Social skills training has positive effects on social-emotional development and behavior for preschool children with disabilities in early education settings¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r1 · q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2013 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i2 Across two randomized controlled trials including 103 children, social skills training produced statistically significant positive effects on social-emotional development and behavior, with a domain-average effect size of 0.47 and an improvement index of +18 percentile points. → Social Skills Training 2013

Evidence¶

Social Skills Training 2013¶

Social Skills Training. (2013). What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report: Early Childhood Education Interventions for Children with Disabilities. U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/InterventionReport/578

q3 · i2 · quant-synthesis · r1

WWC synthesis of two randomized controlled trials (Ferentino 1991; Guglielmo & Tryon 2001) totaling 103 children with disabilities; the printed domain average across studies is effect size 0.47, improvement index +18. The report states there are "two studies with statistically significant positive effects" and no contrary evidence.

"Thus, for the social-emotional development and behavior domain, there are two studies with statistically significant positive effects, one study failing to show evidence of an effect (positive or negative), and no studies showing a statistically significant or substantively important negative effect."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Social Awareness and Relationship Skills — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• SEL programs improve social emotional skills — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• In Ferentino (1991), social skills training produced a large significant effect on teacher-rated Vineland Socialization but not on four other social-emotional measures — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Social skills training shows no discernible effects on cognition for preschool children with disabilities — related
• LeBlanc and Matson (1995) found a statistically significant positive effect on one social-emotional outcome but insufficient information prevented WWC verification or inclusion in the rating — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• In Guglielmo and Tryon (2001), social skills training plus reinforcement increased sharing behaviors significantly more than reinforcement alone, while effects on being in a group were positive but not significant — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• A state funding report's research review, citing earlier studies, states that inclusive preschool special education benefits students with and without disabilities and that effective early education reduces later special education identification — related
• The Lovaas Model has no discernible effects on social-emotional development and behavior for children with disabilities — related