Evaluation Of Social Skills Research Articles

Unfamiliar Untrained Observers’ Ratings of Adolescent Safety Behaviors Within Social Interactions with Unfamiliar Peer Confederates

Adolescents experiencing social anxiety often engage in safety behaviors―covert avoidance strategies for managing distress (e.g., avoiding eye contact)―that factor into the development and maintenance of their concerns. Prior work supports the psychometric properties of the Subtle Avoidance Frequency Examination (SAFE), a self-report survey of safety behaviors. Yet, we need complementary methods for assessing these behaviors within contexts where adolescents often experience concerns, namely, interactions with unfamiliar peers. Recent work indicates that, based on short, direct social interactions with adolescents, individuals posing as unfamiliar peers (i.e., peer confederates) and without assessment training can capably report about adolescent social anxiety. We built on prior work by testing whether we could gather valid SAFE reports from unfamiliar untrained observers (UUOs), who observed adolescents within archived recordings of these short social interactions. A mixed clinical/community sample of 105 adolescents self-reported on their functioning and participated in a series of social interaction tasks with peer confederates, who also provided social anxiety reports about the adolescent. Based on video recordings of these tasks, trained independent observers rated adolescents’ observed social skills, and an additional set of UUOs completed SAFE reports of these same adolescents. Unfamiliar untrained observers’ SAFE reports (a) related to adolescents’ SAFE self-reports, (b) distinguished adolescents on clinically elevated social anxiety concerns, (c) related to trained independent observers’ ratings of adolescent social skills within interactions with peer confederates, and (d) related to adolescents’ self-reported arousal within these same interactions. Our findings support use of unfamiliar observers’ perspectives to understand socially anxious adolescents’ interpersonal functioning.

The Impact of Inclusive Education on Children with Mild Intellectual Disabiliy in Promoting Social Skills and Peer Positive Attitudes in Trichy District

Background: Social skills and social status are important aspects of development that are likely to be influenced by an individual’s ability to solve social problems appropriately. An important area of development for children with mild intellectual disability is the development of social skills and social relationships. When children with disabilities are mainstreamed into general education classroom, they learn to play and interact appropriately with children of their own age. Inclusion provides opportunities for socialization and friendships to develop Inclusion help children with disabilities decrease their aggressive and non complaint behaviour. The study aims to explore the social skills and peer interaction of children with mild intellectual disability which is considered as the most important factors of social outcomes. Finally, the study is objectively proposed to find out how the children with mild intellectual disability self rated themselves as well as the teachers and parents rating of social skills of children with mild intellectual disability in inclusive education programmes. Materials and Method: In the inclusive education set up, 200 Children with intellectual disability and their teachers, parents and also the children without disability (peers) and their parents in the rural and urban areas of Trichy District were chosen for the study. The data was collected through SOCIAL SKILLS RATING SYSTEM (SSRS)-Gresham &Elliott, 1990). Obtained data were transcribed and analyzed using Descriptive and Differential analysis. Findings: The statistical procedure showed that children with intellectual disability in inclusive education have average social skills. Since interpersonal contact was associated with positive attitudes towards children with mild intellectual disabled children, interventions should be directed towards promoting interpersonal relationships in order to build an inclusive society. Conclusion: It is essential to build an inclusive society through an inclusive approach. Success of inclusion demands effective collaboration and meaningful cooperation from all stakeholders associated with education of children.

Evaluation of social skills of visual arts teacher candidates according to personality traits

The aim of this research is to examine the social skills of visual arts teacher candidates according to their personality traits in terms of different variables. In the research, relational screening method was used in the descriptive survey model, which is a sub-pattern of quantitative research methods. The study group consists of 193 students (135 female, 58 male) studying in the first-year, second, third and fourth grade and above classes in Trabzon University Faculty of Fatih Education, Fine Arts Education Department, Arts and Crafts Education Program in the 2019-2020 academic year. Personal information form, international personality inventory and social skill inventory were used to collect the research data. SPSS 23.0 package program was used to analyze the obtained data. When the findings of the study regarding the relationships between the personality and social skill scores were analyzed, it was determined that there were significant relationships between the personality and social skill scores.
 
