Conversation skills training for socially isolated children

Abstract

A social skills training program consisting of instructions, modeling, behavior rehearsal, performance feedback, and programmed generalization set was used to teach conversational behavior to four socially isolated children. Effects of training were assessed in a multiple-baseline analysis across behavior. Subjects were selected on the basis of peer sociometric ratings, a behavioral role-playing task, naturalistic observation, and teacher ratings. All subjects demonstrated noticeable improvement in the target behavior as well as in overall conversational ability. However, these gains were maintained unequally in the children at follow-up probe administrations (4-and 8-weeks). Generalization assessment revealed some transfer of treatment effects to the school setting for all children. Results are discussed in terms of the complexity of social isolation in children and factors which influenced generalizability of the treatment program.