Duncan McGregor July 2015 Assessment of Social Skills

Models of Social Skills Development Component Model Social skills are discrete, observable units of learned behaviour verbal and non-verbal Includes: -eye contact - facial expressions - greetings - polite gestures (“excuse me”, “thank you”) - listening and responding - turn-taking Evaluation strategies include: - observation, checklists

Models of Social Skills Development Process Model Social skills are combinations of actions or sequences of behaviours that constitute social encounters. Appropriate actions are based on rules set by peers, adults and the culture in which the person lives. Rules are learned through experience and observation. Requires more sophisticated abilities to evaluate situations and respond appropriately. Evaluation strategies include - problem-solving scenarios - situational role-playing

Models of Social Skills Development Trait model People are born with specific traits that cannot be changed. Model not widely used - not backed up by research - not useful to us Some personality traits are reflective of the student’s - culture - environment - biological make-up

Assessment Techniques observation interviews situational role-plays problem-solving scenarios student self-evaluation assessment checklists (from Focused On: Social Skills (Sacks & Wolffe, 2000) AFB Press

Assessment Tools Social Skills Assessment Tool for Children with Visual Impairments (McCallum & Sacks, 1994) Independent Living: A Curriculum with Adaptations for Students with Visual Impairments (Lumiet & Levack, 1992) TSBVI EVALS (TSBVI, 2007)