Workplace Social Skills and Individuals with Learning Disabilities

Abstract

To identify workplace social skills that are critical for Job success for individuals with learning disabilities, 145 employers and 20 speech/language pathologists rated 64 items as essential, important, or not important. The items most frequently rated as essential involved compliance (accepting supervision, following directions, asking for information or assistance when needed, and accepting constructive criticism). Other categories of social skills that were identified as important involved cooperation, problem solving, civility, and verbal communication. Implications for assessment and training of social skills are discussed.