LIFE SKILLS Pre-Service Training

Behavior Anything that we can see, hear or measure. Facial Expressions Body Movements Verbal Responses Voice Tone Webster’s definition: Anything that an organism does involving action and response to stimulation.

Skills Webster’s definition: A learned power of doing something competently. A set of related behaviors or components.

Life Skills Life skills are those skills that will help youth be successful and most likely be reinforced in the youth’s natural environment. –Social –Academic –Independent living

Social Skills –Those skills that enable a person to interact with others in specific ways that are socially acceptable or valued, build relationships, handle interpersonal conflict, and manage personal emotions in constructive ways

Academic Skills –Those skills that enable a person to be successful with academic materials or in school-related situation. Independent Living Skills –Those Skills that enable a person to be self-sufficient or independent and maintain a clean and orderly living environment and a health person.

Problems associated with a lack of social skills: Aggressive and antisocial behavior Juvenile delinquency Child abuse and neglect Mental health disorders Loneliness and despondency Learning disabilities and school failure

Teaching social skills to youth: Teaches youth alternatives to problem behaviors Makes youth more pleasant to live with Helps youth work on referral behaviors Makes the youth more successful in many environments Your home will run more smoothly

Changing Behavior with skills Teaching skills changes negative behavior in two ways –First, by teaching an acceptable behavior, and reinforcing it, a youth is more likely to use the acceptable behavior rather than the negative behavior. The youth has the opportunity to get what they want or need appropriately and are less likely to act out to get what they need Example: youth who wants a treat may steal it or earn money to buy it, youth may yell for attention or ask for help with a calm voice tone

Changing Behavior with skills –Second, when you teach an opposing behavior or skill and reinforce it, the youth cannot engage in the negative behavior One way to address negative behavior is to reinforce a positive, opposing behavior. For example, a youth cannot make a negative statement and a positive statement at the same time. A youth cannot yell and have a quiet voice tone at the same time. It is a creative way to address difficult behavior and allows you to “fix” it more with rewards for good behavior rather than with negative consequences.

Social Skills Basic Skills Group we teach to all youth to prepare them for more complex social skills The Four Basic Skills are: –Following instructions –Accepting “NO” answers –Accepting criticism –Disagreeing appropriately

Social Skills Intermediate Skills Group which are typically taught to youth who have learned the four basic skills Examples include: –Greeting Others –Listening to others –Sensitivity to others –Accepting apologies from others –Accepting compliments –Answering the telephone –Appropriate word choice

Social Skills Advanced Skills Group are usually taught to youth who have demonstrated they can learn additional skills Examples include: –Accepting help –Accepting defeat –Accepting winning appropriately –Borrowing from others –Care of other’s property –Choosing appropriate friends

Social Skills Complex Skills Group are for youth who have done well with more advanced skills and have a need for these skills Examples include: –Accepting self –Appropriate risk-taking –Assessing own abilities –Being an appropriate role model –Moral and spiritual decision making –Recognizing the moods of others

Academic skills Academic skills are needed in the school setting for youth to be successful Examples include: –Completing homework –Being prepared for class –Complying with school dress code –Study skills –Penmanship –Participating in classroom discussion –Having necessary materials –Accuracy/neatness of work

Independent Living Skills Independent Living skills are needed for youth to be successful when living on their own Examples include: –Appropriate appearance –Personal hygiene (brushing hair, brushing teeth, showering, washing hands/face, etc.) –Meal planning –Organizing tasks and activities –Budgeting and money management –Gathering information –Goal setting –Utilizing community resources

Conclusion We teach youth skills to address inappropriate or inadequate behaviors Teaching skills changes behavior by providing a positive alternative behavior or skill. It also works by providing a positive opposing behavior or skill which prevents the negative behavior We teach social, academic and independent living skills to the youth in our homes.

