HIGH-LEVERAGE PRACTICES IN Life Skills and Transition Programs

Count Them In:
Expanding Students' Social Skills

Episode Description

In this insightful episode, the discussion delves deep into the intricacies of teaching social behaviors within educational settings, particularly for students with disabilities. Lindsay, an expert in the field, sheds light on high leverage practices for integrating social skill instruction into daily educational experiences, comprehensive data collection, and individualized education program (IEP) development. She emphasizes the necessity of not only teaching these skills in isolation but enabling students to apply them across various settings to ensure holistic development.

Key Points and Takeaways

  • Structured Social Skill Instruction: Social skills must be taught explicitly through a structured approach that includes assessment, demonstration, practice, and feedback to help students succeed in various settings.
  • Generalization Across Settings: Students should be encouraged to practice social skills both within the classroom and in community settings to foster real-world application and generalization.
  • Performance vs. Skill Deficit: Teachers should differentiate between students who have performance problems and those with skill deficits to tailor social skill instruction effectively.
Podcast Guest

Lyndsay Palach Shelton, MA, LBSII

Lyndsay Palach Shelton is a transition specialist who specializes in determining realistic and fulfilling individual goals while working with families to inform, support, and guide them through the complex world of special education. She has been a special educator and transition specialist in the public education sector. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys running marathons around the country, traveling with her family, and enjoying delicious vegan dishes. Lyndsay is a Transition Specialist, Certified Vocational Coordinator, and Founder of Future SLTP with her Bachelors in Special Education, Master of Arts in Transition Education and Services, and certification in Cooperative Education.

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High-Leverage Practice #9:
Teach social behaviors.
Teachers should explicitly teach appropriate interpersonal skills, including communication, and self-management, aligning lessons with classroom and schoolwide expectations for student behavior. Prior to teaching, teachers should determine the nature of the social skill challenge. If students do not know how to perform a targeted social skill, direct social skill instruction should be provided until mastery is achieved. If students display performance problems, the appropriate social skill should initially be taught, then emphasis should shift to prompting the student to use the skill and ensuring the “appropriate” behavior accesses the same or a similar outcome (i.e., is reinforcing to the student) as the problem behavior.
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I think sometimes when we lose sight of what the intention of that placement or skill development is, we lose complete interest in growth and development of the student.

Lyndsay Palach Shelton

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Host: Heather Volchko

Guest: Lyndsay Palach Shelton

This week, we're talking about High-Leverage Practice number nine, teaching social behaviors. And Lyndsay, I know that for you in your practice, this looks a ton of different ways depending on the age of students that you're working with, the family dynamics that you're working within, and what those bigger life outcomes are anticipated to be. So, for you, what does this practice look like?

This is probably one of my favorite parts that you're talking about, all of the communication that we're trying to infuse in and on these students that are appropriate when we're talking about moving forward into employment, into living on their own. So, for example, we start talking about all these “appropriate interactions,” how you're interviewing or how you're with your classmates, how you're with your community members, how you're interacting with any of your employers or employees.

And a lot of times when we start thinking about how these interactions look, nobody really wants to talk about how you apply them until like they're 18, right? And they're in a traditional transition program. But all of this stuff, whether it's going to be explicitly taught in a one-on-one session, in a small group setting, in a classroom setting, or out in the community. This High-Leverage Practice is so important because it has the ease to infuse in every single one of those settings.

I appreciate what you were saying, like it just fits in. Like it just is part of what we do, because this is actually one of the practices that I hear most frequently. A lot of our classroom practitioners are saying, “I'm not trained in that, I don't know how to teach that.” Like, “I can get them to perform academically, even like functional academics or maybe some workplace skills,” like those types of things. But when it comes to this arena, so many of our classroom practitioners, yes, it's a massive part of their day, yes, it's infused in everything, but they feel so unskilled in this area.

How do you support your teams to grow into seeing that there are actually ways that you can teach these skills and embed that into the things that you're already feeling comfortable or confident in?

So one of the things that's kind of funny about this is because when you start talking about like how this can be taught, you're thinking back to like all the ways that it's going to be dispersed out into the community. So one of the things that when we, even if we're not necessarily tied to where they're at in terms of their language, is all the data. So like, even if it's inappropriate at this time, we want that data. We want to make sure that we're collecting the data, and you know, whether that's collected by the classroom assistants or the teachers. And if the teachers aren't comfortable with it, how are we getting into that systematic approach to even collecting that data?