 Keywords: Art Education, Personality, Social Skills

Examining the effects of internal versus external coaching on preschool teachers’ implementation of a framework of evidence-based social-emotional practices

ABSTRACT Coaching is becoming widely recognized as a tool to help early childhood educators enhance teaching and build professional skills. Although effective, the use of an external coach can be cost and time prohibitive. This study examined the effectiveness of internal peer coaches as compared to external coaches in implementation fidelity of an evidence-based framework aimed at enhancing the social-emotional competencies of young children in early childhood classrooms. Fifteen Head Start teachers and 125 of their students participated in this study. The intervention consisted of training on practice-based coaching, training on the social-emotional framework, and eight weeks of coaching (eight teachers participated as internal peer coaches and seven received external coaching). Pre and post data included an assessment of fidelity to the framework and evaluation of individual child social skills. Overall, results suggest that internal peer coaches were more effective at supporting the implementation of practices with fidelity. Children in classrooms with internal coaches demonstrated a significant increase in social skills. Although more research is needed, internal peer coaching can be considered as a potential solution to the challenges of working with an external coach.

Effects of Drama Method on Social Communication Skills: A Comparative Analysis

This study aims to determine the effect of drama on social communication skills through the use of quantitative and qualitative research methods in a holistic approach. In the quantitative part of the research both the meta-analytic method and descriptive study were used. In the meta-analysis phase, 24 studies (2 articles, 19 MA theses and 3 Ph.D. dissertations) related to drama and its effect on communication skills and met the inclusion criteria were analyzed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis and the MetaWin programs. In the descriptive phase of the study, Social Skills Evaluation Scale was used to assess social skill levels of the preservice teachers (N = 386). In the qualitative part of the study, the data collected via documentary review through the thematic examination of the articles and theses were analyzed using the Maxqda 11 program. Additionally, in an action research design, the data related to the views of the preservice teachers (N= 60) and selected by maximum variation sampling were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through the Maxqda 11 program. Both qualitative and quantitative findings indicated that drama has a positive effect on social communication skills.

Effects of Drama Method on Social Communication Skills: A Comparative Analysis

This study aims to determine the effect of drama on social communication skills through the use of quantitative and qualitative research methods in a holistic approach. In the quantitative part of the research both the meta-analytic method and descriptive study were used. In the meta-analysis phase, 24 studies (2 articles, 19 MA theses and 3 Ph.D. dissertations) related to drama and its effect on communication skills and met the inclusion criteria were analyzed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis and the MetaWin programs. In the descriptive phase of the study, Social Skills Evaluation Scale was used to assess social skill levels of the preservice teachers (N = 386). In the qualitative part of the study, the data collected via documentary review through the thematic examination of the articles and theses were analyzed using the Maxqda 11 program. Additionally, in an action research design, the data related to the views of the preservice teachers (N= 60) and selected by maximum variation sampling were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through the Maxqda 11 program. Both qualitative and quantitative findings indicated that drama has a positive effect on social communication skills.

Indicators of Social Competence and Social Participation Among US Children With Tourette Syndrome.

Children with Tourette syndrome often have behavioral and social difficulties, which may be associated with co-occurring mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders. This study investigated social competence, including behavioral problems and social skills, and social activities between children with and without Tourette syndrome using a nationally representative sample. In the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, parents reported on health care provider diagnosis of Tourette syndrome, co-occurring mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders, and indicators of social competence. Children aged 6-17 years with and without Tourette syndrome were compared. Most (78.7%) children with Tourette syndrome had a co-occurring mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder. Children with Tourette syndrome had significantly lower social competence, exhibited by higher levels of behavior problems (mean score 11.6 for Tourette syndrome and 9.0 for no Tourette syndrome) and lower levels of social skills (mean 15.3) than children without a Tourette syndrome diagnosis (mean 17.1); however, these associations were no longer significant after controlling for co-occurring mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders. Moderate to severe Tourette syndrome was associated with the highest ratings of behavioral problems and the lowest ratings of social skills. Children with and without Tourette syndrome were equally likely to participate in social activities; the difference for children with moderate to severe Tourette syndrome being less likely to participate in activities compared to children with mild Tourette syndrome had a chi-square test P value of .05. In conclusion, Tourette syndrome was associated with lower social competence, particularly for children with moderate to severe Tourette syndrome. Monitoring social functioning and co-occurring conditions among children with Tourette syndrome, and referral for evidence-based interventions when needed, may benefit overall health and functioning.

Examination of social interactions by problem behaviours (13 years of longitudinal research)

In this study, social interaction situations of adolescents who were identified as having either high or low problem behaviours (LPB) were investigated. Previously, the Teacher Form of Social Skill Rating System scale was applied to 110 children when they were 6 years old. Accordingly, among these participants, there were 26 adolescents who were 19-year old and were available to become participants of this study. In this study, eight adolescents were interviewed in order to investigate their social interactions based on the previous examination of problem behaviours at the highest or lowest level. Results show that the degree of problem behaviours determined at the age of six was the determinant in the current social interactions of these participants. It was observed that children who were defined with high problem behaviours experienced social breaks, insecurities and problems, whereas those with LPB showed better developed social relationships, such as being successful in coping with problems and having the feelings of trust and competence.
 Keywords: Problem behaviours, externalising, internalising, early childhood, early adulthood.

