Last week we looked at the meaning of Social Skills, in the context of learning and development, and we shared with you the idea that social skills are a set of personal skills that enable social communication and interaction.
To live in the world that we do – to be able to get a job, to be able to interact with others in order to have personal needs met, and to be able to function independently in the world – it’s handy to understand certain social skills.
So the question then becomes – how do we balance supporting a person in learning new skills whilst ensuring they remain true to who they are (and are able to develop skills in ways that best suit their own personal needs and wants)?
Last week’s post also touched on the idea that regardless of any skills that are being learned, a person’s mental health and well being should always come first. We don’t all socialise in the same way and, regardless of ability, we don’t all have the same needs and desires to participate in the social world in the way that others do.
And it’s with this in mind that we suggest the following guidelines for anyone who is working alongside a person learning about social skills:
When you blend the ideas of skill development and ‘maintaining well being’ together, then social skill learning becomes an opportunity for personal development rather than an intervention – and that’s when a person is more likely to feel success.
Written by Elissa Plumridge