How to make social skills training for children even better

We all want children to be able to function well in social groups, and various social skills training programmes are available for children for whom this is a challenge. Studies have already proven these training programmes to be effective in general, and UvA scientists have now discovered what specific elements determine the success of such training programmes. Social skills and a lack thereof Children who are very shy or are very dominant may have trouble fitting in with a group. In either case, lacking certain social skills can have a significant impact, potentially resulting in bullying at school, depression, problem behaviour or even criminal behaviour. These children in particular can greatly benefit from social skills training. Numerous social skills training (SST) programmes teach children specific social behaviour or try to correct behaviour. For example, children can be taught how to deal with bullying behaviour or how to establish social contacts and make friends. These training programmes often consist of various components, such as transferring knowledge or practising skills. As such, training programmes can differ in terms of both their format and their content. We have already learned from previous studies that social skills training can have positive effects, but it was not yet clear exactly what components of a training programme were responsible for this. In collaboration with colleagues from Radboud University and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, UvA researchers have used a meta-analysis to identify the components that make such training programmes successful. This knowledge can be used to improve training programmes by excluding those components that do not contribute to children's positive development. Studying the effects of social skills training