School-based Social Skills Training Research Articles

Impact of a school-based social skills training program on parent–child relationships and parent attitudes toward school

Developmental research suggests that peer rejection has negative spillover effects which strain parent–child relationships and parent attitudes toward the child’s school. This study tested whether a school-based social skill training program could reverse these effects and improve parent–child closeness and parent attitudes toward the school. Participants included 217 children who were rejected by peers (57% White, 17% Black, 20% Latinx, 5% multiracial; 68% male; Mage = 8.1 years old) identified with sociometric social preference scores and randomized to intervention or control groups. Parents rated parent–child closeness and parent attitudes toward school at the start and end of the intervention year. Multilevel path analyses indicated that intervention improved parent–child closeness and, for children in the older grade levels only, enhanced parent attitudes toward the school. Additional analyses revealed that intervention effects on parent–child closeness were direct whereas effects on attitudes toward school were mediated by intervention-related increases in teacher support and peer liking. Implications for intervention design and future research are discussed.

Effect of School-Based Social Skills Training Program on Peer Relationships: Preliminary Study.

Objectives:The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a school-based social skills training program on peer relationships in children and adolescents and to assess the plan for effective school-based mental health services.Methods:The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Promotion Team of Bugok National Hospital conducted 7-sessioned school-based social skills training for elementary and middle school students (n=90). Changes in peer relationships were evaluated before and after application of the program using a name generator question.Results:The social skills training program increased peer relations, indicating significant changes in social network indices.Conclusion:The social skills training program positively influenced peer relationships. The school-based social skills training program can be expected to have positive effects on school-based mental health services. Future investigation is needed to validate the long term effects of this program.

Effectiveness of school-based social skills training to prevent depression for part-time high school students in Japan

Effectiveness of school-based social skills training to prevent depression for part-time high school students in Japan

School-based social skills training for young people with autism spectrum disorders

ABSTRACTBackground: The Secret Agent Society (SAS) Program, an intervention to enhance social–emotional skills, was provided by schools for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The program was assessed to determine if it improved social skills at school and home, and whether improvements were maintained.Methods: Eighty-four students participated. Key outcomes were parent and teacher ratings of emotion regulation, social skills, and direct child social problem-solving measures. The standard school curriculum served as the control condition. Phase 1 was a two-group waitlist-control comparison of SAS versus the standard curriculum. Phase 2 was a follow up of all participants before and after the intervention and at 12-months post-intervention.Results: Parent and child measures improved after the intervention but not in the waitlist condition. Improvements in parent, child, and teacher measures were apparent at 12 months.Conclusions: The SAS Program warrants further research as a potential program for schools that serve children with ASD.

Effects of School-Based Social Skills Training Program on Alexithymic Tendency: Preliminary Study

Min-Soo Kim, Jung-Uk Shin, Young-Ryeol Lee, Yeon-Woo Lee, Kyung-Ae Jung, Dool-Nam Jung, Mi-Ri Park, Gang-Sik Song, and Sang Soo Seo. J Korean Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2016;27:216-25. https://doi.org/10.5765/jkacap.2016.27.3.216

School-based social skills training for preschool-age children with autism spectrum disorder.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder display impairments in social interactions and communication that appear at early ages and result in short- and long-term negative outcomes. As such, there is a need for effective social skills training programs for young children with autism spectrum disorder-particularly interventions capable of being delivered in educational settings. The study evaluated the effects of the Superheroes Social Skills program on accurate demonstration of social skills in young children with autism spectrum disorder. Two preschool-age children with autism spectrum disorder participated in a weekly social skills intervention. A multiple probe design across skills was used to determine the effects of the intervention. Both participants demonstrated substantial improvements in skill accuracy. Social skills checklists also indicated improvements in social functioning over baseline levels.

School-Based Social Skills Training for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

The present study evaluated the effects of the Superheroes Social Skills program, a social skills curriculum for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Previous research has found the curriculum to improve social engagements of children with ASD during unstructured recess periods but has been limited in research design and lack of maintenance data. Five elementary-age participants with current placements in inclusive public school settings were included in the study. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to determine the effects of the intervention on social engagement during unstructured recess periods, as well as teacher ratings of social functioning and sociometric status. Visual and statistical analyses of data indicate increased social engagement of participants during recess periods following introduction of social skills training. Improvements were also observed in teacher ratings of social functioning and sociometric status. Limitations of the current study are also discussed.

Assessing person‐centered outcomes in practice research: a latent transition profile framework

AbstractAdvances in statistics provide new methods for analyzing practice data. These advances include person‐centered methods (PCMs) that identify subgroups of research participants with similar characteristics. PCMs derive from a frame of reference that is similar to the risk factor perspective in practice. In practice, the delivery of services is often contingent on identifying at‐risk populations and then providing interventions to groups based on shared risk profiles. PCMs use this perspective. Moreover, PCMs provide a means for identifying high‐risk groups with a precision rarely afforded by routine variable‐centered methods. This article describes a latent profile transition analysis (LPTA), one of several PCMs. To demonstrate LPTA, we estimate risk profiles and treatment effects using data from a cohort study of a school‐based social skills training program. We define four steps in PCMs analysis, describe key statistical tests, and conclude with a discussion of the strengths and limitations of PCMs for practice research. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Evaluation of a School-Based Social Skills Program for Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is prevalent among school-aged children. An associated feature of the disorder is a deficit in social functioning, which can be detrimental in terms of long-term outcomes. Therefore, it is crucial to identify evidence-based interventions which can improve the social skills of children with ADHD. The current study was an evaluation of a school-based social skills training program, called Working Together: Building Children's Social Skills Through Folk Literature. The modified version of the program with generalization enhancers was delivered in three schools to 16 children over a 10-week period. Results indicated that this program was effective for improving social skills in children with ADHD, particularly for children with poor pragmatic language skills.

Effects of Social Skills Training on an Adolescent with Comorbid Conduct Disorder and Depression

ABSTRACT The effects of a school-based social skills training program for an adolescent with comorbid conduct disorder and depression were examined. Treatment procedures consisted of a social skills training package involving the use of instruction, modeling, role-play, and performance feedback. Results indicate increases in prosocial behaviors in the treatment setting and a decrease in depression as measured by self-report and clinical interview following treatment. No significant changes were noted in teacher reports of student's social skills or sociometric ratings by classmates. Areas for future research and limitations of the study are discussed.

Do School-Based Social Skills Training Programs Prevent Alcohol Use Among Young People?

School-based social skills training programs are among the most popular form of alcohol misuse prevention strategies employed in the USA. This paper reviews published evaluations of this strategy, in an attempt to assess consistency of findings across studies. The majority of studies show that social skills training programs, while not detrimental, have little or no impact upon participants in terms of their alcohol use behavior. Reasons why such programs are ineffective are discussed, and suggestions made concerning the direction of future primary prevention research.