Social Skill Performances of Learning Disabled, Non-Learning Disabled, and Delinquent Adolescents

Abstract

Two controversial issues in the field of learning disabilities concern whether LD adolescents exhibit social skills deficits when compared to their nonhandicapped peers, and whether such deficits have a negative impact on the lives of LD adolescents and young adults. The purpose of this study was to address the first issue by comparing LD adolescents' social skills performances on eight general social skills to the performances of two other groups of youths: a group of nonhandicapped adolescents who were members of a high-school band (non-LD) and a group of court-adjudicated juvenile delinquent adolescents who had been referred for social skills training by their probation officers (JD). Social skills were tested individually in role-playing situations. The results showed that the non-LD youths performed significantly better than the other two groups of youths on seven of the eight skills. The LD youths were found to perform significantly better than the JD youths on only one skill, resisting peer pressure. A discriminant analysis demonstrated that the LD group in this study was heterogeneous with regard to social skills. The results of the study point to a cause for concern on behalf of those LD youths who perform significantly lower than the non-LD youths, as well as those LD youths who exhibit deficits similar to those of youths who have been referred by society for social adjustment problems (the JD group). One implication of these results is the urgent need for curricula and procedures for social skills training at the secondary level.