Job-Related Social Skills, 3ed: A Curriculum

Many students, including those with special needs, are frequently at a disadvantage in competitive employment because they lack appropriate communication and social interaction skills. Students often encounter problems when initiating interactions or responding to others.

Good communication and interaction skills are essential for finding, getting, keeping, and holding a job; in fact, many employers consider social behaviour and good communication more important on the job than technical training. Employers also indicate that many employees lose jobs because of personality factors and the way they relate to people rather than because of inadequate performance of the job itself. It is critical, therefore, that individuals receive instruction in the social skills necessary for job success regardless of age, gender, qualifications, disabilities, or past school and work history.

The purpose of Job-Related Social Skills: A Curriculum is to teach social skills that will increase the opportunity for job success. This evidence-based program is designed for a semester course and provides for the explicit instruction of 18 job-related social skills and job monitoring procedures to facilitate skill maintenance.

The interpersonal skills were identified through a literature review and conferences with employment experts. The sequence of social skills selected for the training program is as follows:

1. Ordering Job Responsibilities.
2. Understanding Directions.
3. Making Introductions.
4. Asking Questions.
5. Asking Permission.
6. Asking for Help.
7. Accepting Help.
8. Offering Help.
9. Requesting Information.
10. Taking Messages.
11. Engaging in a Conversation.
12. Giving Directions.
13. Responding to Compliments.
14. Giving Compliments.
15. Convincing Others.
16. Apologising.
17. Accepting Criticism.
18. Responding to a Complaint.

The curriculum is developed around a task analysis of social behaviours to be learned, systematic instruction with repeated practice, and feedback to the learner regarding the appropriateness of responses. Self-management strategies are used to increase students’ responsibility for performing on-the-job-behaviours. Students are systematically taught the strategies of self-instruction, self-questioning, self-monitoring, and self-reinforcement. Since social skills are generally learned through observing the actions of others, students are taught to refine their observation skills as well as improving their interaction and problem solving skills—in other words, to “think” before acting.

This instructional program was validated with individuals between the ages of 15 and 22 who had mild to moderate learning disabilities, emotional disturbance, or educable mental retardation. However, the program also is appropriate for low-achieving or low-quartile students who evidence social skill deficits.

The Job-Related Social Skills Curriculum provides:

• Guidelines for teaching job-related social skills and on-the-job problem solving.
• Methods to assess the performance of students on specific social skills.
• Lessons for individual and group instruction across a variety of job-related skills.
• Activities to enhance transfer of social skills to work settings.

Strategies to promote maintenance of learned skills in the workplace.

The manual and CD contain everything you need to teach the curriculum. The manual provides a discussion of the instructional and assessment strategies that are used to teach the social skills. There are scripted lessons for each of the 18 job-related social skills. Each lesson includes a suggested script, assessment tools, role plays, class charts, and student cue cards. There are two additional scripted lessons and tools that help teachers monitor students on the job. The CD also contains Excel Spreadsheet applications for the assessments.

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