Social Competence in the Classroom and Children with Learning Disabilities

In my research regarding social competence I have found numerous studies that look at the social skills of primary school aged children and also children with learning disabilities. Social competence is the ability to use the appropriate social skills in every aspect of life. For children with learning disabilities, it is often a difficult skill to master. Research suggests that social competency is an area of concern for those who work with students who have learning disabilities. According to a study by Haager & Vqaughn (1995) it is estimated that 35 to 75 percent of students with learning disabilities have social skill deficits. Furthermore, children who are labelled as having learning disabilities are more likely to have emotional problems, low self-esteem, and conduct deficiencies. Due to these findings I think that the development of social competency should be an essential aspect of educational planning for these children. Social competence is something that should be seriously considered in a classroom environment.

When investigating the social skill deficits of children with learning disabilities, the difference between perceptions of what is appropriate to one person and not to another must be addressed. In my research I have found that many educators often dismiss social competency as a skill that cannot be taught and that it is something children learn from their parents, their peers or the community (Anderson, 2000). On the other hand, many schools have recently adopted school-wide behaviour plans to address the need for social skills training in all students. In these plans, guidelines are set to create safe and positive school environments and seek to provide the social skills that are necessary for the future of their students (Lewis & Sugai, 1998).

From personal experiences of primary school, I can vividly remember the games we used to play which encouraged a lot of social interaction, group work and co-operative learning. I also remember that every Wednesday in year two we would have ‘news’ (a.k.a show- and- tell). I’m sure many of you had something similar to this where you were given a short period of time to talk to the class about anything of your choice. I guess now when I look back to these types of classroom social interactions do I realise the point of them.

I think it is important to realise that not all social skills, social attitudes or social behaviours are always learnt. Many children whether they have a learning disability or not should have adequate education or ‘reminders’ of what is appropriate behaviour in social settings, enabling them to learn necessary skills to assist them in becoming socially competent people.

I would love to hear your thoughts,
Jacqui :-)


Haager, D. & Vaughn, S. (1995). Parent, teacher, peer and self-reports of the social competence of students with learning disabilities. Journal of Learning
Disabilities, 28(4), 205-215.