What Are Social Interaction Skills?

Well-developed social interaction skills are critical for developing positive self-esteem, building
relationships, and ultimately for acceptance into society. To communicate effectively with
others, establish friendships, positive social relationships, and be perceived as a likable human
being, a person must demonstrate good social skills.

Inherent in social interaction are the verbal or signed expressive and receptive language skills
required to carry on a conversation. Understanding and using nonverbal communication skills—
the nuances of facial expressions and body language—are also critical social skills used to
convey different emotions and feelings.

Social interaction skills are essential for engaging with others; yet, much of the content in this
area is typically learned through casual observation of others. Because children who are blind
or visually impaired are unable to casually observe how others interact and engage socially,
they need systematic and purposeful instruction in order to learn social skills.

How Do Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVIs)

Approach Instruction of Social Skills?
As children grow up, the social skills they learn tend to build upon each other. Therefore,
children who are blind or visually impaired need ongoing instruction in age- and culturally-
appropriate social skills.

As students get older, they should be learning more advanced social skills and continue to
practice those previously learned. For example, children with visual impairments learn many
social behaviors that will be expected of them as they enter school and other social
environments outside their homes.

 Differences in how to properly greet and speak with adults versus greeting and speaking
to other children (what you can say, what you cannot or should not say, when to speak up, and
when to listen).
 How to communicate effectively with teachers and aides in a classroom setting (raising
one’s hand to be called upon, following the rules for when one’s allowed to talk and how
loudly, when one is allowed to interrupt and how, etc.).
 What activities and topics of conversation are of interest to peers on the playground, in
the cafeteria, and during informal interaction opportunities such as when waiting for the school
bus or parent after school.
 How closely one is allowed to stand when in conversation.
 When and where a person is allowed to touch another person.
 The facial expressions and gestures peers use to convey nonverbal messages.
 What social behaviors are expected in public: covering your mouth when you sneeze or
cough, saying excuse me if you bump someone or step on someone’s toes, saying please and
thank-you when asking for or receiving something from someone, and so forth.
 How to actively participate in social functions and extracurricular activities such as
birthday parties, recreational or sporting events, and scouting.
 How to work effectively with a team of students on group projects.
During middle and high school, youths with visual impairments may benefit from structured
learning that focuses on problem-solving social dilemmas, such as what to do if someone is
rude when the student asks for assistance.

The use of role playing and discussing scenarios may be especially helpful. Social skills can be
refined by participating in activities such as drama, debate, and health classes.

Some youths may benefit from more targeted work in support groups or small-group
counseling sessions. Adolescents with visual impairments need to feel comfortable discussing
their disabilities with others: teachers, related service providers, friends, extended family,
employers, and strangers. They must be able to determine who needs to know what about
them and how to refuse unneeded or unwanted assistance.

In addition, youths with visual impairments need information about social conventions and
popular culture in order to participate in social activities with peers. These activities may
involve eating out, dating, or socializing with an individual friend or in groups. This information
includes knowing about fashion trends, technology and gadgetry, popular music, sports,
movies, and so forth.

Some additional areas of social skills that teachers of students with visual impairments and
families will want to address during adolescence include:

 Developing assertive communication skills and comparing those skills with aggressive or
passive communication.
 Developing an awareness of how others feel when a person uses different types of
communication skills.
 Understanding how to express sexuality appropriately and what to do if others interact
inappropriately (coping mechanisms).
 Ensuring personal safety and well-being outside of the nuclear family (in preparation for
living away from home)
 Negotiating with others—how to reciprocate when necessary and clarifying what the
student can and cannot do to contribute in group activities or partnerships.
 How to set life/career goals and articulate those to others (family, friends, and service
providers).
 Maintaining individuality while being aware of popular culture, trends, and social
pressures.
How Can We Support Instruction in Social Interaction Skills
in Schools?
Social interaction skills are best facilitated by a fully qualified teacher of students with visual
impairments who is aware of the social gaps of the student who is blind or visually impaired
and the longer term impact this lack of access or understanding has on the student's
development.

In addition to providing direct instruction to help students develop social awareness and
appropriate communication skills, teachers of students with visual impairments must work with
the student's entire Individualized Education Program (IEP) team and larger school community
to help others effectively support the student's development of social interaction skills.

Youth with visual impairments need multiple sources of support and feedback throughout their
community. These include family members, siblings, neighbors, peers, classroom teachers,
school counselors, and others the student might regularly encounter in the community.

Youth with visual disabilities also benefit from talking with peers and working adults who are
also visually impaired. These mentors are rich sources of information about how they
themselves navigate a variety of social interactions.

In addition, social interaction skills should be addressed in IEP goals. However, instruction in
social skills is usually not a formal process. Therefore, by working collaboratively with the larger
community, teachers of students with visual impairments empower everyone invested in the
student's welfare to seize on teachable moments.

