While some parents might see their child navigate playdates and schoolyard interactions with ease, others might notice their child hesitating on the sidelines, unsure of how to join in.
If you find yourself worrying whether your child’s reserved nature is a sign of deeper social challenges, you’re not alone. While social skills may not come naturally to all kids and vary widely among children, with the right guidance and support, every child can enhance their ability to build meaningful friendships.
What Are Social Skills?
Social skills are the array of capabilities we use to interact and communicate with others daily. They encompass both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication—ranging from speech and body language to facial expressions and gestures.
These skills enable individuals to effectively convey ideas, share emotions, and participate in activities with others. More than just rules for conversation, social skills involve understanding the nuances of both explicit and unspoken social norms, such as making eye contact, taking turns during conversations, staying on topic, and establishing common ground.
Neurodivergent children, such as those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), often encounter distinct challenges in developing these skills. These children might struggle with interpreting social cues like facial expressions, which can hinder their ability to engage in reciprocal social interactions. Difficulties with understanding and following social norms—such as sharing, taking turns, and recognising personal boundaries—may also manifest, making everyday social situations more complex.
Building Friendships: Why Are Social Skills Important?
Social skills are crucial for meaningful interactions and developing enduring relationships. They allow individuals to form connections, share experiences, and effectively communicate both verbally and non-verbally. Beyond basic interactions, these skills are instrumental in fostering empathy—allowing one to understand and respond compassionately to others’ feelings.
Moreover, social skills help children navigate the complexities of group dynamics, from initiating play to resolving conflicts, which can all aid in boosting self-confidence in various social settings.
Why Might Some Children Lack Social Skills?
Various factors can impact a child’s ability to develop social skills. Some of these may include:
- Neurodivergence: Many neurodivergent children may experience inherent challenges in social interactions. These conditions can impact their ability to perceive and respond to social cues, complicating their social engagements.
- Limited Social Exposure: Children who have had fewer opportunities to interact with peers may not have practised or learned essential social behaviours.
- Differences in Learning and Processing: Each child is unique in how they process information and learn new skills. Some may struggle with auditory processing, making it difficult to follow conversations, or they might have challenges with visual processing, affecting their ability to read facial expressions and body language.
- Emotional Sensitivity: Children who are particularly sensitive may feel overwhelmed by busy social settings or might misinterpret peer interactions, which can lead to withdrawal or avoidance of social situations.
- Lack of Modelling or Guidance: Without adequate role models or guidance on social behaviour, children might not develop strong social skills.
What Happens When Children Are Not Properly Socialised?
During the formative years, a child’s brain development is profoundly influenced by social interactions. Conversely, however, the absence of rich social relationships can lead to certain developmental setbacks, which may extend into challenges with physical and mental health later in life.
Children who lack adequate socialisation may exhibit various difficulties, such as:
- Behavioural Challenges: Without regular social interaction, children might struggle to adapt their behaviour to different settings. For instance, they may avoid social gatherings or display inappropriate behaviours such as impulsively grabbing to capture attention.
- Sensory Processing Hurdles: A lack of social engagement can impair a child’s ability to process and respond to sensory information effectively, leading to difficulties in focusing or interpreting sensory inputs from their surroundings.
- Language Development: Social interactions foster both receptive (understanding) and expressive (speaking) language skills. Limited social contact can affect a child’s ability to comprehend others or express their thoughts and needs effectively.
- Emotional and Self-Regulation: Children learn to manage their emotions and behaviours through social interactions. A lack of social experiences can impede their ability to regulate emotions, leading to potential difficulties in managing stress or adapting to new situations.
- Executive Functioning: These are higher-level cognitive skills needed to plan, organise, and execute tasks. Social interactions help develop these skills, and without them, a child may struggle with complex thought processes needed for problem-solving and decision-making.
Fortunately, beyond the support offered by social skill group programmes for children, there are other ways you can help improve your child’s social skills.
How to Improve a Child’s Social Skills and Relationship With Peers?
If you’ve noticed your child struggling with reading, writing, or Math, or perhaps they seem to forget lessons soon after learning them, it’s natural to feel concerned. These signs can be unsettling, but they also indicate how educational therapy could potentially be beneficial.
This personalised approach is designed specifically for children who find learning exceptionally challenging compared to their peers. By focusing on the root of learning difficulties, educational therapy aims to empower your child with the skills they need to succeed.
But how can this type of supportive intervention transform your child’s educational experience and instil a renewed sense of confidence in their capabilities?
What is Educational Therapy?
Educational therapy is a targeted and personalised approach designed to support children, typically between the ages of 3 and 12 years, through crucial early intervention. These sessions, often conducted one-on-one or in small groups to maximise focus and peer interaction, are tailored to address the specific learning challenges each child may be facing.
What is the Role of an Educational Therapist?
The main goal of educational therapy is to identify and build upon the child’s unique strengths while mitigating their learning difficulties. Whether it’s challenges with reading, writing, numeracy, comprehension, or more complex needs such as time management and social skills, educational therapists are trained to develop customised programmes. This specialised intervention tends to utilise a variety of multi-sensory methods—including manipulatives, engaging games, and interactive activities.
Educational therapists are also adept at crafting strategies that not only enhance academic skills but also boost self-confidence and foster emotional and social competencies by creating a nurturing environment where kids can thrive.
Signs in a Child That May Require Educational Therapy Programme
Do all children need educational therapy? Not necessarily. But how can you tell if your child might benefit from it?
