Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Social Skills Training Intervention in a Rural Special-School Setting for Students with Mild/Moderate Disabilities

Given the critical degree to which a person’s level of social competence influences one’s academic, mental, social, and interpersonal success, it is imperative that schools facilitate the learning of social skills. The purpose of this study was to design, implement and evaluate a social skills training intervention for students with mild disabilities (and behaviors that adversely affect their participation in a general curriculum or resource settings) in a rural special school setting. A review of literature guided the design and evaluation of the intervention. According to analysis of data on student behavior, the social skills training intervention did not consistently influence an increase in replacement behavior. The results of the study were consistent with prior research, best summarized by Maag (2006) who observed that the core issue of social skills training interventions “may be the feasibility of implementing and evaluating their effectiveness in public school settings” (p. 14). Conclusions from the study include recommendations for the school to improve a future social skills training intervention. SST INTERVENTION IN A RURAL SPECIAL EDUCATION SETTING iv