Social Skill 101: Q & A For Parents
Q: How can I get my son to use the skills I teach him with his friends?
A: You can’t force him to generalize the social skills he practices at home but you can encourage his efforts to use his skill with friends. Try making his contact with friends contingent on his ability to use his social skills in other places. For example, if your son comes home on time from an outing with his friends praise him for following instructions.
Q: My daughter doesn’t pay attention long enough for me to teach her a social skill. What can I do?
A: If your child has a short attention span or often daydreams, then make your steps brief and your teaching concise. Keep her engaged by
asking her if she understands what you’ve said, having her repeat the steps and tell you how the skill will help her.
Q: What if my child doesn’t use the social skill even after we talked about it and practiced it?
A: Getting children to buy into using skills is never easy and will not happen overnight. Some children don’t fully understand the use of social skills; others don’t see how social skills
will help them. A few children don’t want to use social skills because they are being openly defiant. In any case, parents should be patient and use all their parenting skills to encourage your children’s cooperation. Try using positive consequences early on to reward your child when he or she does use a skill appropriately.
Back to Social Skills 101 – Learn the Steps of 16 Basic Skills
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