Lee Cheau Ling Grace, Group B

Case Study 1-Annie
Area of intervention: Social skills

(i) the intervention: Peer-inclusive Social Skills groups
The peer-inclusive social skills groups intervention “features a classroom arrangement with peer-mediated and child-focused interventions for promoting social interaction skills.” (Kamps, Ellis, Mancina & Greene, 1995) focused on specific social skills including playing, giving instructions, sharing, problem-solving and etc. The curriculum is taken from various curricula, and modified and put together to form a curriculum that focuses on promoting social interaction skills. This programs also aims to achieve this goal by direct instruction of skills, structured play and incidental teaching. The intervention includes children with behavioural risks and “peer models”(children with good behaviours and social skills)

(ii) its effectiveness (as reported in the journal article)
It was found that children who received the social skills lessons actually demonstrated longer social interaction time and their interaction time was close to the level for the typical peer samples. Also, for the children whose teachers used reinforcement and praise, and conducted the program regularly, they demonstrated longer positive social interaction time.

(iii) personal evaluation how the child will benefit from this intervention
I think the child will benefit from this intervention as it is something that would benefit all the children in the class, which would not single her out from the class, and since Annie’s main problem is her facial deformity, teaching the children about social interaction would help them to get along with her better, as well as allow her to display more pro-social skills as she would get more opportunities to have social interaction with her peers. Social interaction will also allow her to practice her communication skills, since she is also attending speech and language therapy.

(iv) your suggestions how you can make adjustments to cater to the needs of the child and to facilitate integration of the child / the intervention activity into your classroom.
Personally, I think that this intervention strategy is not difficult to implement in class, but teachers would to take note of the consistency, and as the article mentioned, this intervention strategy is more effective when teachers adhere to a schedule and use praise and encouragement often. A way to improve the intervention would also be, if teachers role model prosocial behaviour in the classroom, as well as problem solving skills. This would help the child to learn even better as the teacher has a huge impact on the child’s progress.

References
Kamps, D.M., Ellis, C., Mancina, C. & Green, L. (1995). Peer-inclusive social skills groups for young children with behavioural risks. Preventing School Failure, Volume 39, Issue 4. Retrieved 6 September 2009, from EBSCOhost Child development & Adolescent Studies database: http://ezproxy.wheelock.edu:2239/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=2&sid=a3c39dbb-457d-4a0c-8c6c-