Because I get that. If people are like, “I don't have these tools to be teaching this, and I have content, and I have all these other things that we're teaching,” start with where we're at. What are we doing in the classroom? Where are the areas that this needs to be taught, and then how are we going to be able to generalize this everywhere?

But one of my favorite things is when we're taking that data, is to then see if it's also in the same setting somewhere else. So, for example, we may be seeing a behavior in their primary classroom, but you better believe they're not going to be doing it on the bus, or you better believe they're not going to be doing it at the lunch table with some of their friends. So, where and why these behaviors are happening is a completely different story. But I think oftentimes we're just worried about how we're going to do it here? 

Well, if we're going to music class and these behaviors are obsolete, that's great. What are we doing in that music class that I can pull into here? Or what's this fresh set of eyes in this other class that I can bring into this classroom over here and see even little things where we're like, let's look at table arrangements. Let's look at the sequencing throughout the classroom. There are little things like that where even just to find a starting point of what that looks like is easy enough.

You're speaking my language here because I don't see behavior outside of context. Like, I am a strong contextual behavior analyst. And so when you're looking at social skills, you can't teach that in a vacuum. And so you need to know what the context is in which those skills need to show up? And then how is that individual showing up in those scenarios? What is the outcome that they need to have out of that social interaction? There are so many different moving pieces that go into the social skills to then know how they show up and where they show up and when should they or should they not show up? And I think even as adults, sometimes there are skills that are very appropriate that we would prefer maybe not to be part of.

But it's like knowing the time and place or knowing that that's okay when they're with their peers. Because when I'm with my peers, I act one way. When I'm in my professional setting or my workplace environment, I act slightly differently. So, knowing some of those nuances, I think from just a human perspective, really infuses how we can then support our individuals to learn what that could look like for them in those different places.

But I think that requires an open worldview to say, like, depending on this individual's culture or what their potential employment scenario is going to be like. Different workplaces operate differently. There are so many different pieces that go into what is “appropriate” in this scenario.

So, for you, when you're walking that through, I'm thinking either with the clients that you work with now and their families or if you're supporting practitioners in their own program development, how are you helping people figure out what is “appropriate” and how do you support that individual in learning what may fit in that box in that moment?

So I am definitely not a fan of sequential release of independence out into the world vocational settings. Like, that is bananas to me. So, when people are like, “oh, they have to meet X, Y and Z before they can get out of a classroom job, to get out and do a school job and xyz,” I'm like, these kids aren't going to go anywhere ever. It's like having a carrot and not even understanding what a carrot tastes like. So it's like we have to move them along for age appropriateness, exposure out into the community, and practicing these social skills. If it's a flop, it is a flop. And guess what? That gives you enormous data. I would rather have that red flag data instead of like,  they didn't do X, Y, and Z yet. That is just terribly awful for the families and for the students. And when I see things like that, it really just gives me the heebie-jeebies.

So when we think about what's appropriate, what's not appropriate, I always love talking about the vocational setting. So, for example, the vocational coordinator or transition specialist is going out into the community, and we're thinking this might be a really great job training site, or like, they could really practice their social/emotional or their work readiness skills out into the setting. It's a really good fit for them. You know, we've done an environmental analysis. We've done all the things, and we're matching everything. And then once we go there, I love getting a real job description.

So, if someone's just thinking of a mom-and-pop shop, I want that job description. How are we looking at, do we have this? Do we have this? Do we have this? And I love taking that data because there is nothing better than using that and infusing that into IEP goals or using these work readiness skills or triangulating that with the IEP goals and the workforce readiness skills. There's just so much meat in what it is.

And the reason that I bring that up is because too often when I'm working with programs or with students or with practitioners, we think that because we're lucky enough to get into the community and get a job site, we should be forever grateful. And there's a time and a place for each one of these placements. But what are we doing there? Maybe they don't necessarily like stocking shelves, but if we're working on conflict resolution or we're working on communication skills with reporting to a manager or somebody of authority, I want that data. Maybe a week is good, maybe six months is not very appropriate.