Romantic Relationships and Sexual Behavior Among Adolescents With ADHD

Objective: Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were used to (a) describe the romantic and sexual relationships of adolescents with ADHD and (b) examine how ADHD-related impairments (e.g., social skill deficits and emotion dysregulation [ED]) are associated with romantic relationship outcomes in this group. Method: Adolescents with ADHD (N = 171; 80% male; 70% White) responded to questions about their romantic and sexual relationship experiences and ED. Parents provided ratings of ADHD symptoms, ED, and social skills. Results: Adolescents with ADHD reported high rates of romantic relationship turnover and low rates of physical intimacy. More severe self-reported ED was associated with increased likelihood of engaging in romantic relationships, having more romantic relationship partners, increased likelihood of engaging in sexual intercourse, and increased likelihood of engaging in unprotected sex. Conclusion: Early intervention programs that alter the developmental trajectory of romantic relationships among individuals with ADHD may benefit from targeting ED among these youth.

Using a Virtual Serious Game (Deusto-e-motion1.0) to Assess the Theory of Mind in Primary School Children: Observational Descriptive Study.

BackgroundGiven the interactive media characteristics and intrinsically motivating appeal, virtual serious games are often praised for their potential for assessment and treatment.ObjectiveThis study aims to validate and develop normative data for a virtual serious game (Deusto-e-motion1.0) for the evaluation of emotional facial expression recognition and social skills, both of which are components of the theory of mind.MethodsA total of 1236 children took part in the study. The children were classified by age (8-12 years old), gender (males=639, females=597), and educational level (between the third and sixth years of Primary Education). A total of 10 schools from the Basque Country and 20 trained evaluators participated in this study.ResultsDifferences were found in Deusto-e-motion1.0 scores between groups of children depending on age and gender. Moreover, there was a moderately significant correlation between the emotional recognition scores of Deusto-e-motion1.0 and those of the Feel facial recognition test.ConclusionsDeusto-e-motion1.0 shows concurrent validity with instruments that assess emotional recognition. Results support the adequacy of Deusto-e-motion1.0 in assessing components of the theory of mind in children.

THE STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ATTITUDES OF STUDENTS IN SECONDARY EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS TOWARDS PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORTS LESSONS AND THEIR SOCIAL SKILL LEVELS

The purpose of this research is to examine and determine the relationship between the attitudes of students in secondary education institutions towards physical education and sports lessons and their social skill levels according to some variables. The sample of the study consists of 500 high school students studying in Anatolian high schools in Ankara Yenimahalle District in 2017-2018 academic year. The personal information form prepared by the researchers was used as a data collection tool in the research, and the "Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters MESSY " scale developed by Matson, Ratatory and Helsel 1983 and adapted to Turkish by Erdogan 2002 was used to measure the social skill level of students. There is also a "Physical Education Attitude Scale" developed by Pehlivan 1997 to evaluate students' attitudes towards physical education lesson. Descriptive statistics methods, mean, standard deviation and skewness, t-Test and Pearson correlation tests were used in the analysis. In the findings of the study, a statistically significant difference was found in social adaptation, positive social behavior, social communication, overconfidence, inappropriate assertiveness and behavioral attitude sub-dimensions according to sex variable in the t-Test results. There was a statistically significant difference in social communication and affective attitude subscales according to age variable. In the correlation test, a positive and low level of significant correlation was found between the social skill scale and cognitive attitude, affective attitude, and behavioral attitude subscales. As a result, it can be said that students with positive attitudes towards physical education lessons have high positive social behaviors and students with high social skills have high attitudes towards physical education lessons.

Classroom Behavior of Students With or At Risk of EBD: Student Gender Affects Teacher Ratings But Not Direct Observations

As the field moves toward adaptive and individualized behavior intervention, it is important to identify and consider relevant student characteristics as potential levers (i.e., critical factors) for improving intervention effectiveness. Motivated by previous findings suggesting that behavioral profiles and teachers’ perceptions of students with problem behavior vary by student gender, we evaluated gender differences in teacher ratings and direct observations of classroom problem behavior for elementary students with or at risk of emotional and behavioral disorder (EBD; N = 352). We found significant gender differences for teacher ratings of problem behavior, social skills, and academic competence. However, we did not find significant differences between male and female students on direct observation measures of behavior or reading skills. These findings provide evidence suggesting that student gender may be a critical factor in addressing classroom problem behavior. Future work in this area will help guide researchers and practitioners in considering how student gender and related teachers’ perceptions may inform intervention selection and implementation for students with or at risk of EBD.

