An Examination of Social Skills Training on Transition-related Social Skills of Students with Disabilities

Abstract

Many students with disabilities lack the skills needed to transition into society as successful, independent adults (Test, Aspel, & Everson, 2006). Emphasis has been placed on transition preparation. Several skills deficits have been identified as reasons for poor outcomes for students with disabilities. One skill identified as being critical to success is the ability to socially interact with others appropriately. Lack of social skills has been linked to academic failure and poor economic and cultural opportunities (Wentzel, 1991). Social skills are vital to the development and overall adjustment of students with and without disabilities. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Skillstreaming the Adolescent: A Guide for Teaching Prosocial Skills on transition-related social skills (McGinnis, Sprafkin, Gershaw, & Klein, 2012). Eleven students enrolled in one of two Work-Place Readiness courses at a high school in the Southeastern part of the United States were included in this study. These participants were in grades 10 through 12 and all were identified with a disability. Data were collected from three sources: parents, students, and teachers using Skillstreaming checklists that were adapted to address work-related social skills. Results revealed that teachers and parents did not report an increase in transition-related social skills after participating in the Skillstreaming program. However, participants reported an increase in their transition-related social skills from pre- to post-testing.