And then I get that frustration threshold. If you're in a place and you don't like being there, I think that there's this element of we get frustrated. How can we expect these students to have any more tolerance for frustration than we do? So, while we love taking this data, I always think that there's this little mystical element of, they're just not that happy, and that's okay. I mean, think about some of your colleagues or coworkers, the people that you have contracts with, maybe not the greatest to be around all the time, and that is totally okay.

I just like giving that example because when we start thinking about what's appropriate in this setting or what's appropriate about this, okay, fine, you're getting frustrated, but are we handling it appropriately? How are we going to track the data, and how are we going to share this with the team to then make a placement decision or a vocational site training decision on what that is? Because I think sometimes when we lose sight of what the intention of that placement or skill development is, we lose complete interest in the growth and development of the student.

It's really fun to hear you talking about some of these examples because I think in some settings it feels a little taboo. One of the things, as you were sharing that story, I'm thinking of, I've walked with teams trying to help them understand that, yeah,  it’s okay for a kid to say no. And actually in life, there are many times where no is a very appropriate answer and is very safe for an individual. It might make my life right now in this moment a little harder. And we're going to need to figure out how to walk that through. But as a skill, it's actually a really great human skill.

How do you walk that with your families, with practitioners, to know that what we're doing with our students right now is in that bigger picture? It's not just to make my life easier or to make this one workplace scenario possible right now. It's that no, this is a human, a holistic human that is learning these skills for a lifetime.

So what I always recommend to practitioners and to students is that every day they're filling out some type of self-evaluation. At the end of the day, get home, make your dinner, watch a little show, and then you're like, ‘Oh man, today really beat me down.’ Or you know, like, ‘I really think I should focus on this tomorrow.’ Or maybe like ‘that email was a little quick,’ or you have a little bit of a reflection. And I feel like, especially for students who are in job training sites, there's very little time for reflection. And so I usually like to implement some self-reflection for the student, whether it's on the bus ride home or on their transportation. It could be as easy as a Google Form. They're clicking something, and we have real-time data of ‘How did I feel today?’ ‘What was one thing that I can focus on?’ What was, you know, little things like that where you're getting this daily feedback where maybe after a week of waiting, isn’t very helpful because they're going to forget the levels of frustration during the week or some things that they've had, but having that daily report that isn't necessarily taxing, but just a little bit of feedback in terms of their progress is super, super helpful and then can use that for moving forward.

And I feel like a lot of adults want to sit around a table and make a decision for a young adult in their future. But if a family is really encouraging them to do one job in particular, and everything about these sensory needs and these preferences and these levels of frustration tolerance are telling me otherwise, we need to consider it. And I know that's what drives it. However, there are a lot of adults around the table, and we like to make decisions. And so I just think that those daily pieces of feedback from the student are extremely helpful for any type of planning in the future.

And I can imagine if you don't have that feedback, where you're not looking for it, or honestly, I've worked with some practitioners or teams that are just not open to it. Like they just know what's right and they're going to do what they do. There's got to be times where people think they're teaching social skills, that they're engaging in social development, and kind of any age range. And I'm looking at it being like, I feel like we're missing the mark here. Do you have any of those examples where it's maybe people think that they're implementing this High-Leverage Practice, but it's not exactly what it's really defined to be?

I think the funniest place to see school practitioners is in the community, teaching skills that are not applicable. So much so, and it's very noticeable when you go into a job site. You have one child, several adults, maybe a clipboard. Like, you see it, you know what it is. And there's more talking on behalf of the adults than the students. And certainly, there are times for health or safety, or there needs to be an intervention, and there needs to be something. But when all you hear is adults narrating what's happening around them, instead of taking a step back, watching the interaction, taking the data, and then intervening or reviewing at a later time, is not the point. I can completely appreciate in-time learning.

Another big thing that I like when I see teams, and it's a little tricky with the confidentiality and stuff, is the video modeling. And in the video, like, ‘this is a great example. You were awful to your colleague. Let's look at the ways that we were being awful. This is certainly a way for you to get fired.’ And I know I'm very blunt when I talk about this, but that's the language that we're getting from employers. That's the language that we're getting from managers. And you had asked before what's one thing that we like to do? We love getting the job description. But at the end of each training period, whether that's a week or a month or a quarter or a semester, at the end of the employer evaluation, I want to know, based on the skills that they're displaying right now, would you hire them for competitive employment?