Effects of a Preventive Intervention of Emotional Regulation in the School Context

Abstract In early childhood education, socio-emotional learning is not always considered with appropriate planning nor based on scientific evidence. Aiming to analyze impact of an Emotional Regulation (ER) Intervention in school achievement and social skills (SS), fifty-five children from public schools were evaluated by Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM), School Achievement Test (TDE) and Social Skills Rating System (SSRS-BR). After nine 50-minute meetings addressing ER strategies, evaluation of SS by the teacher indicated improvement in all aspects of SS in Intervention Group (IG) and worsening of the self-control in Comparison Group (CG). Self-evaluation of SS showed that IG overcame the initial difference in assertiveness and problem avoidance. Results suggest that ER programs can bring benefits to the development of SS.

Protection and Risk for Different School Stress Trajectories

Abstract The study of chronic stress, potentially harmful to development, resents the focus of research on modal trends, not discriminating individual trajectories of chronicity. This study aimed to associate groups differentiated by the trajectory of stress, in children from the 1st to the 3rd year of Elementary School - Without Stress, Acute Stress and Chronic Stress, to the variables of protection or risk of the child and the school itself. One hundred and eleven students (56 boys) participated in the Child Stress Scale, Provinha Brasil, School Stressors Inventory and Social Skills Rating System - Teachers. Early childhood education, the Basic Education Index and the location of the school were considered. Comparison and prediction analyses were performed. Results indicated worse performance and greater perception of stressors in the group with chronic stress. Externalizing behavior, performance stressors and less permanence in Early Childhood Education contribute to chronicity. The focus on trajectories highlighted the vulnerability of chronically stressed children.

A Randomized Clinical Trial of Oxytocin or Galantamine in Schizophrenia: Assessing the Impact on Behavioral, Lexical, and Self-Report Indicators of Social Affiliation.

Prior studies examining the impact of oxytocin on negative symptoms in schizophrenia have yielded mixed results. The current study explored whether oxytocin can improve more proximal indicators of social affiliation as indicated by changes in behavior, language and subjective indices of social affiliation among individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders during a role-play designed to elicit affiliative responses. We tested the hypothesis that daily intranasal oxytocin administered for 6 weeks would improve social affiliation as manifested by increased social skill ratings, use of positive, affiliative, and social words, and subjective responses from a previously published randomized controlled trial. Forty outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were randomized to the oxytocin, galantamine, or placebo group and completed affiliative role-plays and self-report questionnaires of affect, reactions to the affiliative confederate, and willingness to interact at baseline and post-treatment. Results demonstrated that oxytocin was not effective at improving behavioral or subjective indicators of social affiliation. This study adds to a growing literature that the prosocial effects of oxytocin in schizophrenia are limited or null.

Development of social interaction skills of autistic children’s by musical therapy

The Cochrane Collection of Randomized Clinical Trials (RCT) showed a favorable result of music therapy (MT) on individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study focuses on accessing whether MT can develop the social skills of autistic children. This quasi-experimental study was designed as a pre-test/ post-test and follow-up among the autistic children selected from Coimbatore city. Using childhood autism rating scale (CARS), 56 children with mild to severe autism were selected through convenience sampling and assigned into two groups: active and passive MT groups. Both the intervention group consisted of 26 children. Social skills of both groups were measured and recorded with the help of Triad Social Skill rating system scale. The children of the active intervention group participated in Orff–Schulwerk type of MT program for 3 months (three sessions of 35 minutes/week), whereas the control group received MT without any interaction. The groups were followed-up for 3 months. The data were analyzed with Statistic Package for Social Science (IBM- SPSS - 21) software using t-test and the groups were compared by analysis of covariance. The results of the MT intervention were mostly apparent in the following subscales - understanding/perspective-taking, initiating interactions, responding initiation and maintaining interactions with others. The post-test covariance analysis results of the intervention group showed a significant increase in social skills’ scores (P

