Skillstreaming

Skillstreaming is a prosocial skills training program that builds social-emotional competence published by Research Press. Skillstreaming employs a four-part training approach—modeling, role-playing, performance feedback, and generalization—to teach essential prosocial skills to children and adolescents. Each book provides a complete description of the Skillstreaming program, with instructions for teaching a wide variety of prosocial skills. Reproducible forms and handouts are available as a download. Adaptable for a variety of situations, Skillstreaming is ideal for small group instruction for children who have common social needs. Often used by counselors and other practitioners, the Skillstreaming program is structured to be a targeted, social-emotional learning intervention. Specific Skillstreaming skills can also be taught in whole class sessions.

The Skillstreaming program at every age level is designed to be easily implemented when conducted by a group leader who has experience in working with small groups. Training is also available for school districts and other organizations when Skillstreaming will be implemented through multiple practitioners.

Last reviewed: 2023

Intended Outcomes:

Improve prosocial skills in children and adolescents

Continuum of Care:
Treatment

Topic Areas:
Anxiety, Behavioral Health/Mental Health, Disruptive Behaviors

Ages:
Childhood (4-12), Teen/Adolescent (13-18)

Geographic Locations:
Rural, Urban

Delivery Settings:
Community-Based, School-Based

Cultural Considerations:
No research found involving diverse populations

Audience:
Children and adolescents who have common social needs.

Credentials:
This program is implemented by counselors and other mental health practitioners.

Manuals:
Yes

Is Training Required?
No

Who can provide the required training?
In-service training or workshops can be provided for your school, facility, or organization. For more information and available dates, please contact: Sheldon Braaten, Ph.D., Behavioral Institute for Children and Adolescents, https://www.researchpress.com/author/dr-sheldon-braaten/

Program Costs (materials, training, etc.):
Yes, refer to program website

Program/Practice Website:
https://skillstreaming.com

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research:

Gilmore, R., Ziviani, J., Chatfield, M. D., Goodman, S., & Sakzewski, L. (2022). Social skills group training in adolescents with disabilities: A systematic review. Research in developmental disabilities, 125, 104218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104218

Kocaoz, O. E., Little, M. E., & Gallup, J. (2019). Impact of Video Modeling Combined with Skillstreaming Teaching Procedures on the Social Interaction Skills of Middle School-Aged Children with ASD. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 54(3), 237-248. https://marshall.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://proquest.com/?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/impact-video-modeling-combined-with/docview/2298742699/se-2

Lerner, M. D., & Mikami, A. Y. (2012). A preliminary randomized controlled trial of two social skills interventions for youth with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 27(3), 147–157. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088357612450613

Lopata, C., Thomeer, M. L., Volker, M. A., Toomey, J. A., Nida, R. E., Lee, G. K., Smerbeck, A. M., & Rodgers, J. D. (2010). RCT of a Manualized Social Treatment for High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40(11), 1297-310. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-0989-8

Sheridan, B. A., MacDonald, D. A., Donlon, M., Kuhn, B., McGovern, K., & Friedman, H. (2011). Evaluation of a social skills program based on social learning theory, implemented in a school setting. Psychological Reports, 108(2), 420-436. https://doi.org/10.2466/10.11.17.PR0.108.2.420-436

Promising rating

WV Rating:
Promising
»WV Ratings Info

Rationale for Rating:

Some studies are very high quality, and show positive results. The populations studied for these articles have been primarily youth with an existing Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis. The strongest outcomes were those where the intervention was given more one-on-one with the youth, suggesting it works best as a social skills support program during treatment. There are very limited population sizes and a lack of diversity among the participants of the studies. No studies showed a long-term follow-up or long-term outcomes, and there were very few indications that skills gained during the program were transferred outside of the research environment.

Contraindications or Concerns:
None identified

Other Registries/Ratings

The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare:
Not On Registry

Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development:

Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness:
Not On Registry

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Model Programs Guide:
Not On Registry

Washington State Institute for Public Policy:
Not On Registry