Social as defined in the dictionary means companionship or having to do with human beings living together. Sociable refers to being friendly. There are many factors that contribute to our relationships and our feelings that no definition could sufficiently explain the meaning of social. Dr. Mel Levine, however, has done a superb job of explaining social behavior and language in his book “A Mind At a Time”. Within the discussion of social language in this book, some of the social language functions that he refers to are:
• The ability to change the way we speak with different people
• Ability to know what to talk about when and how long to keep it up
• The ability to understand humor
• The ability to assume the perspective of the listener
• The ability to praise another person
Some of the social behaviors he refers to are:
• The ability to resolve conflicts
• The ability to cooperate and work with others
• The ability to interpret people’s actions and gestures
Some of our children have difficulty with one or more of these social language functions or behaviors and it can make forming friendships nearly impossible. We can help our children with social skills by continuously explaining the unspoken social rules that we all naturally follow but that they may not be aware of and practicing. An example of this is personal space. Some children have difficulty with this skill and it may take several years of discussing and pointing out social faux pas before this skill becomes fully integrated. Another way to increase awareness is to talk about our own strengths and limitations with regards to social rules. This will increase the child’s awareness without his limitations being directly highlighted. Games can be used as well to sneak in social practice and learning.
Within this website, the toys in this category either teach a social component or can be played to encourage social skills among friends. A great example of this is the game of bingo. If a karaoke microphone is added to the mix children become much more motivated and interested in playing. The shy kids in the bunch may laugh and make appropriate fun filled comments throughout the game. The heat of social interaction is diverted to the kid brave enough to take the microphone and allows the other children time to think and add comments as they become more comfortable. These shy children are practicing skills they may not otherwise have gotten a chance to observe and/or practice.
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