Developing social skills to empower friendships: design and assessment of a social skills training programme

Abstract

ABSTRACT Society stigmatises people with learning disabilities (LD) and limits their opportunities to experience relationships [Callus and Farrugia 2016. The Disabled Child's Participation Rights. Routledge]. Actions addressed at improving their competence in social skills may contribute to enhancing their social networks. Therefore, a 12-session Training Programme (Friendship & Social Skills Programme, FSSP) aimed at young people and young adults with LD was designed and its application then evaluated with 10 young adults. Results show that participants acquired knowledge about the skills needed to establish first contacts with others and increased their predisposition towards fostering their friendships. They also learnt about resources for managing social relationships. Consequently, the FSSP allowed participants to increase their knowledge of social skills, increasing the probability of their friendships being successful. It can be considered a transferable tool that covers a need identified through research on the social inclusion of people with LD.