We all know kids who seems to understand social skills naturally; however not all children have an innate ability to develop these skills.
Knowing how to share feelings, interact with others and make friends is an essential component of living a happy and fulfilled life! It’s important to identify “red flags” in your child’s behaviour and work on these areas to allow them to flourish in their social environment. The following social skills checklist outlines “red flags” which may indicate that social skills don’t come easily to your child.
Social learning and attention issues. For example Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and non-verbal learning disabilities.
Trouble picking up on social cues such as facial expressions and body language.
Difficulty listening or working in a group.
Difficulty making friends in school. Often seems alone, “in his own world,” or “doing his own thing,” even around others.
Difficulty responding to and being aware of other emotions
Poor awareness of others (e.g. looking at who they are speaking to)
Difficulty starting, maintaining and/or finishing an interaction
Difficulty turn taking in conversation
Difficulty maintaining appropriate topics of conversation
If your child faces any of these social challenges it is important to be aware that these skills can be worked on and developed successfully with the appropriate tools and strategies.
Every child is unique and by working in partnership with caregivers and educators to identify a child’s specific social needs an individualized treatment plan can be developed to ensure your child flourishes in the social world around them.
