Growing together: Creative drama-based social skills training for children with special needs and typical development

Abstract

In this study, the effectiveness of a creative drama-based social skills training program, developed in accordance with the principles of inclusiveness, was examined in 13 different groups comprising both children with special needs and typically developing children. The study aimed to investigate the impact of this program on the social skills of these two groups. Utilizing a pretest-posttest design, the developed program was implemented over an 8-week period by 13 school counselors with a total of 90 children—46 typically developing and 44 with special needs. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from multiple sources and subsequently analyzed. The analyses showed that the developed program had a high level of effect on the development of social skills of both children with special needs and with typical development. Accordingly, implementing a creative drama-based intervention program in an inclusive setting—where children with special needs and typically developing children interact without separation—yields functional outcomes for their social development.