Using Corrective Teaching to Teach Social Skills
In situations where you are correcting your child’s inappropriate behavior, Corrective Teaching works best to teach social skills. For example, let’s say that Dad heard 9-year-old Rita call her sister names like “stupid” and “idiot.” Here’s an example of how Corrective Teaching could be used to teach the skill of “Asking for Help.”
- Stop the problem behavior.
Dad: “Rita, when I walked into the room, I heard you call Tammy names like ‘stupid’ and ‘idiot.’ I’m sure that hurt her feelings, don’t you think?”
Rita: “But Dad, she was bugging me.”
Dad: “That may be true, but calling her names isn’t the way to take care of it.”
- Give a negative consequence.
Dad: “For calling Tammy names, I want you to apologize to her and then help her clean up the toys in her bedroom.”
Rita: “Oh, all right.”
- Describe the positive behavior.
Dad: “When Tammy is bugging you, decide exactly what it is that bothers you. Then ask her to stop. If she continues to do things that bother you, come to Mom or me and ask for help in solving the problem. Okay?”
Rita: “Okay.”
Dad: “When you need to ask someone for help, you should look at the person, say exactly what the problem is, ask for help in a calm voice, and thank the person for helping afterwards. Does that make sense?”
Rita: “Yeah, I guess so.”
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Practice.
Dad: “Before you apologize, show me how you would ask me for help if Tammy is bothering you.”
Rita: “Okay. I would look at you and say something to you like ‘Daddy, Tammy keeps grabbing my toys and sticking her tongue out at me. I asked her to stop but she wouldn’t. Can you help me?’ After you helped me, I would tell you ‘Thanks.’”
Dad: “Great job! Now go tell your sister you’re sorry.”
Social Skill 1: Following Instructions |
