Strategies for Enhancing Social/Peer Relationships (page 2)

To support your client in enhancing their social/peer relationships Pt 2.

  • Talk with your client about the qualities of a good friend. It can help her/him know what to look for, and also how to be a good friend.
    • For example, good friends do not hurt each other’s feelings and can disagree without being mean. 
  • Continue to encourage your client and provide her/him with opportunities to engage in extracurricular activities where they can interact with like-minded peers.
    • The goal is to find something the client likes and it good at.
    • This will help them spend time with other children who share their interest and can help boost their confidence around friendships. 
  • Discuss with your client and their family the possibility of participating in a small-group social skills program to practice conversation skills, understanding personal boundaries, and more social skills.
  • If your client has ADHD, they may benefit from social skills programming designed specifically for students with ADHD to enhance her social functioning.
  • Your client and their parents may benefit from reading books such as:
    • The Social Skills Guidebook: Manage Shyness, Improve Your Conversations, and Make Friends without Giving Up Who You Are (by Chris McLeod)

For Younger Clients

For younger clients who require more self-monitoring, parents or caretakers of the client should be encouraged to play a large role in the planning and monitoring of their social activities. As the client ages, the client should become more responsible for planning their own social activities.

■ Begin with one-on-one play.

■ It is recommended that first contact between two children should be a structured activity (such as a trip to a playground, a museum, or to a movie) and should occur for a shorter period of time (a 2 to 3 hour activity is recommended for children under the age of 10).

■ Discuss social skill techniques that the child is working on beforehand. Go over the techniques that may be the most useful during that activity or with their friend.

■ An adult should monitor the children until they are sure that the children are getting along. A parent or caretaker should intervene and correct inappropriate behavior if physical aggression occurs.

■ Encourage the child to take a break from the activity if they become overstimulated.

■ Discuss how the outing went afterward. Praise the client for positive interactions.

For more information and targeted interventions on building relationships, see these handouts: