# What is social skills training?

Canonical: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-is-social-skills-training
Publisher: Pinnacle Blooms Network / Bharath Healthcare Laboratories Private Limited

Social skills training is a structured, evidence-informed therapy that helps children learn everyday skills for connecting with others — eye contact, turn-taking, conversation, reading feelings, sharing and managing play and friendship. It is taught step by step through modelling, role-play and real-world practice, then reinforced at home and school. It supports many children, including those with autism, ADHD, social-communication differences, or social shyness and anxiety.

*Friendships, taking turns, reading a smile — these are skills children can learn and grow, just like reading or riding a bike.*

## In short
Social skills training is a structured, evidence-informed therapy that helps children learn the everyday skills of connecting with others — making eye contact, taking turns, starting and keeping a conversation, reading feelings and body language, sharing, and managing the ups and downs of play and friendship. It is taught gently and step by step, through modelling, practice, role-play and real-world play, then encouraged at home and school so skills carry across daily life. It supports many children — including those with autism, ADHD, social-communication differences, or simply shyness and anxiety around others.

## What social skills training looks like
Connecting with others draws on a bundle of skills: noticing a friend's facial expression, waiting for a turn, choosing the right words, and handling disappointment when a game does not go their way. Social skills training breaks these big abilities into small, teachable steps. A therapist might **show** the skill (modelling), **practise** it together through role-play and games, give warm feedback, and then help the child use it in real situations — a group activity, a playground moment, a chat at the dinner table.

Sessions can be one-to-one or in small groups, where children rehearse skills with peers in a safe, encouraging space. The focus is always on the child's own strengths and pace — building confidence, not correcting a 'fault'. Parents and teachers are partners too, gently prompting and praising the same skills at home and in the classroom so learning becomes natural and lasting.

## When it can help
Social skills training is often part of a wider plan for children who find friendships, group play, conversation or reading social cues harder than peers. It works best when woven into everyday life rather than kept to the therapy room — and when it celebrates each child's way of relating, building on what they already do well.

## The Pinnacle way
This is general information, not a diagnosis — a clinical [AbilityScore®](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated) and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care, never from an app or form. Our therapists shape social skills training around your child's individual profile, often alongside [behaviour therapy](/behaviour-therapy) and [speech therapy](https://www.pinnacleblooms.org/top-speech-therapy-center-india-proven-improvement-rate), so communication and connection grow together. You can explore all our developmental support from [here](/).

## Trusted sources
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association on social communication intervention; the American Academy of Pediatrics and HealthyChildren on supporting social and emotional development in children.

**Next step —** If your child finds friendships or social situations tricky, book a friendly developmental screen to see whether social skills training could help them flourish.

## Sources
- ASHA — Social communication: https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/social-communication-disorder/
- HealthyChildren — Social & emotional development: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/Pages/default.aspx
- American Academy of Pediatrics: https://www.aap.org/

## Connected topics and perspectives
- Therapies: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/therapies
- Parent: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/stakeholder/parent
- Social: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/domain/social
- Definition: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/intent/definition
- Screen: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/lifecycle/screen
- Behaviour Therapy: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/route/behaviour-therapy
- Early Clarity: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/empowerment/early_clarity

## Related question paths

### Understand the subject
- How Social Skills Training Helps a Child Develop: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-does-social-skills-training-help-a-child-develop
- At What Age Can a Child Start Social Skills Training?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/at-what-age-can-a-child-start-social-skills-training
- Is Social Skills Training Backed by Research Evidence?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/is-social-skills-training-backed-by-research-evidence
- Which children benefit most from social skills training?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/which-children-benefit-most-from-social-skills-training

### Explore therapy & support
- What goals does social skills training work on?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-goals-does-social-skills-training-work-on
- What techniques are used in social skills training?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-techniques-are-used-in-social-skills-training
- What happens during social skills training sessions?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-happens-during-social-skills-training-sessions
- How Social Skills Training Helps School-Age Children: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-does-social-skills-training-help-school-age-children
- How can social skills training help a child with social communication difficulties?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-social-skills-training-help-a-child-with-social-communication-difficulties
- Are there any risks or side effects of social skills training?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/are-there-any-risks-or-side-effects-of-social-skills-training
- Can social skills training be combined with other therapies?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/can-social-skills-training-be-combined-with-other-therapies
- Can social skills training be done online?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/can-social-skills-training-be-done-online
- How does social skills training help preschoolers?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-does-social-skills-training-help-preschoolers
- How many sessions of social skills training does a child usually need?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-many-sessions-of-social-skills-training-does-a-child-usually-need
- Social skills training for preschoolers: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/is-social-skills-training-suitable-for-preschoolers
- Is social skills training suitable for school-age children?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/is-social-skills-training-suitable-for-school-age-children

### At home & in everyday life
- How can I support social skills training goals at home?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-support-social-skills-training-goals-at-home

### Follow progress
- How is a child's progress measured in social skills training?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-is-a-child-s-progress-measured-in-social-skills-training
- How Long Does Social Skills Training Take to Show Results?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-long-does-social-skills-training-take-to-show-results
- What progress can I expect from social skills training?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-progress-can-i-expect-from-social-skills-training
- What progress can a child with ADHD make with social skills training?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-progress-can-a-child-with-adhd-make-with-social-skills-training
- What progress can a child with autism make with social skills training?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-progress-can-a-child-with-autism-spectrum-make-with-social-skills-training
- What progress can a child with childhood anxiety make with social skills training?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-progress-can-a-child-with-childhood-anxiety-make-with-social-skills-training
- What progress can a child with ODD make with social skills training?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-progress-can-a-child-with-oppositional-defiant-disorder-make-with-social-skills-training
- What progress can a child make with social skills training?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-progress-can-a-child-with-social-communication-difficulties-make-with-social-skills-training

### Choose and access care
- How do I find a good provider of social skills training for my child?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-do-i-find-a-good-provider-of-social-skills-training-for-my-child
- What does social skills training typically cost, and what affects the price?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-does-social-skills-training-typically-cost-and-what-affects-the-price
- What qualifications should a social skills training therapist have?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-qualifications-should-a-therapist-providing-social-skills-training-have