Assessment of Social Skills

1. Assessment of Social Skills

2. Assessment Tools Two types of assessment tools for social skills Curriculum-Based Developmental Assessment Play Assessment

3. Assessment Tools Curriculum-Based Developmental Assessment Criterion-referenced and curriculum-based Address full range of developmental domains Assess early childhood development Examples: Brigance Inventory of Early Development Transdiciplinary Play-Based Assessment The Carolina Curriculum for Preschoolers with Special Needs

4. Assessment Tools Play Assessments Examine the developmental elements of play Examples: The Symbolic Play Test A Scale for Assessing Development of Children�s Play

5. Social Development

6. Social Skills Social development in early childhood is characterized by three general skill areas: More elaborate and creative solitary play Interactions with peers The acquisition of prosocial behaviors

7. Social Skills More Elaborate and Creative Solitary Play Transition from functional toys to symbolic play. Dramatize various roles from personal experience or from favorite books and TV shows. Assign roles to inanimate objects.

8. Social Skills Interaction with Peers Often considered the primary measure of social competence. Children initially show interest in peers through watching and smiling while engaged in parallel play. Reciprocal peer interactions expand.

9. Social Skills Acquiring Prosocial Behaviors Prosocial behaviors are random acts of kindness that characterize the socioemotional development of young children. Examples: Giving positive attention Providing assistance Noting approval through words or emotions

10. Purpose for Assessing Social Skills Obtain a general profile of a child�s social and communicative behavior. Gather a detailed profile of a child�s specific social and communicative skills Determine how a child functions in his natural environment Organize treatment goals and objectives Monitor a child�s progress

11. The assessment tool gathers detailed information on� Ritualistic social behaviors Ritualistic communication behaviors Exploratory behaviors Nonverbal social interaction skills Imitation skills Organizational skills Solitary play skills Social play skills Group skills Community social skills Basic communicative functions Socio-emotional skills Basic conversational skills

12. The Assessment of Social and Communication Skills Section I � The Inventory of Social and Communication Behavior Part A � The social behavior questionnaire -The child�s play skills -The condition under which the child plays with others -The presence of any social rituals or other social-behavior challenges. Part B � The communication questionnaire Part C � The exploratory behavior questionnaire -How the child explores his surroundings -The presence of any strong interests or fears -The conditions under which the child is most focused and calm

13. The Assessment of Social and Communication Skills Section II � The core skills checklist Section III � The Social Skills Checklist Part A � Play skills 1. Childs Solitary play, 2. Parallel play, 3. Cooperative play abilities Part B � Group Skills 1. Attend 2. Wait 3. Take turns 4. Follow group directions Part C � Social Skills in the Community 1. Home 2. School 3. Community

14. The Assessment of Social and Communication Skills Section IV � The Communications Skills Checklist Section V � The Assessment Summary Sheet

15. Advantages of Assessment of Social Skills The assessment focuses on the child�s functional social and communication skills in his natural environment. The assessment is comprehensive and scope. The assessment is structured so that information can be obtained directly and indirectly. Family members can be involved, via interviews, in the assessment process. The assessment can obtain information on any child, regardless of challenging behaviors.

16. Advantages cont� The assessment promotes recording the child�s best skills by gathering information for multiple informants, activities, and settings. The assessment is conducive to determining the conditions under which the child is most interactive. The assessment results can be linked directly to instructional goals and objectives. The assessment examined a wide range of specific social and communication skills, the most critical aspects of development in children with autism.

17. Disadvantages This tool can supplement standardized assessment measures but cannot be used document service needs if the child state or school district mandate standardized assessments for this purpose. The assessment does not incorporate normative data. The profile of a child�s skills obtained via this tool depends on the reliability of the informants. The assessment is limited by the observation skills of the person conducting the evaluation.

19. Example: A. Social Behavior

20. I. Inventory of Social and Communication Behavior Continued

21. III. Social Skills Checklist

22. III. Social Skills Checklist Continued