Note: You can try the activities mentioned in the article to develop clients' social skills through remote therapy and virtual lessons.
Some social skills development lessons are done as an individual meeting between the consultant and the client in their office or at home with the family with a behavioral modification specialist, a mobile psychotherapist, or support staff in similar fields.
But now, after the coronavirus pandemic, the situation has changed for many social skills development activities. It is essential to discuss options for working with clients remotely and involve them in choosing what suits them best.
What skills are targeted by the activities mentioned in the article?
The target group of activities in this article are students or clients who need to enhance their skills, such as having a conversation, being open to others' opinions, patiently waiting for their turn, actively listening, building trust and self-esteem, developing successful self-defense techniques, understanding human emotions, and problem-solving.
Here are five suggestions for developing social skills through lessons and remote psychotherapy. Make sure you get parental permission before doing any of these activities.
1. Real-life simulation game practice in demand or ask questions via computer or phone by student or client
The learner practices virtual daily activities with the therapist to prepare to face them in real life. Your client can pretend to order pizza, ask questions about the electricity bill, or contact the homeowner because the washbasin leaks water outside. You can also ask permission for a video chat with students with their teacher to clarify something they did not understand. The necessary steps to make the call and how to act before the call can be discussed.
The therapist will represent the role of the person on the other end receiving the requests or the person receiving and responding to the questions; If the client/ student is unsure of what to do, you can use pictures, giving them multiple options to deal with the situation. For example:
Suppose your client has to contact the power company about a power outage. Give them options for dealing with the situation:
- Pick up the phone and call family members to ask for the number of the electricity company.
- Search Google for the company number.
- Decide not to call because you don't know the number, and send an email instead.
Pictures can be used to facilitate answering multiple-choice questions. One or two images at a time are the best for students with speech and cognitive difficulties to help them understand the situation. Therefore, the best solution for these is to display two options or only the suitable option. There are thousands of images on Google (Google) that help in social skills lessons.
Just as you can create your cards with common questions or multiple-choice questions in written or visual form, you can also choose different scenarios to discuss with your client about how they or someone else is feeling. For example, if you start asking all your family members about the number of the electricity company, what is on their mind, and how do they feel about you? If you are in the same situation, what is your reaction?
2. Use social skills game cards and books to build social connections and develop communication skills
The social skills game cards will allow the client/student to engage in questions about everyday situations in a fun way while arousing their interest in the pictures shown. Social skills games focus on various skills, such as solving problems and understanding emotions while communicating, making new friends, dealing with bullying in the community, and building trust and self-esteem. Students also learn the taking-turn talking skills while conversing and actively listening to the speaker.
Research also suggests that social skills books are helpful for children, and there are several suggested books for developing communication skills for youngsters, such as “What Should Danny Do?” (What Should Danny Do).
This interactive social skills book allows children to decide according to the options available by reading the story.
3. Making use of worksheets or activity books
There are dozens of free online social skills worksheets to develop problem-solving skills, suitable for all types of social skills for younger students or those who find it challenging to express themselves in writing and verbally.
You'll find various options when you search Google Photos for Adolescent Social Skills Worksheets. You can also search for children's worksheets, individual worksheets for autism spectrum patients, and those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Research shows that Cat Coping worksheets help young people reduce anxiety and develop coping skills.
4. Carry out a motor activity or creative, practical training with the student
Research shows that adopting interactive strategies such as regular exercise, creativity, or practical activities:
- Helps to learn how to follow routines.
- Teaches problem-solving.
- Increases confidence in our skills and abilities.
- Helps to persevere.
- Allows for stamina building.
- Reduces stress and anxiety.
- Improves resilience and health and increases happiness.
- Improves cognitive performance.
- Helps us strengthen our relationships with others when working together.
Some ideas for activities you can do with the client include stretching and yoga, jumping rope, jumping and dancing exercises, drawing, knitting, building - for example, building a house of cards - singing, writing songs and poetry, baking and cooking, etc.
In some cases, you can do joint outdoor activities with your client.
5. Build communication skills with five things your client/student likes to do, is interested in, or excels at
Identify five activities that your client enjoys practicing and write each of them on a piece of paper and put them in a hat, cup, etc., and exchange roles in choosing the activity; a chosen card each time will be the topic for your session to discuss; any topic that meets the purpose, such as electronic games, food, movies, or sports. You can put those topics in the cup, and once you choose the topic, the goal of the activity will be to exchange views on this topic.
For example, you can watch a Star Wars video/photo together, ask the student what impressed or interested them, comment on their responses with interest and understanding, and encourage them to ask what you think of the photo and respond to the question.
You will need to consider the linguistic ability of the student/ client when deciding how to carry out this activity.
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