For example, if a young student is not facing adults when they speak to him or her, the teacher
of students with visual impairments might want to give a quick lesson on how to do this and
then reinforce the new behavior. By letting teachers, school staff, and family members know
about the issue and the skill taught, the teacher of students with visual impairments ensures
that appropriate social behaviors will be reinforced throughout the child's entire community. By
hearing the same message from multiple people, the student learns that appropriate behaviors
are expected in all areas of the child's life—not just in the classroom.

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Developing Communication Skills

An important aspect of learning is for students to be able to communicate what they know, or
think they know. The best way for teachers to encourage communication from all students is
through classroom discussion or small group work (Rika, 1996). There has always been the
notion that you learn best when you actually have to teach or explain a concept to someone
else. This means being able to verbalize what you know. So teachers need to encourage their
students to verbalize their own knowledge so that they can learn more efficiently. Students on
the listening end also benefit from hearing their classmates explanations. When students listen
to each other, they often benefit from hearing concepts being explained from different points
and in ways that might be closer the students way of thinking. When students listen effectively
they generate questions to further everybody's thinking and learning.

In order to have good discussions teachers need to provide problems that have multiple
solutions or methods of solution. These types of problems are best in simulating discussion,
creativity and risk taking. When teachers are trying to encourage a meaningful discussion it is
crucial that they give their students plenty of time to respond and think about what they want
to say. Teachers should avoid yes/no questions and short answered question if they want to
have a quality discussion. Open-ended higher level thinking questions are the best choice to get
students thinking and communicating their ideas. The teacher should stay involved in the
discuss to correct wrong information but should be careful when pointing out mistakes. It is
very important to create and maintain an environment that students feel comfortable
participating.

Another way to encourage students to communicate, especially if they are too shy to speak up,
is to have them journal. Research suggests (Terrell Young, 1990 that dialogue journals provide a
purposeful activity in which students communicate their thoughts and feelings. It is important
that teachers collect these journals and respond to them. The teacher doesn't necessarily need
to evaluate them, but she/he could ask the students questions to further their thinking. Such
as, "Why do you think that?", "What could be another reason?", and so on. Students can also
exchange journals to share their ideas and get responses from others.

Debate is another way teachers can provide their students with the opportunity to practice
their communication skills. Research suggests that debate encourages different types of
responses, helps students to develop convincing arguments, and allows teachers and students
to learn from one another (Leonard, 1999). This also encourages students to back up what they
believe and it allows teachers to really get a good idea of what kind of conceptual knowledge
students have about certain topics.
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Effective Communication

Improving Communication Skills in Your Work and Personal Relationships

Effective communication sounds like it should be instinctive. But all too often, when we try to
communicate with others something goes astray. We say one thing, the other person hears
something else, and misunderstandings, frustration, and conflicts ensue. This can cause
problems in your home, school, and work relationships. For many of us, communicating more
clearly and effectively requires learning some important skills. Whether you’re trying to
improve communication with your spouse, kids, boss, or coworkers, learning these skills can
deepen your connections to others, build greater trust and respect, and improve teamwork,
problem solving, and your overall social and emotional health. 

What is effective communication?

Effective communication is about more than just exchanging information. It’s about
understanding the emotion and intentions behind the information. As well as being able to
clearly convey a message, you need to also listen in a way that gains the full meaning of what’s
being said and makes the other person feel heard and understood.

More than just the words you use, effective communication combines a set of 4 skills:

1. Engaged listening
2. Nonverbal communication
3. Managing stress in the moment
4. Asserting yourself in a respectful way

While these are learned skills, communication is more effective when it becomes spontaneous
rather than formulaic. A speech that is read, for example, rarely has the same impact as a
speech that’s delivered (or appears to be delivered) spontaneously. Of course, it takes time and
effort to develop these skills. The more effort and practice you put in, the more instinctive and
effective your communication skills will become.

What’s stopping you from communicating effectively?

Common barriers to effective communication include:

Stress and out-of-control emotion. When you’re stressed or emotionally overwhelmed, you’re

more likely to misread other people, send confusing or off-putting nonverbal signals, and lapse
into unhealthy knee-jerk patterns of behavior. To avoid conflict and misunderstandings, you can
learn how to quickly calm down before continuing a conversation. Lack of focus. You can’t
communicate effectively when you’re multitasking. If you’re checking your phone, planning
what you’re going to say next, or daydreaming, you’re almost certain to miss nonverbal cues in
the conversation. To communicate effectively, you need to avoid distractions and stay focused.
Inconsistent body language. Nonverbal communication should reinforce what is being said, not
contradict it. If you say one thing, but your body language says something else, your listener will
likely feel that you’re being dishonest. For example, you can’t say “yes” while shaking your head
no. Negative body language. If you disagree with or dislike what’s being said, you might use
negative body language to rebuff the other person’s message, such as crossing your arms,
avoiding eye contact, or tapping your feet. You don’t have to agree with, or even like what’s
being said, but to communicate effectively and not put the other person on the defensive, it’s
important to avoid sending negative signals.

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