Social Skill Training Interventions for Children with Learning Disabilities in the Primary Grades (Grades 1-3)

Abstract

As interpersonal conflict constitute an integral part of a child’s social experience, individuals with LD require help in resolving interpersonal conflict in an appropriate and socially acceptable manner. Although practitioners have struggled with the best way to alleviate these problems, social skill interventions are considered to be an evidence based-method that offers hope in supporting students’ social progression. Students with learning disabilities do not learn through observation of their peers or implicit teaching. Instead, these skills must be taught directly, extensively, and explicitly. This project is organized into three chapters. Following the introductory chapter, a chapter that reviews research studies that examine social skills in students with learning disabilities is included. Particular themes found within the articles, such as interpersonal conflict, social perception, and social interventions that relate to specific social skill deficits and LD are explored. In the third chapter, I present a curriculum unit. The curriculum unit is designed to meet three goals: to have the student: (1) manage and appreciate the components that make up the context of interpersonal conflict; (2) devise alternative solutions to resolve a conflict; and (3) appreciate the consequences of the solutions they propose. After this unit has been completed, the primary students will be able to independently use their learning to identify and respond to interpersonal conflict with a variety of strategies. There are ten activities in this module, all designed to increase student competence in resolving interpersonal conflict in an inclusive setting.