Does perspective taking predict changes in social skills?

Outdoor education is a holistic form of education which aids in overall wellbeing of adolescence, including academic, physical, emotional, social and psychology well being. The aim of this study was to see whether outdoor education promotes social skills and assess its effects on participants. Research sample comprised of 671 adolescence attending a five-day residential outdoor education program. Kolb’s Cycle of Learning through Experience is used as the theoretical framework while the research framework is adapted from Carver’s Outdoor Education Framework. Social skills measured are cooperative teamwork, leadership ability, and ability to cope with changes. Descriptive and inferential statistics used were t-test, Cohen’s D, multiple analysis of variance, and post hoc test. The result showed that the outdoor programme had a significant influence for all the constructs involved in this study. Cohen’s D showed that the treatment contributes greatly to leadership ability (60%), and ability to cope with changes (61%). Wilks’ Lambda in multiple analysis of variance showed that the outdoor education module contributes significantly high F=30.78, p<0.05; ?²= 0.57 to changes in social skills. Analysis of variance showed that there is a retention period whereby the changes in social skills examined remain in the participants for a certain period of time. This retention of changes in social skills is significant for all factors studied which are cooperative teamwork, leadership ability, and ability to cope with changes.

Prior research, mostly cross-sectional or prospective studies with short follow-up periods, has indicated that childhood anxiety is associated with difficulties with social interaction. However, the etiological role of social skills in the development of anxiety in childhood remains unknown. Moreover, it is not known whether childhood anxiety impedes the development of age-appropriate social skills. The relation between anxiety and social skills was, therefore, examined in two birth cohorts of children who were assessed biennially from the ages of 4 to 14 years (n= 1,043). Semistructured psychiatric diagnostic interviews of children (from age 8) and parents were used to measure symptoms of separation, generalized, and social anxiety disorders as well as specific phobias. Social skills were measured through the parent-reported Social Skills Rating System. A random intercept cross-lagged panel model was used to analyze the data, adjusting for observed time-variant covariates (emotion regulation, secure attachment, bullying victimization, and global self-esteem) and all unobserved time-invariant confounding effects. Reduced social skills predicted increased symptoms of anxiety at ages 8, 10, and 12 (β= -.26, β= -.17, and β= -.15, respectively), whereas an increased number of anxiety symptoms did not forecast changes in social skills. The findings suggest that reduced social skills may be involved in the development of anxiety symptoms in middle childhood and should, therefore, be considered in efforts to prevent and treat childhood anxiety.

The demand of social skills interventions for people with ASD has grown in recent years. The main goal of this research was to study social skills: “responding to interaction” and “initiating interaction”, and to capture whether there were differences between an initial and a final session in a program for children with ASD. Additionally, we aimed to compare social skills patterns according to the VIQ level. The sample (N = 20) was divided into 2 subgroups depending on whether the VIQ was > 90 or < 90. We employed a mixed methods approach based on a systematic observation of social behaviors. The observational design was nomothetic, follow-up, and multidimensional. Once we confirmed inter-observer reliability for the ad hoc observational instrument we performed descriptive statistics and polar coordinate analysis using LINCE software. The results show high intragroup and intergroup variability. In general, participants with VIQ < 90 showed a better improvement in responding to interaction, whereas participants with VIQ > 90 showed more complex patterns to initiate interactions. The polar coordinate technique was useful for detecting significant relationships between autism’s social micro-behaviors. Results and information obtained through observational methodology could allow professionals to understand communication and interaction of participants.

Automatic assessment of functional health decline in older adults based on smart home data

The ability of a school-based program with training in both cognitive and social skills to prevent depressive symptoms in children (the Penn Prevention Program) was evaluated. Research conducted in Australia has failed to replicate the success of the program in the United States. Also evaluated was the ability of the program to reduce the symptoms of anxiety, the assumption that changes in social skills and cognitive style would be associated with changes in symptoms of depression and anxiety, and the relative merits of the cognitive and social components of the program. Sixty-three children in fifth and sixth grades were randomly allocated to intervention and control groups. There was no evidence that the Penn Prevention Program had any impact on the variables measured at the end of the program or at the 8-month follow-up assessment. Limitations and implications of the present findings are discussed.