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Allison Fors, Inc.

Speech Therapy Tools for SLPs and Educators

Social Skills You Should Be Targeting in Speech Therapy

social skills you should be targeting in speech therapy

Social communication skills are some of the most valuable skills we can teach our students. Did you know children with verbal and nonverbal learning disabilities often struggle with pragmatic skills? This is because social skills rely on good communication skills!

Not only do we communicate verbally, but through nonverbal communication. Both are equally important to be able to have effective interactions with others. Students may have difficulty with one or both of these while expressing or comprehending language. It is noted that pragmatic language impairment occurs in about 7.5% of children and affects more boys than girls by a ratio of 2.6:1.0 (Ketelaars, Cuperus, van Daal, Jansonius, & Verhoeven, 2009). Social communication disorder can have negative life-long effects on developing relationships, as well as success in school and the workplace. These unsaid rules we use while interacting with others are critical life skills we need to teach!

Listed below are fundamental social communication skills that all students should have a basis to be able to succeed in school and the community.

• INITIATING CONVERSATIONS: Being able to greet others with appropriate verbal and nonverbal language (facial expressions, gestures). In addition, knowing when it is appropriate versus inappropriate to initiate a conversation with someone and navigate more advanced situations, such as joining a group conversation.

• TOPIC MAINTENANCE: Being able to stay on topic, as well as knowing how and when it is appropriate to change topics. This includes listening skills and attention skills.

• ASKING & ANSWERING QUESTIONS: Being able to answer and ask questions appropriately, maintain the conversation, take turns, keep the pace of the conversation, and ask questions to clarify.

• NONVERBAL ASPECTS OF LANGUAGE: Being able to have appropriate body language – facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, body proximity, tone of voice, etc. Being able to use appropriate body language and likewise interpret it from others. A significant portion of communication relies on nonverbal communication.

• PROBLEM-SOLVING: Being able to identify a problem and find a solution, compromise, and negotiate.

• EMPATHY: Being able to feel what another person feels.

• PERSPECTIVE TAKING: Being able to take the point of view of someone else. This is critical in knowing you are giving enough information and context for someone to comprehend what you are telling them.

• APOLOGIZING: Being able to understand the importance of apologizing, then knowing when you should and how.

• SPONTANEOUSLY SEEKING ASSISTANCE: Being able to know when they need help, identify who to ask, and then ask appropriately depending on the situation.

• FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE & SARCASM: Being able to identify and comprehend idioms, similes, metaphors, jokes, and sarcasm. These aspects of language can completely change the meaning.

Download this page, plus more free social skills resource lists!


Download this free resource to apply some of these skills to school situations!

You may be interested in these social skills resources I designed to intentionally build these aspects of pragmatic language:

View more social skills resources.

You may also be interested in reading:
Games for Developing Social Skills
Social Skills Apps
Social Skills Websites

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social skills you should target

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  • Nonverbal Communication Skills: Making The Implicit More ExplicitNonverbal Communication Skills: Making The Implicit More Explicit

June 15, 2018 allisonfors 1 Comment Filed Under: Social Skills, Speech Resources, Therapy Ideas

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Comments

  1. Melissa@SpeechTherapyStore says

    July 30, 2019 at 9:27 pm

    I’m always looking for great social skills activities!

    Thanks for sharing,
    Melissa

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Allison! A speech & language resource author who loves the creative process of making therapy materials and clipart, as well as connecting with educators world wide. Learn more about me here! Read More…

Echolalia is actually a positive prognostic indica Echolalia is actually a positive prognostic indicator for autistic children! We don’t treat it this way most of the time even though it’s a communicative function for the individual. Instead of ignoring or trying to get a child to stop, we should try to shape the content into meaningful communication by teaching the meaning of the words or modeling appropriate language.
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Echolalia is a repetition of another person’s spoken words. This often presents in a child quoting favorite movies or repeating a question directed towards them.
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(Prizant 1987)
Resurfacing this for Better Hearing and Speech Mon Resurfacing this for Better Hearing and Speech Month 👄🗣🧠👂🏼 

What are you!? Tag a friend!👇
Common Diacritics for Cleft Affected Speech 👇👇👇

Nasal emission: The audible release of bursts of air through the nose during speech while producing a consonant that requires a buildup of air pressure.

Nasal turbulence: The escape of air through the nasal cavity, but it is perceived as turbulent, a snort or nasal rustle.

Dentalized: When the tip of the tongue is pushed against the back of the upper teeth.

Hypernasailty: A condition when air flows through the nasal passage during voiced consonants and vowels causing too much nasal resonance. It may or may not be audible.

Hyponasality: A condition when there is not enough nasal resonance on nasal sounds due to a blockage in the nasopharynx or nasal cavity.

Fronted: When a sound produced in the back of the mouth is replaced with a sound made in the front of the mouth.

Backed: When a sound produced in the front of the mouth is replaced with a sound made in the back of the mouth.

Save this post to reference later!
SPEECH VS LANGUAGE. BHSM seems like a good time to SPEECH VS LANGUAGE. BHSM seems like a good time to share this again. 

Oh how many times I’ve explained these two terms! Do you find yourself breaking down the difference between speech and language?

This graphic is in the Free SLP Handouts download. 🔗 allisonfors.com/speech-therapy-handouts/
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month! Now if onl May is Better Hearing and Speech Month! Now if only there was an easy way to explain alllll the aspects of speech-language pathology! 👄🦻🏻
Want to know what the most horrific/best thing I e Want to know what the most horrific/best thing I ever did in therapy was?
Video myself.
😳😳😳
I realized I wasn’t giving enough wait time for my students. Turns out what feels like eternity after you ask a question, is really half a second. 😂 It took a lot of retraining to be ok with the quiet and not try to fill every moment with a teaching opportunity. Try counting to 10 before you jump in!

Have you ever filmed yourself in therapy? What was your biggest takeaway? 
If you’ve never done it or it’s been awhile...do it!

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