All children need to be able to understand facial expressions and recognize social cues in other people, look them in the eye, and be able to follow classroom rules. For kids with special needs, however, these lessons may not come easily.<\/p>\n
“When interacting socially comes naturally for people, we don\u2019t pay much attention to it,\u201d says Amanda Bennett, developmental behavioral pediatrician at the Children\u2019s Hospital of Philadelphia. \u201cBut your ability to regulate an interaction with another person \u2014\u00a0having that back and forth conversation in a successful way; reading someone\u2019s social cues and recognizing whether they agree with what you\u2019re saying or doing; being able to recognize when someone is being friendly or a bully \u2014 these are all really important in childhood and in life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Children begin learning these lessons as babies, taking cues from their parents and the people around them. Socialization at preschool and playdates or in activities like music, gymnastics or library story time, are opportunities to apply these lessons.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are working on some of those skills in a small-group setting,\u201d says Bennett.<\/p>\n
If a child seems to struggle in a particular area, the school can provide additional support with games or activities to help a child develop his social skills without formal therapy.<\/p>\n
Bennett urges parents to discuss with the teacher how their child is doing socially \u2014 who she plays with and how she plays. If necessary, the school can help the family find additional services.<\/p>\n
Students must behave appropriately in the classroom for effective learning. Many schools use programs like Social Thinking, which offers strategies to get all students on the same page, often by using specific words to help students focus on the task at hand.<\/p>\n
For example, if a child is not exhibiting expected behavior, the teacher will ask, \u201cWhat is the group plan?\u201d says Eleanor Lantz, speech language pathologist at Centreville Layton School in DE, and the child\u2019s response brings him back into focus. \u201cThey are all child-friendly, positive terms so the children don\u2019t feel like they are being corrected.\u201d<\/p>\n
The students not only learn how to behave in the classroom, but are given necessary skills so they are more successful when they go into the world, says Lantz. \u201cIt\u2019s not enough that you know information, but also that you can present yourself and make a connection with other people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harry T., 12, is a seventh grader who loves playing Magic the Gathering cards and video games with his friends. But Harry has a sensory processing disorder, which makes certain social skills more difficult.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has a brain-muscle coordination issue,\u201d says his mom, Ashley, from the Pennsport section of Philadelphia. \u201cHe thinks certain sensory inputs, like hugging, which feel really good to him and help keep him focused, are something everybody should want.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greetings are an area where Harry struggles. The best practice for these skills take place each week in church when Harry greets the minister. \u201cIt\u2019s a controlled environment where Harry got practice shaking hands, looking the minister in the eye and saying thank you and moving on,\u201d says Ashley.<\/p>\n
Harry\u2019s interest in cooking has provided another great teaching device. \u201cFood and cooking are a way for him to have conversations with people across all boundaries,\u201d she says. \u201cIt becomes a common language for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the Bancroft School, lessons include role playing in an environment that resembles the community. Its Mount Laurel, NJ campus includes a fully operational convenience store run by the students with support from staff. Students practice waiting on customers and selling goods.<\/p>\n
\u201cA good place to start is in the realm of greetings, just saying \u2018Hi\u2019 to others,\u201d says Nicholas Forvour, clinical director of education at the Bancroft School. \u201cWhen a community member says hello to you, the expectation is to say hello back. We want our learners equipped with that skill to make that relationship in the community an actuality. Social skills are how we navigate our community and environment and how we build relationships that go well beyond our immediate family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Terri Akman is a contributing writer to <\/em>MetroKids<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" All children need to be able to understand facial expressions and recognize social cues in other people, look them in the eye, and be able to follow classroom rules. For kids with special needs, however, these lessons may not come easily. “When interacting socially comes naturally for people, we don\u2019t pay much attention to it,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3,356],"tags":[4359,6786,424,3099,3968,760],"yoast_head":"\n