And I think that question has really changed the honest feedback that we get from employers and managers. Because the “feedback” that we get from job coaches is often flowery. Based on how they did a year ago, maybe they're doing a little bit better. But if I'm asking the manager or the employer, are they displaying these skills, and would you hire them, and there's a dollar impact, they're saying no. And it's certainly not for the point of the disability. That is not the reason we're doing it to like stronghold these businesses to hire students where we're in this agreement that they're not necessarily paying for however, it gives us more concrete feedback in terms of, “Then tell me your honest opinion. Where can we be working on these skills? What skill deficit should we be working on?” Because if the whole goal is competitive employment in the future, you know, not being honest with us is not very helpful.

And if you would not hire them, then we need to move on somewhere else because we're not going to give you free labor, because a lot of this is really bordering on unlawful at this point. So, I mean, we've had plenty of positions in the past where we had gone outside of Department of Labor regulations, and out of the courtesy of whether it's the family or whether it's on behalf of the business itself. And if you're not going to hire them, then please give me credible feedback so we can work on that moving forward, and then we're moving on. So a lot of those honest, brutal conversations give you so much clear feedback, so then you can plan moving forward as well.

I think if anything, this conversation is making it abundantly clear that social behaviors are much more than part of our calendar time in the morning or embedded in our lunch and recess windows of the school day. And outside of that, it's just more of your compliance metrics and task-related performance, which is what undermines employment. And so if that's going to be the gateway to having an adulthood that has some aspect of financial stability that I can then bring in like some way through myself, well then it's those skills that are gonna be the make or break.

So I really appreciate how you're asking the employers, “Okay, they may have the skills, but do they have all the skills?” And so often it is, it's these social behaviors that undermine. When we know that they can do the task, but they aren't able to fit into that social environment, there are so many opportunities just pulled out right from underneath them.

Yeah, and you bring up a good point. You know, there are a lot of families that are like, “we don't want them working, they'll just volunteer.” Well, I gotta be honest, certain places aren't going to take you for volunteer opportunities either if we can't be socially appropriate. So, sometimes when there's that idea of like, we're not worried, we're taking it off the table still applies to volunteer opportunities. And I think that's something that practitioners and families can look at through the same lens.

Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for sharing your expertise on teaching social behaviors. I know that that is something that is true to your heart and really just how you see the outcomes of the individuals that you get to support. So thanks for sharing that with us today.

Thank you.

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If it's a flop, it is a flop. And guess what? That gives you enormous data, Right. I would rather have that red flag data instead of like, I don't know, like they didn't do X, Y and Z yet.

Lyndsay Palach Shelton

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One of the significant challenges students with disabilities face is navigating social interactions with both adults and peers in appropriate ways. Regardless of a student’s specific disability or the primary focus of their individualized education program (IEP), incorporating social skill instruction into the daily curriculum is essential. Just as we teach academic skills, social skills require direct, explicit instruction, repeated practice, and positive, specific feedback when students demonstrate the targeted behaviors.

Effective social skill instruction relies on several key components validated by research. These include assessing and identifying students' social skill patterns, using a structured "tell-show-practice" approach, and evaluating students’ mastery and ability to generalize these skills across various settings. While many quality social skill curriculums exist, they often assume that students have a skill “deficit,” meaning they don’t know how to perform the appropriate behavior. This approach may be suitable for students with moderate to severe disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disabilities. However, for students with mild disabilities, social skill challenges are more often “performance” problems. These students know what social skill they should use but may choose inappropriate behaviors because these behaviors lead to outcomes that reinforce the problem, such as avoiding uncomfortable situations.

To be effective, social skill instruction must match the lesson focus to the student's specific challenge, whether it’s a skill deficit or a performance issue. Teachers should first identify and define the social skill and clarify when it should be used. Then, they should discuss the emotions or triggers that lead to inappropriate behavior, demonstrate both correct and incorrect responses, and have the student practice the appropriate behavior through role-playing.

