In addition to our Social Skills workshop – The Best of Friends - we have prepared the factsheet below to provide more information to parents about social skill sin children.

An important aspect of maintaining friendships is social skills.

Social skills are specific behaviours such as smiling, making eye contact, asking and responding to questions, and giving and acknowledging compliments during a social exchange. These behaviours result in positive social interactions and have been linked to positive developmental outcomes, including peer acceptance.

How can I tell if my child is having difficulties with social skills?

• Little use of eye contact,
• Uninterested in social interactions,
• Difficulties initiating social interactions,
• Difficulties interpreting verbal and non-verbal social cues,
• Inappropriate emotional response,
• Lack of empathy towards others.

It can be upsetting for parents to realise that their children are having difficulties making friends. Research has shown however, that social skills can be effectively taught to children.

How to encourage your child to develop social skills

• Help your child make friends by organising play dates, having sleepover and joining clubs.
• Offer suggestions on ways to handle situations at school and with friends.
• Children learn a lot by observing how adults interact so it is important to always model appropriate behaviour, such as greeting shop assistants and using Peoples names when possible.
• Help your child to understand different points of view by describing feelings and having conversations about how other people might feel. This can help your child to develop empathy and will help them deal with conflict when it occurs.
• Help develop conversation skills such as asking questions and listening to others
• Discuss behaviours such as teasing and bullying with your child, to help them understand that some comments could upset others.

How can the Quirky Kid Clinic help your child?

The Quirky Kid Clinic is a unique place for children and adolescents aged 2-18 years. We work from the child’s perspective to help them find their own solutions. Additionally, we offer a variety of resources, workshops and individualized consultations to support children experiencing difficulties with social skills.

• The Best of Friends Workshop ^TM is an innovative social skills and communication program for children aged 3 to 13. This activity-based workshop encourages children to make the most of their friendships by developing good communication skills. Workshops are available throughout t the year both in school and clinic setting.
• How to be a Friend Book - This book published by Quirky Kid helps children to understand how friendships are formed and the best way to handle conflict. It is a must for all children and proactive parents.
• Face it Cards are a set of 35 hand-draw facial expression cards. The cards give greater meaning to discussions involving feelings and behaviors. They can help families resolve conflict and classmates explore social scenarios or ethical dilemmas and also allow children to ‘pointing out’ their emotions, helping then to increase understanding, problem-solving and empathy when dialogue is difficult.
• Tell Me a Story Cards are a useful tool for parents and professionals working with young people. They invite children to recall and retell their own memorable moments of extremity, this facilitates communication, highlights strengths, and boosts self-esteem.

Please contact the Quirky Kid Clinic on 9362 9297 for further information. You can also discuss Social Skills with other parents at the Quirky Kid Hudle – our parenting forums.

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Information for this fact sheet was taken from an interview with Child Psychologist Kimberley O’Brien,  the Raising Children Network website, and the following articles and was compiled by Corina Vogler, Interm-Psychologist at the Quirky Kid Clinic

Reference: Tse, J., Strulovitch, J., Tagalakis, V., Meng, L., & Fombonne, E. (2007). Social skills training for adolescents with asperger syndrome and high functioning autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37, 1960-1968.

Rao, P., Beidel, D., & Murray, M. (2008). Social skills training for children with Aspergers’s syndrome or high-functioning autism: a review and recommendations. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38, 353-361.

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The outcome was an abundance of new ideas for the future direction of my thesis. Julie fearlessly devised a new model to further explore the impact of loneliness, self esteem, belonging and friendship quality during school transition. She also suggested the introduction of  two (2) new variables:

1. Stability of friendships
2. Reciprocity of friendships

Once again I would like to extend a huge thank you to Dr Julie Aikin and her team of research assistants for their generousity and wisdom. UCONN is also a place I would highly recommend as a well-resourced and service-oriented university – The library and the library staff were phenomenal!

Now back in Sydney, I have returned to the ‘writing-up’ stage of my project, aiming for 80 000 words by mid- 2010 with ongoing support and guidance from my long-distance supervsior, the amazing Dr Helen Watt at Monash University. Helen selflessly shared the art of connecting with international experts and it was well worth the effort.

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