DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SKILL SCALE FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD

Abstract

Many social skills may be learned implicitly, all children can benefit from being taught social skills explicitly, not only children who are developmentally lagging behind their peers. Social skills are not always learned easily. Some children may require repeated instruction and reinforcement of learning. It is also possible for children to have well -developed social skills in one area but not in another. The primary objective of the Social Skill Scale (SSS) is to describe the child's behavior for purposes of socialization and education, rather than diagnosis. It focuses on the child's adaptation to and functioning within his or her environment which is particularly relevant to teachers. The SSS helps teachers design classroom interventions that address both the child's strengths and weaknesses. It includes 115 items that can be completed in just 15 minutes by Early Childhood, a preschool, or Kindergarten teacher. These items cover Three basic scales and ten components or summary scales