The effectiveness of social skills training for children with physical disabilities

1998 - 1990

Investigators & Staff

• I Shultz
• G Warr-Leeper
• W Stanczyk
• G King

Funding Agency

Ontario Mental Health Foundation - $38,426 (1988 - 1990)

Summary

This project involved a 10-week, group social skills training program for elementary school children with physical disabilities. This program employed a combination of social learning and cognitive-behavioral methods, including instruction, symbolic videotaped modelling, rehearsal through role playing, and problem solving. The program targeted five basic skills: interpersonal problem solving, verbal and nonverbal communication, initiating interactions with peers, conversational skills, and coping with difficult others. A preliminary, pre-post evaluation involving 11 withdrawn unpopular children with cerebral palsy or spina bifida indicated a significant improvement in their perception of their own social acceptance, but this finding was not maintained at a six-month follow-up. A significant delayed reduction in feelings of loneliness also was found.

Children with physical disabilities tend to lack social skills and tend to be poorly accepted by their peers. However, the development and evaluation of social skills interventions for these children has received little attention in the literature.

To read more on this topic, please refer to:

• King, G., Specht, J., Shultz, I., Warr-Leeper, G., Redekop, W., & Risebrough, N. (1997). Social skills training for withdrawn unpopular children with physical disabilities: A preliminary evaluation. Rehabilitation Psychology, 42, 47-60.

Impact

• This study was effective in increasing the participating children's sense of belonging and reducing their feelings of loneliness.
• The fact that the training program effects were not maintained over time indicates the importance of longer term interventions for these children.