| People with ADHD have difficulty with making and | | | | *The child is taught to look for cues and watch to see |
| keeping friends. People with Predominantly Inattentive | | | | if the group is looking for people to play in their game. |
| ADHD (ADHD-I) have problems with assertiveness | | | | (Do they seem to need more people? Are they talking |
| issues and people with the combined type of ADHD | | | | about picking teams? Are they looking around to see |
| (ADHD-C) and the Hyperactive/Impulsive type of | | | | who else might play?) |
| ADHD (ADHD-HI) have problems with self-control | | | | *The child is taught how to approach the group in a |
| issues. | | | | friendly way. (Are you smiling, is your body language |
| Teachers, psychologist, psychiatrist, and social workers | | | | positive and open or are you crossing your arms |
| train people in social skills utilizing a variety of | | | | across your chest? Are you looking down or are you |
| techniques. Research has shown that role-playing is | | | | looking at the people in the group) |
| one of the most useful methods for teaching social | | | | *The child is taught what to say and how to say it. ("Hi, |
| skills but other exercises, which involve modeling and | | | | are you looking for more people to play?" Did your |
| video training, have also proved helpful. | | | | voice sound friendly and interested? Did you interrupt |
| In order to teach a person anything you must first | | | | someone that was already speaking? Did you wait for |
| establish what core knowledge they have of what | | | | a break in the conversation?) |
| you are teaching. Sociologists have established that | | | | *The child is taught how to play along with the group. |
| people with social skill deficiencies suffer from one of | | | | (Did you play the game? Did you get distracted and |
| two problems. They have no idea how best to behave | | | | wander away? Did you try to change the game or |
| in a specific social situation or they know what the | | | | change the rules? Were you bossy? Did you try to |
| appropriate social behavior is but they do not know | | | | talk to the people you were playing with? Did you |
| how to implement it. | | | | show interest in your playmates?) |
| People with social skills problems may have spent the | | | | Once the person has role-played and perfected the |
| majority of their lives avoiding social situations. They | | | | components of the social script they should practice |
| are often unaware of o the dynamics involved in a | | | | by role-playing with non-threatening friends or family |
| social exchange. Both video modeling and real life | | | | members. The person being trained should role- play |
| modeling are useful tools that give individuals that are | | | | both their part and the reverse role in order that they |
| learning social skills an idea of how social scenarios | | | | see a model of what their role looks like in the social |
| play out. Once the trainer has established the core | | | | scenario. The trainee will require continual feedback |
| knowledge of the individual that they are training, they | | | | from teachers, family members, and peers regarding |
| set out to fill in the gaps of knowledge. Only after the | | | | their progress. Some psychology offices have social |
| social skills behavior is explained by the trainer and | | | | skills groups that meet for this purpose. Teachers and |
| understood by the student, does the trainer proceed | | | | guidance counselors can also be a good resource for |
| with practicing the different methods of establishing the | | | | continual reinforcement and encouragement of |
| desired behavior. | | | | appropriate social behavior. |
| Social situations usually involve many components. | | | | Teaching social behavior involves explaining the social |
| Cognitive Psychologists call the totality of this | | | | behavior, breaking down the social behavior into |
| component a social script. Rather than try to teach a | | | | individual component behaviors, modeling the behavior, |
| person how to behave socially in a given situation, | | | | learning the behavior, and practicing the behavior until it |
| socials skills trainers typically break down the social | | | | comes naturally. |
| script into 'chunks'. The entire social script is made up | | | | We know from research that people with ADHD who |
| of many individual chunks. These individual behaviors | | | | have been trained in social skills do better in life and in |
| are taught, practiced, perfected, and reinforced one at | | | | school. These individuals with feel less isolated and are |
| a time. Progress is rewarded for each step of the | | | | more self-confident. Given that the benefits of social |
| process and the trainee only moves to the next social | | | | skills training are well understood and established, |
| behavior situation when the basic 'chunk' has been | | | | teachers, parents, and mental health providers must do |
| mastered. | | | | everything possible to make certain that people with |
| An example of the steps needed to teach a child how | | | | ADHD and social skills problems are appropriately |
| to become involved in a playground game might look | | | | identified and treated. |
| something like this: | | | | |