Students with special needs particularly benefit from social skills training. Many of them do not perceive the visual and auditory subtleties and nuances that are used in conversational speech. For these students instruction in the interpretation of body language, tone of voice and facial expression are critical. Some students may have a nonverbal learning disability, meaning that they cannot understand unspoken information.

Other students may have difficulties in "reading between the lines." They may be involved in an activity and not comprehend that when someone says "you're bus comes in ten minutes," that they are really indicating that they need to stop and get ready.

Most of the students with special needs require that the steps of social skills be broken down into small, distinct parts. They many not have skills that one would usually assume a student of their age would possess.

The authors have compiled a reference list of links related to special needs students under the Teacher Resources Section. The Resources Section will also connect you to model goals and objectives for consideration when writing Individualized Educational Plans.