Читать книгу Social Engagement & the Steps to Being Social - Kathleen Taylor ORL/L - Страница 5

Foreword

Social skills are essential to life success. In school, good social skills boost academic performance; increase students’ interest in learning; improves learner behavior; prevents and reduces bullying; and improves school climate (cf. Civic Enterprises et al, nd). At work, social skills are essential to employment success with recent trends revealing that requirements for social competence in the workplace have increased dramatically. Moreover, employment and wage growth is strongest in jobs that require high levels of both cognitive and social skills (cf., Deming, 2015).

Despite the recognition that social skills contribute heavily to life success, few curricula have focused on the skills that are foundational for social skills acquisition. Even fewer have addressed the needs of individuals across the spectrum—from a classic presentation to those with average-to-above average intelligence.

This wonderful book fills this void. It begins with instructional strategies for the most basic social skills; self-regulation, shared space with a skilled partner, shared pleasure, and shared focus. It then moves to strategies that address skills that range from proximity to growing connections. The book is (a) solid, (b) evidenced-based, (c) focused on the research in social engagement, (d) practical, and (e) easy to read and implement. Social Engagement & the Steps to Being Social is one of those rare books that can benefit the reader who is new to social skills instruction and the user who is a veteran instructor.

This book should be in every classroom and every job development site. It should be available to parents who foster the social development of their child and it should also be accessible to individuals on the spectrum so that they understand the complexity of engagement and social skills. I cannot recommend this book enough.

When asked to write the foreword for Social Engagement & the Steps to Being Social, I planned to read rapidly through it to gain an impression. However, I found the content so intriguing that I slowed my reading to ensure that I learned the information presented here and even read the book a second time. I know that you will do the same!

—Brenda Smith Myles, Ph.D.The Ziggurat Group

References

Agran, M., Hughes, C., Thoma, C. A., & Scott, L. A. (2014). Employment social skills: What skills are really valued? Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 39(2), 111-120.

Civic Enterprises, Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Bridgeland, J., Bruce, M., & Hariharan, A. (nd). The Missing Piece: A National Teacher Survey on How Social and Emotional Learning Can Empower Children and Transform Schools. A Report for CASEL. Washington, DC; Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning.

Deming, D. J. (2015). The growing importance of social skills in the labor market (No. w21473). National Bureau of Economic Research.