide to learning about the role of social skills training for enhancing your child’s interpersonal skills. Let us start with this post right now!
Understanding the Social Sides of Autism
Before we understand how social skills training can help your child, let us first learn what children need support with. Individuals with autism have a different way of presenting themselves. Here are some ways they can communicate:
They have different ways of communicating non-verbally. If you have noticed them, they often do not make eye contact. That is because this helps them manage sensory input. You can define sensory input as the information that the senses gather. It includes hearing, vision, smell, taste, sense of movement, and touch.
Individuals with autism choose concise and direct communication. This means they will not make small talk, be straightforward, and present themselves with matter-of-fact language. If you are discussing something they are passionate about, they may share hefty information about the same topic.
They may appear as someone with no filter or brutally honest. That is because they prefer fact-only communication.
You will find they prefer slow-paced conversations, which means they speak at a slower pace than others.
Their sensory needs can make it hard for them to stay centered during a conversation. They may prefer spending time by themselves or participating in engaging activities with someone.
An autistic child may not respond to their name, prefer playing alone, and will not let you cuddle or hold them. They might repeat phrases or words but not know how to use them.
They may not understand directions or simple phrases, express emotions, etc.
Understanding the Role of Social Skills Development at a Young Age
Social skills development has a notable role to play in the success and wellness of a child. There is enough evidence supporting its role in positive youth development, healthy lifestyle, character building, and much more. It is more about building a foundation for success and overall wellness for a child. Here are some benefits of social skills development:
Strong foundations for relationships
Better emotional regulations and communications
Improved learning and better academic success
Less stress due to better emotional and mental well-being
Social Skills Training and its Impact
You can define social skills training as a kind of behavior therapy that aims to enhance interpersonal abilities. It is ideal for various individuals, including ones with developmental disorders such as autism. However, while it was earlier believed that individuals whose brain works differently need to learn social skills, we may have a different approach today. Individuals with autism have a different way to communicate and socialize, varied from what others have. This brings us to a question- if nothing is to be learned and enhanced, why does a child with autism need social skills training?
Fortunately, professionals who understand and offer social skills training have the answer to it. SST, or social skills training, is a common alternative that helps address and manage the difficulty or inability to perform in social situations. This can help children with autism in many ways. Let us learn about them here:
Traditional social skills training can help learners know how to interact, participate in face-to-face scenarios, and resolve problems.
Social skills training programs, which can be a part of autism therapy services, require child-facilitator interactions. There are dynamic processes which involve various interactions aiming to improve a child’s overall wellness. With reliable professionals like behavior therapists, speech pathologists, and others, your child can leverage top-notch interventions focused on bringing positive psychological and behavioral changes.
Techniques Used for Social Skills Training
It is essential to understand that every child is different and can show varied needs and strengths. While it may be challenging for you to come up with an individualized treatment plan to meet their needs, there are professionals who look after that. However, social skills training is a common intervention. Professionals offering therapy services for autism or ABA centers evaluate every child’s individual needs and strengths and use an individualized approach. Nevertheless, here are some techniques to expect for social skills training:
Natural Environment Teaching: It incorporates everyday activities and plays to learn the skills.
Early Start Denver Model: It includes play and daily activities to promote interaction and communication.
Role Playing: This includes the practice of social skills in a structured environment that imitates real-life scenarios.
Modeling: This means showing the social behaviors to a child to let them observe and learn.
Social Stories and Visual Support: These include concrete examples, visual aids, and narratives.
Direct Instruction: This can include training them with social skills.
Positive Reinforcement: The use of rewards and incentives to encourage desired behavior changes is a part of positive reinforcement.
How Social Skills Training Can Help?
It is great that there are tons of opportunities for your child to improve their social skills and other associated symptoms with autism with therapy services. Social skills training can present numerous benefits to your child. Here is a list of some of them:
Better communication skills
Improved social interaction skills
Less social anxiety
Improved quality of life
Final Thoughts
It is time to call this post a wrap!
However, before we do, let us quickly recall what was discussed here. You learned about the role of social skills training and the ways it can benefit a child’s interpersonal skills, especially if they are autistic.
Autism can make individuals use a different way to communicate. Social skills, which are the foundation of a child’s overall development, can be enhanced with social skills training. The intervention can provide them with the medium to present their emotions and improve their self-esteem.
At BehaviorSpan, we take pride in offering children the means to develop their social skills. We offer Applied Behavior Analysis or ABA therapy in Denver. We offer center-based learning to help your little ones master essential life skills. We are the partner for your child’s early intervention, as we know the role of their initial years in their overall development. You can count on our proven therapy approach, which we have centered on assisting your child and many others to achieve their highest potential. Reach us today!
References:
https://www.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/resources/understanding-and-supporting-the-social-interaction-of-autistic-children-and-young-people/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7670840/#:~:text=Social%20skills%20training%20(SST)%20is,2009).
https://www.kennedykrieger.org/stories/interactive-autism-network-ian/social_skills_interventions
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