Social Skills Plan
Social Skills Plan
Introduction
Social skills are extremely pertinent in almost all aspects of life. This applies to students with emotional and behavioral disabilities (EBD) as well as other students. If a student has sufficient social skills, there are high chances that his academic performance will be outstanding. Additionally, adequate social skills are helpful in terms of enabling the student interact effectively with colleagues. In education, different professionals use diverse approaches towards the enhancement of social skills in EBD students. For instance, some professionals develop a systematic plan that comprises of activities that help in developing the social skills of EBD students (Grant, 2010).
On the other hand, some practitioners encourage interactions between EBD students and nondisabled students. This helps in building the confidence of EBD students with regard to interacting with other people. The learning environment should facilitate for the pursuit of maximum potential for both the EBD students and the nondisabled students. Such frameworks must also facilitate for talent development among EBD students. Consequently, it is extremely pertinent to establish a framework for evaluating the most outstanding social skills that EBD students require in order to attain success in academics.
This paper encompasses such a framework as well as the design of a social skills plan for EBD students. Through the social skills plan, students with emotional and behavioral disorders can strongly enhance their academic performance as well as the quality of interactions with the nondisabled students.
SOCIAL SKILLS FOR STUDENTS OF HIGH INCIDENCE DISABILITIES
There are numerous social skills that would form the basis of success for students of high incidence disabilities. Due to this variety, it is fundamentally essential to narrow down on the most pertinent social skills for EBD students. This encompasses the social skills which are universally applicable to all EBD students. Consequently, this is an essential framework for enhancing the quality of education standards among students of high incidence disabilities.
Communication Skills
Communication is among the most pertinent components of social interactions. It is not only necessary within the learning environment but also in other aspects of life. At the professional level, it is complex for an employee to interact with colleagues at the workplace if he does not have adequate communication skills. At the community level, communication skills are extremely pertinent with regard to the enhancement of an individual’s wellbeing (Stichter, 2008). These perspectives indicate that social skills are integral components in all realms of life. This justifies the essence of communication skills with regard to the social skills for students of high incidence disabilities.
A student with emotional and behavioral disorder would struggle to fit in any learning environment if he or she does not have adequate communication skills. These skills affect his interactions with colleagues as well as interactions with teachers. In most cases, EBD students are in need of assistance with different issues. Seeking assistance from colleagues and teachers might be complex for the EBD students if they do not have adequate communication skills. Communication skills are also essential in terms of facilitating an effectual assessment.
In order to demonstrate the knowledge gained, students are subject to different kinds of assessments from the teacher. These assessments apply to all students including EBD students. The absence of adequate communication skills would strongly jeopardize the student’s capacity to perform well in the assessment (Strichart, 2010). This is another attribute that justifies the essence of communication as a social skill for EBD students.
Problem Solving Skills
Apart from communication skills, problem solving serves as another essential area of consideration with regard to the social skills for EBD students. As with communication, problem solving skills are necessary in almost all aspects of life. This applies to the school environment, workplace, community, and also at the family level. The nature of an individual’s wellbeing is partly dependent on his ability to establish an effective framework for solving problems. Among EBD students, problem solving is an indispensable social skill that helps them succeed academically in school. Such students encounter tremendous challenges on a daily basis (Grant, 2010). For instance, they can easily misplace their learning materials. Additionally, chances of being late for lessons are high for EBD students. In order to overcome these kinds of challenges, it is pertinent for the EBD students to have adequate problem solving skills.Within the learning environment, such skills are vital in terms of enabling the student to compete effectively with colleagues. The acquisition of problem skills is not a short term aspect. It requires adequate practice, perseverance and discipline (Terpstra, 2008). Consequently, teachers must work towards developing these skills in order to bolster the student’s capacity to solve problems.
Independence
Independence serves as another useful social skill for all EBD students. In essence, this social skill enables the student to undertake his daily activities with utmost responsibility. Additionally, independence ensures that the EBD student can cope with different challenges even in the absence of colleagues. For instance, the student might be in need of a certain book in the library. If he is independent, it is easier for him to access such a book with minimal fuss (Grant, 2010).Independence is also an essential skill that helps in enhancing the student’s respect among peers. Consequently, this serves as an excellent platform for building self confidence in the EBD student. Independence has direct implications in terms of academic performance. This implies that teachers and education facilitators must work towards enhancing the independence of EBD students in the learning environment.
Collaboration
Collaboration refers to the extent to which the student can work with colleagues in a team or learning group. In school, teamwork is crucial towards understanding complex topics (Strichart, 2010). Teachers also use groups to enhance the students’ capacity to interact and share with each other. Without having adequate collaboration skills, it is difficult for any student to benefit from groups. This applies to both the EBD students as well as the nondisabled students.
SOCIAL SKILLS PLAN
Goals
The goal of this framework is to help in enhancing the social skills of EBD students in a high school learning environment. Through this plan, EBD students will acquire essential social skills such as communication, collaboration and problem solving.
Objectives
The plan seeks to strengthen the academic performance of EBD students through the acquisition of critical social skills. Another objective involves the enhancement of the student’s ability to fit in different types of learning environments.
Possible Scenarios
Different intervention techniques would help in attaining the aforementioned goals and objectives. The first approach pertains to use of extensive coaching tools. Through coaching, the EBD students will gradually develop the essential social skills. Apart from coaching, another useful intervention pertains to reinforcement mechanisms. In the school, teachers might use different forms of reinforcements to enhance the social skills of EBD students (Grant, 2010).
Rehearsals are also beneficial components of the intervention framework in the social skills plan. Through rehearsals, it is possible to develop the student’s social skills systematically. In essence, rehearsals facilitate for extensive practice with regard to certain social skills. For instance, the student might rehearse on how to communicate to an audience at the group level. This approach helps in building the student’s confidence with time. Goal setting is also an effective platform for developing social skills in EBD students. This framework encompasses the development of targets which are reviewed after a given period. This approach is vital in terms of assessing the student’s progress in the acquisition of social skills.
Conclusion
Numerous elements of social skills for EBD students are evident in this analysis. In education, different professionals use diverse approaches towards the enhancement of social skills in EBD students. For instance, some professionals develop a systematic plan that comprises of activities that help in developing the social skills of EBD students. A student with emotional and behavioral disorder would struggle to fit in any learning environment if he or she does not have adequate communication skills. These skills affect his interactions with colleagues as well as interactions with teachers. In most cases, EBD students are in need of assistance with different issues. Among EBD students, problem solving is an indispensable social skill that helps them succeed academically in school. Such students encounter tremendous challenges on a daily basis. In order to overcome these kinds of challenges, it is pertinent for the EBD students to have adequate problem solving skills.
References
Grant, G. & Flynn, M. (2010). Learning disability. NY: McGraw-Hill Education
Stichter, J. & Kauffman, J. (2008). An introduction to students with high-incidence disabilities. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Strichart, S. & Mangrum, C. (2010). Study skills for learning disabled and struggling students. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill
Terpstra, J. E., & Tamura, R. (2008). Effective social interaction strategies for inclusive settings. Early Childhood Educational Journal, 35, 405-411.
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