Parent and Teacher Ratings of Social Skills, Peer Play and Problem Behaviours in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ABSTRACTParent and Teacher perspectives of social skills, peer play and problem behaviours in school-age children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were investigated. Forty-three parents and 35 teachers of children with an ASD aged between 7 and 9 years completed the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS), reporting on the social skills and problem behaviours, and the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS) capturing three dimensions of play: play interaction, play disconnection and play disruption. Parents and teachers reported similar social skills (SSIS) and peer interaction skills (PIPPS) and similar levels of disruption in play (PIPPS). However, informants differed in their report of play and problem behaviours with parents reporting more play disconnection (PIPPS) and problem behaviours (SSIS), indicating that these may have been highest within the home. Both informants highlighted similar difficulties in children’s ability to engage in play, even when invited to do so, and a greater withdrawal from other children resulting in higher peer/sibling rejection across settings. The implications of parent teacher disparity are discussed in relation to home-school collaboration. Identifying factors that contribute to the disparity between informants perceptions may increase understanding and more effective collaboration between parents and teachers, to improve the learning outcomes of student with ASD.

Development and Validation of a New Instrument for Screening Bullies and Victims in Classrooms

Although a number of studies have been conducted on the subject of bullying, there is an absence of a standard instrument which can map the bullying network and identify the groups involved in it. The current study aimed to provide a standard instrument for screening bullies and victims in the classroom, which has validity and reliability indicators to map the network of relationships between the bullies and victims. In this regard, 337 high school students (176 males and 161 females) were selected via cluster sampling and, afterward, the Screening Instrument for Bullies and Victims in Classrooms (SIBVC) was used in the sample group. To examine the concurrent validity, Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY) and Adolescent Peer Relations Instrument (APRI) were used. The results depicted that the individuals' scores of bullying and victimization in SIBVC are positively and negatively related to their scores in MESSY subscales, respectively. Also, individuals' scores of bullying in SIBVC is positively related to bullying scores and negatively related to victimization scores in APRI. Cronbach's alpha method was used to determine the reliability of SIBVC, and the results showed that in all classes, the obtained alpha was higher than .72. Two weeks after the first run, the instrument was reimplemented and the reliability coefficient was (p < .001, r = .97 for bullying and r = .96 for victimization). The results depicted that SIBVC benefited from favorable validity, and it was able to identify the bullies and the victims quite well in the classrooms; also, SIBVC scores had favorable reliability over time. Criteria such as the use of dyadic nomination and network mapping among the groups involved in bullying are the benefits of SIBVC, which make it a useful and new instrument in bullying research.

Improving Emotional Competence in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Mild Intellectual Disability in Schools: A Preliminary Treatment Versus Waitlist Study

AbstractThis pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of delivering a new cognitive behavioural intervention package ‘Emotion-Based Social Skills Training (EBSST) for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Mild Intellectual Disability (ASD + MID)’ in schools. Fourteen school counsellors nominated 75 children (aged 7–13 years) with ASD + MID to receive 16 sessions of EBSST in groups of 3–8 children in their schools. Parent and teacher pre-post ratings of emotional competence (Emotions Development Questionnaire), social skills (Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scales) and mental health (Developmental Behaviour Checklist) were collected. Forty-three children received 16 sessions of EBSST and 32 children were allocated to the 9-month waitlist control group. Teachers and parents also received six EBSST training sessions in separate groups at school. Significant improvements in parent and teacher ratings of emotional competence were found at posttreatment among children in the EBSST group relative to controls; however, the results were not significant after the Bonferroni adjustment. Small to medium effect sizes were found. No difference in untrained social skills or mental health was observed. This study provides preliminary support for the utility of EBSST in teaching emotional competence skills for children with ASD + MID in schools and provides valuable pilot data for future research.

Identifying Children With Clinical Language Disorder: An Application of Machine-Learning Classification

In this study, we identified child- and family-level characteristics most strongly associated with clinical identification of language disorder for preschool-aged children. We used machine learning to identify variables that best classified children receiving therapy for language disorder among a sample of 483 3- to 5-year-old children (54% affected). Using a dichotomous outcome based on receipt of language therapy, we applied the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) classification approach to a range of background data available on the children, including teacher and caregiver ratings of communication and social skills. The sample was randomly split into a training (67% of children) and test sample (33% of children) to examine out-of-sample classification accuracy. The full model had excellent classification accuracy based on area under the curve (AUC) of .87 and .85 on the training and test sets, respectively, when utilizing all available background data. Variables most strongly contributing to accurate classification of language-therapy receipt were cognitive impairment, age, gender, and teacher- and parent-reported communication, social, and literacy skills. Use of machine-learning approaches to classify children receiving language services in school settings may provide a valuable approach for identifying those factors that best differentiate children with and without language disorders from a clinical perspective.