Social Skills Training is a psycho-educational approach to scaffolding pro-social behaviors of youth and adolescents with behavioral challenges. Social skill development as an approach supports youth to be successful in social interactions. Specifically, social skill development as an approach provides youth with strategies for building resilience and for dealing with teasing and bullying, starting conversations, asking for help, dealing with peer pressure, practicing effective problem solving, etc. The course will provide students with the theoretical, evidentiary, and practical background to engage with youth in social skill development and interventions. Students will be introduced to assessment strategies to determine the social skills needs of youth and adolescents. The course will also introduce interventions for specific behavioral challenges of students with disabilities (ADHD, learning disabilities, and autism spectrum disorders, for example). Students will also be introduced to other relevant evidence-based interventions for working with youth.
Semester Offered
Spring