Teaching social skills in a small group setting is generally effective, but the real challenge lies in helping students generalize and maintain these skills over time and across different environments. Strategies such as teaching within the actual settings where the skills will be used, providing frequent prompts or reminders, and offering high rates of specific positive feedback are all critical for ensuring that students can apply their social skills successfully beyond the classroom. These approaches, grounded in empirical research, are crucial for fostering lasting social success in students with disabilities.

Many students with disabilities, particularly those with emotional or behavioral disorders, autism spectrum disorder, and other low-incidence disabilities, face significant social skill deficits that impact their ability to fully engage in school and community settings alongside their peers. Special educators play a crucial role in identifying these key skill gaps and developing explicit instruction plans to teach social skills to mastery.

Social behaviors encompass various domains, including communication with peers and adults, self-management, and following classroom expectations. Teachers who establish consistent, organized, and respectful classroom environments (HLP 7), use diverse data sources (HLP 4), and collaborate with colleagues (HLP 1) and families (HLP 3) are well-prepared to implement these practices effectively. However, it’s the strategic use of explicit instruction (HLP 16) combined with high-quality feedback (HLP 8/22) that truly enables students to learn and apply new social behaviors. This approach not only teaches students how to use these social skills but also provides them with the feedback needed to gauge how well they are meeting expectations, fostering both academic and social success.

Teachers who effectively teach social skills take a systematic and proactive approach. They begin by identifying students with social skills deficits, drawing from a variety of data sources, including systematic screeners, schoolwide disciplinary referrals, classroom observations, and input from families. This comprehensive data collection allows educators to pinpoint the specific types of social skills deficits, such as challenges in problem-solving, communication, or conflict management.

Once these deficits are identified, teachers develop targeted social skills groups, organizing students based on commonalities in their needs. Instruction is then tailored to address these specific skills, with complex behaviors, like resolving peer conflict, being broken down into smaller, teachable steps. This method ensures that students experience success at each stage of learning.

Teachers also consider the various contexts in which social skills are required, designing examples, non-examples, and role-playing scenarios that help students generalize their skills across different environments. These examples are crafted with attention to students' cultural backgrounds, ages, and natural environments, ensuring relevance and effectiveness. For instance, when teaching greeting behaviors, teachers might include scenarios ranging from formal business handshakes to casual verbal greetings among friends.

Effective instruction in social skills mirrors the core components of academic lesson plans, with a focus on teaching, modeling, and practicing the desired behaviors. All students are engaged throughout the lesson, with tasks designed to maintain their attention and participation. Mastery is promoted through the use of positive and corrective feedback that is immediate, consistent, and specific. Scaffolded supports are gradually faded as students become more independent in their use of social skills.

To ensure that students can apply their newly acquired skills across various settings, teachers provide opportunities for practice in different authentic contexts. Progress is constantly monitored, with teachers analyzing students' responsiveness to instruction and making adjustments as needed to support ongoing development.

School leaders have a vital role in empowering teachers to teach social skills effectively. One way they can do this is by offering instruction, professional development, and coaching tailored to help teachers master effective instructional practices for social skills. This involves teaching educators how to use various data sources to identify students who need social skills instruction, ensuring that the identification process is thorough and accurate.

Leaders should also support faculty teams in grouping students based on common social skills needs. By providing additional supports like lesson development and curriculum materials, leaders can ensure that teachers have the resources they need to deliver effective instruction. Regular meetings focused on progress monitoring and data collection are crucial, as they give teachers and teams the opportunity to evaluate student progress and address any emerging needs among staff.

If the school has established a set of school-wide expectations, leaders can guide teachers in linking their social skills lessons to these expectations. This helps ensure that lessons are consistent with the broader school environment, making it easier for students to generalize and apply what they learn across different settings.

Interacting effectively with adults and peers, along with managing one's own behavior, is crucial for student success. However, students with disabilities often face unique challenges in mastering these social skills, unlike their typically developing peers. This makes explicit instruction in social skills not just beneficial, but essential. 

Research shows that social skill instruction is effective across various stages of development, from preschool through adulthood, and benefits students dealing with a range of social skill challenges and disabilities. The evidence strongly supports that when social skill instruction is combined with strategies to help students generalize these skills to different contexts, it significantly enhances their social-emotional functioning.

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