Introduction to the Special Series on Social Competence and Developmental Disorders

Abstract

Problems in social competence have been linked to significant difficulties in adolescence and later adulthood. Children with learning problems, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, nonverbal learning disabilities, and impulse control difficulty have all been found to be at risk for these problems in social competence. In the past research into social competence has generally evaluated the development of social skills. However, a review of these studies has not found social skills training to be effective nor that the results generalize to the naturalistic settings. One of the likely difficulties with social skills training programs may be that they are not individualized to the child’s needs. Treating children as a group rather than addressing their individual difficulties may be at the root of problems in learning appropriate social interaction skills. This special subsection seeks to explore the needs of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities (LD), nonverbal learning disabilities (NVLD), and impulse control disorders.