Sosh: Improving Social Skills with Children and Adolescents
This book complements the Sōsh mobile application and also serves as a great starting point toward helping to develop a child or teen’s social skills. The book outlines the Sōsh approach, detailing the "5R's", and provides strategies for adults who wish to help a child with social skills. This book will guide you and your child toward accomplishing your social goals using the following strategies:
Relate (Connect with Others):
- Getting out of the house and into social settings
- Facilitating play dates
- Locating the ideal play partner
- Starting and maintaining conversations
- Basic talking strategies (eye contact, speech volume, etc.)
- Understanding figures of speech and idioms
- Learning about topics that interest others to strengthen relationships
Relax (Reduce Stress):
- Managing stress with specific relaxation strategies
- Overcoming school avoidance or difficulty getting out of the house
- Managing sensory issues
- Recognizing when medications may be indicated
- Addressing general shyness in social situations
Reason (Think it Through):
- Using video recordings to improve critical thinking
- Making successful transitions
- Perspective-taking to increase mental flexibility
- Solving problems effectively
- Specific strategies to improve school performance and completion of home routines
- Individualized Education Program (IEP) suggestions
Regulate (Manage Behaviors):
- Managing behaviors
- Increasing good behaviors and reducing bad behaviors
- Learning effective uses of time out
- Establishing a set of household rules that children respond to
- Monitoring recurring behaviors (e.g., interrupting, talking loudly, boundaries)
Recognize (Understand Feelings):
- Setting goals to improve social skills development
- Linking behaviors to consequences
- Learning how to recognize the feelings of others
- Understanding facial expressions
In addition to the 5R's, the book also includes chapters on child development, school functioning, and barriers to social success.
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