Here are some indicators that your child might benefit from specialised support:
- Learning Difficulties: If your child exhibits persistent struggles with reading, writing, spelling, comprehension, or numeracy, educational therapy could help address these foundational issues.
- Memory Challenges: Difficulty in retaining information learned in school is a common sign that there may be underlying learning difficulties that need specialised attention.
- Slow Information Processing: If your child takes longer than peers to understand and process information, this might indicate a need for intervention.
- Short Attention Span: Children who are easily distracted or have trouble focusing for typical lengths of time might benefit from the structured support educational therapy provides.
- Organisational Challenges: Difficulty with planning, following through on assignments, and general disorganisation can often be addressed with targeted strategies developed in educational therapy.
- Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Difficulties: If your child struggles to analyse information or solve problems effectively, they might need the specific skill-building focus that educational therapy offers.
- Transition Challenges: Children moving from early intervention programmes to mainstream schools may face academic and social expectations they are unprepared for without additional support.
- Behavioural and Social Skills Issues: Difficulties in meeting the school’s behavioural expectations or challenges in social interactions, including understanding non-verbal cues, are key indicators that educational therapy might be beneficial.
- Adapting to Mainstream Environments: Educational therapy may also benefit children with learning differences who face challenges in learning independently in a mainstream school environment, including those with mild autism or those who need help understanding social rules.
Potential Benefits of Educational Therapy
As mentioned, educational therapy could offer a broad spectrum of benefits tailored to meet the unique challenges and learning styles of children experiencing difficulties in traditional educational settings.
Here’s how educational therapy could make a difference:
- Behaviour and Learning Connection: Educational therapists work to identify and address behaviour issues that may stem from learning and cognitive differences, helping to improve both academic and social skills.
- Enhanced Focus and Work Habits: Strategies taught in educational therapy sessions extend beyond the classroom, potentially improving focus and work habits at home and in other settings. These skills are crucial for lifelong learning and adaptability.
- Time Management and Organisational Skills: By teaching children how to manage their time and stay organised through structured schedules, educational therapy could help foster independence and responsibility.
- Supportive Environment: Educational therapists provide a safe space for kids to express their frustrations and challenges related to school, facilitating open communication and emotional support.
- Collaborative Approach: Acting as a bridge between home and school, educational therapists ensure there is a consistent and collaborative approach to each child’s learning plan, involving teachers and parents in the process.
- Improved Learning Outcomes: While individual results may vary, educational therapy generally supports an improvement in children’s ability to learn and apply new knowledge and skills.
- Enhanced Social Interaction: As children become more confident in their abilities, they’re likely to engage more positively with peers in cooperative settings and communicate their needs more effectively.
- Cognitive Skill Development: Educational therapy helps children develop crucial cognitive skills, such as sequencing events, making inferences, and understanding complex concepts, which are essential for academic success and everyday problem-solving.
Educational Therapy vs Tuition: Uncovering the Differences
It’s easy to confuse educational therapy with traditional tuition, especially when both, in essence, aim to enhance a child’s academic performance.
However, these interventions differ significantly in their approach and objectives. For instance, while tuition primarily focuses on re-teaching content and rote memorisation, suitable for children who are generally keeping pace but may have missed some key information, educational therapy leverages a deeper, process-oriented approach.
Educational Therapy:
- Customised Approach: Focuses on “how” a child learns, not just “what” they learn.
- Building Skills: Addresses foundational skills like reading and comprehension. Moves beyond simply covering new content, which could leave gaps in understanding.
- Multi-Sensory Techniques: Utilises methods suited to the child’s individual learning style—visual, auditory, tactile, or kinesthetic.
- Cognitive Skill Enhancement: Strengthens skills such as sequencing, inference-making, and understanding spatial and temporal concepts.
- Collaborative Environment: Provides a safe space for children to discuss academic challenges; works closely with families and educational professionals to support the child’s overall development.
- Success Metrics: The effectiveness of educational therapy is gauged by the student’s ability to integrate and apply learned knowledge across different life situations. It emphasises holistic development, where improvements are seen in a child’s proactive engagement with learning materials and their overall life experiences.
Tuition:
- Content-Focused: Primarily aims at task completion and improving marks through repetition and practice.
- Curriculum Reinforcement: Helps neurotypical children who need extra support with schoolwork by re-teaching school curriculum.
- Limitations for Learning Challenges: May not adequately address the deeper cognitive or behavioural issues faced by children with specific learning difficulties, sensory sensitivities, or other vulnerabilities.
- Success Metrics: In the context of tuition, success is primarily quantified by observable improvements in academic scores, such as test results and grade advancements. This method focuses on the immediate enhancement of school-related performances, often prioritising direct results over long-term educational growth.
Educational therapy, therefore, not only compensates for learning gaps by leveraging the child’s strengths but also enriches the student’s overall academic and personal development. In contrast, traditional tuition focuses less on the underlying learning processes and more on surface-level achievement.
Supporting Your Child’s Educational Journey
Educational therapy offers a supportive pathway for children with unique learning challenges, providing them with the tools they need to enhance their academic skills. While the process requires commitment and can be complex, witnessing your child’s educational progress can be rewarding.
If you need additional support, numerous resources and educational therapy programmes are available in Singapore. By partnering with educational therapists, you can help create a nurturing environment that supports your child’s ability to learn and thrive.