totalbehaviorsolutions.com - Daniel Adatto Board Certified Behavior Therapist

teaching your child social skills
Many children have a hard time with unknown social situations and struggle in these environments. Social interaction is a must in a child’s environment since this is a skill they will need throughout life. Having fun with friends is a fundamental aspect of any child’s development: playing, sharing toys, taking turns, waiting, initiating conversation etc. A child’s struggle with social skills can neither be concealed nor overcompensated by any other skill. Most children learn social skills through imitation but children who have a harder time learning these skills need to be taught. Children who do not develop appropriate social skills will suffer loneliness and isolation. This can create a problem with communication and result in behavior problems. Some of the problems that can arise from a lack of social skills are:

Deficit in ability to ask
Deficit in ability to request assistance
Deficit in ability to focus and concentrate
Problems with inhibition
Impulsivity
Problems understanding danger
Deficit in ability to ask permission
Deficit in ability to follow social rules and norms
Deficit in ability to adjust to new situations
Deficit in ability to comprehend feelings of others

To help your child be successful in social situations and learn the social skills fundamental to his or her development, it is necessary to prepare your child for social situations and prepare the social situation for your child. Here is a list of recommendations that will help children thrive in social situations:

Prepare your child before entering a social situation by giving precise instructions
Make sure the social situation is appropriate for your child.
Teach your child using games: role-playing, using dolls, toys, stories, songs etc.
Teach them to share, practice taking turns, following rules.
Make use of natural situations to teach them: set examples, observe others at a park or playground, comment on what you see in videos and TV shows.
Reinforce positive social behavior
Use photos and videos to introduce your child to different people
Help build your child’s self-esteem by assigning them leadership roles within the family.
Encourage your child to help and take part in daily household chores.
Use mistakes as opportunities to teach appropriate social behavior instead of punishing them.
Encourage and increase opportunities for successful social experiences and offer praise.
Avoid and minimize as much as possible social failure.
Include your child in every family interaction possible, as long as it is child appropriate.
Talk about emotions so you child learns the words to express what he is feeling.
Validate their feelings and have empathy.