Resources

Social Skills Basic Skills Group we teach to all youth to prepare them for more complex social skills –Following instructions –Accepting “NO” answers –Accepting criticism –Disagreeing appropriately

Social Skills Intermediate Skills Group which are typically taught to youth who have learned the four basic skills –Greeting Others –Listening to others –Sensitivity to others –Accepting apologies from others –Accepting compliments –Accepting consequences –Accepting decisions of authority –Acknowledging other’s presence

Social Skills –Anger control –Answering the telephone –Appropriate voice tone –Appropriate word choice –Asking for help –Asking for clarification –Being on time (promptness) –Checking in –Completing tasks

Social Skills –Complying with reasonable requests –Conversation skills (initiating, joining in, maintaining, closing) –Giving Criticism –Following rules –Following written instructions –Getting another persons’ attention –Giving compliments

Social Skills –Good quality of work –Ignoring others’ inappropriate behavior –Interrupting appropriately –Introduction others –Listening to others –Making an apology –Asking for a favor –Making a telephone call –Offering help

Social Skills –Positive self statements –Positive statements about others –Refraining from possessing contraband or drugs –Reporting emergencies –Reporting other youths’ behavior (peer reporting) –Resisting peer pressure –Saying “Good-bye” –Saying “No” assertively

Social Skills –Seeking positive attention –Showing appreciation –Showing interest –Staying on task –Problem solving (SODAS) –Table etiquette –Volunteering –Waiting your turn –Willing to try new things

Social Skills Advanced Skills Group –Accepting help –Accepting defeat –Accepting winning appropriately –Analyzing skills needed for different situations –Analyzing tasks to be completed –Borrowing from others –Care of other’s property –Choosing appropriate friends

Social Skills –Compromising with others –Communicating honestly –Concentrating on a task –Contributing to group activities –Controlling emotions –Expressing emotions appropriately –Controlling sexually abusive impulses towards others –Controlling the impulse to lie

Social Skills –Controlling the impulse to steal –Coping with change –Cooperating with others –Coping with anger and aggression from others –Coping with conflict –Coping with sad feelings or depression –Dealing with an accusation –Dealing with being left out

Social Skills –Dealing with contradictory messages –Dealing with embarrassing situations –Dealing with failure –Dealing with fear –Dealing with frustration –Dealing with group pressure –Dealing with rejection –Decision making –Delaying gratification

Social Skills –Displaying effort –Expressing appropriate affection –Expressing optimism –Expressing pride in accomplishments –Following through on agreements –Giving instructions –Interacting appropriately with members of the opposite sex –Lending to others

Social Skills –Making new friends –Making restitution –Negotiating with others –Preparing for a stressful conversation –Relaxation –Responding to humor –Responding to complaints –Responding to others’ feelings –Responding to teasing

Social Skills –Self-reporting own behaviors –Self-correcting own behavior –Positive self-talk –Setting appropriate boundaries –Sharing attention with others –Sportsmanship –Use of appropriate humor –Use of appropriate language –Working independently

Social Skills Complex Skills Group –Accepting self –Appropriate risk-taking –Asking for advice –Assertiveness –Assessing own abilities –Being an appropriate role model –Clarifying values and beliefs –Conflict resolution

Social Skills –Consumerism –Differentiating friends from acquaintances –Displaying appropriate control –Expressing empathy for others –Expressing grief –Identifying own feelings –Laughing at oneself –Maintaining relationships –Making a complaint

Social Skills –Moral and spiritual decision making –Patience –Recognizing the moods of others –Stress management –Thought stopping –Tolerating differences –Use of leisure time

Academic skills –Completing homework –Being prepared for class –Complying with school dress code –Study skills –Reading –Penmanship –Spelling –Math –Participating in classroom discussion

Academic Skills –Good grades –Having necessary materials –Accuracy/neatness of work

Independent Living Skills –Appropriate appearance –Personal hygiene (brushing hair, brushing teeth, showering, washing hands/face, etc.) –Appropriate clothing choice –Care of own belongings –Controlling eating habits –Keeping property in its place –Meal planning –Organizing tasks and activities

Independent Living Skills –Time management –Altering one’s environment –Budgeting and money management –Gathering information –Goal setting –Utilizing community resources –Seeking professional assistance –Rewarding yourself –Resigning from a job or project

Independent Living Skills –Planning ahead –Job-finding strategies –Interviewing for a job –Laundry –Cooking –Daily chores –Organization –Care of pets

Add 182 skills with steps handout

LIFE SKILLS Pre-Service Training This training presentation is available for download at: © 2007 Utah Youth Village.