Social skills training can significantly boost the social competence of students with special needs, ensuring they can create meaningful relationships with their schoolmates. The social interventions anchored to this premise normally support the development of necessary skills to enhance social competencies such as recognizing social cues, managing emotions, and initiating natural conversations. These social skills are integral for students with disabilities to overcome their interaction limitations (Gresham, 2015).

After conducting an appraisal of the study findings, Bellini et al. (2007) found that effective implementation of social interventions has the propensity to decrease social isolation among students with disabilities, improve acceptance of the peer group, and boost engagement in cooperative play and academic teamwork. To achieve this goal, social training approaches are designed based on a full-spectrum model, including practical application with interacting with diverse people, such as role-playing and employing social narratives (Kamps et al., 2015).

Furthermore, authentic interactions are improved through peer-mediated approaches, where students without disabilities guide and foster meaningful relationships. These interventions are crucial ingredients in the implementation of social learning programs since they support the formation of quality and many friendships, inclusion, and social cohesion. Ultimately, it is essential to effectively anchor the intervention in many school settings for it to be successful. As students interact while practicing learned social skills, they can improve communicative clarity, social relationships among peers, and ultimately overall outcomes for the students. Reviews of social learning indicate that additional studies are required, particularly those focusing on the students' individuality, dosage or frequency, and proficiency of implementation (Reichow, Steiner, & Volkmar, 2013).

Social learning approaches should be grounded on a person-centered model, which provides the students with opportunities to succeed and achieve connectedness with others genuinely. This is pivotal for students with disabilities, especially during their school years, which create the foundation for their social interactions in the future. Taking a positive stand is commendable, but the shift to active engagement and support requires one to embrace new roles, cultivate their personal biases, alter their beliefs, and restructure the educational programs and policies in their schools (Odom et al., 2015). The ultimate benefits that students without disabilities will gain from genuine interactions, relationships, and acceptance emphasize the potential for transformative change.

References:

Bellini, S., Peters, J. K., Benner, L., & Hopf, A. (2007). A meta-analysis of school-based social skills interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders. Remedial and Special Education, 28(3), 153–162.

Gresham, F. M. (2015). Social Skills Assessment and Intervention for Children and Youth: Review of the Literature. Focus on Exceptional Children, 47(7), 1–16.

Areas, S. D. of Developmental Early Intervention and Kindergarten & First Grade and General Education. (2019). Full Text View - Peer Mediated Social Skills Group (PMSSG).

Kamps, D. M., Leonard, B. R., Vernon, S., Dugan, E. P., Delquadri, J. C., & Galloway, L. (1992). Teaching social skills to students with autism to increase peer interactions in an integrated first-grade classroom. SSRN Electronic Journal.

Reichow, B., Steiner, A. M., & Volkmar, F. (2013). Social skills groups for people aged 6 to 21 with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.