Strategies for Enhancing Social Skills of Individuals With Intellectual Disability: A Systematic Review
Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences
Jacob, U. S., Edozie, I. S., et al. (2022).
Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences, 3, 968314.
This systematic review investigates the effect of different social skill interventions on social skill development in individuals with intellectual disabilities or related conditions.
South African Research Chairs Initiative of the Department of Science and Innovation; National Research Foundation of South Africa; South African Research Chair in Education and Care in Childhood; Faculty of Education University of Johannesburg (South Africa)
January 2001 to February 2022
Empirical study designs (i.e., single subject, experimental, or quasi-experimental designs). Excludes qualitative and descriptive studies.
10
Ten studies investigating interventions targeting social skill development (e.g., classroom-based interventions, emotional intelligence training, peer network interventions, puppet play therapy, and computer games) found modest effects on social skills in individuals with intellectual disabilities; however, improvements did not generalize across settings. Caregiver and teacher reports indicate that while participants demonstrated learning of skills, they did not implement them in real-life social situations. The authors caution interpretation of these findings due to varying definitions of social skills and behaviors, difficulty operationalizing the assessment of some social behaviors, heterogeneity of interventions, and small sample sizes.
