Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Abstract

In the past 35 years, professionals in the field of early childhood special education have demonstrated great advances in social skills interventions for young children with disabilities. We no longer question if social behavior is important or if we can teach children social behaviors. Despite what we have learned, much work remains. In this article I identify three areas in which work is still needed: (a) working with families to define social outcomes in a meaningful and culturally relevant manner; (b) expanding our definition of social behaviors and moving toward a framework based on social relationships rather than social skills; and (c) developing interventions that are socially valid, ecologically valid, and sustainable across settings.