Social Learning Instructional Models

Abstract

Contemporary social skills training programs for children adopt a variety of teaching and skill generalisation techniques. These include didactic instruction, modeling, behavioural rehearsal, feedback and self-evaluation, behaviour management, assigning homework tasks, visual supports, caregiver and school staff involvement, and peer buddy programs. This chapter begins with an overview of these methods, including practical illustrations and the empirical basis of each. Latest technological innovations in social skills training are subsequently reviewed, followed by an overview of several commercially available social skills training programs that adopt a hybrid of teaching approaches. The chapter concludes with directions for future research, including evaluating social skills training approaches that adopt alternative theoretical models to cognitive-behavioural therapy, examining program outcomes for nonclinical populations and children with psychiatric conditions other than ASD, and testing whether tech tools can enhance the effectiveness, accessibility, and affordability of social skills training.