Social Skills on a Playdate

Social Skills in Play

The theory behind social skills training using video is that showing a skill is more helpful than simply telling a child what to do. Often children with social skill challenges learn well with visual stimuli. They enjoy watching television and are inherently motivated by visual as opposed to auditory stimulation. See Article for more information on this method of teaching.

In play, children with social skills challenges may separate themselves from the group. The focus of teaching play with a peer is to model appropriate social skills in the context of play. It is important once the skill is taught to generalize the skill in a natural environment such as on a playdate with a peer. Positive feedback is helpful in order to maintain the success.

Here is a website that has notes and outlines ideas for playgroups and playdates: Playdate/Playgroup Resources