An Integrated Approach to Teaching Social Skills to Preschoolers at Risk

Introduction The transition from preschool settings to kindergarten classrooms is often a socially demanding experience for young children (Heaviside & Farris, 1993; Zill, 1999). That shift is often more difficult for preschool children from at risk backgrounds. The term 'at risk' is used widely and describes young children who are disadvantaged by social problems and/or specific conditions. Young children who are at risk usually reflect a combination of environmental, biological, and established conditions. Environmental factors may include low-socioeconomic status, unstable home environments, exposure to violence, limited access to cognitive and language modelling, or organically-based developmental delays (Zervigon-Hakes, 1995). Early identification of young children who are at risk for learning is important because these children are at greater risk for later school dropout and academic failure. Therefore, the need to bolster their abilities to cope in the kindergarten classroom is significant. If the young, at risk preschooler can successfully negotiate the social demands of kindergarten, then she/he is more likely to make the transition into the primary grades and gain a sense of confidence in the academic setting. While this article is primarily concerned with those children deemed at risk by social factors, the information provided is also relevant to children who are placed at risk by specific developmental delays and disabling conditions. In the broadest sense, at risk can describe young children with environmental deficits such as poverty and family instability, children from minority and ethnically diverse families, and children with developmental delays and disabilities. While we are concerned about developmental readiness across all areas--cognitive, language, emotional, and social--many kindergarten teachers have voiced special concerns over the social 'readiness' of children from at-risk backgrounds; negotiating social situations in complex classroom settings is a necessary skill for the confident, successful student. Behaviour descriptors of preschoolers at risk Preschoolers who are at risk demonstrate fairly common patterns of social behaviours. Specifically, teachers report that many at risk preschool children have difficulty in the following areas: (1) following directions, (2) lack of experience within a structured setting, (3) difficulty working independently, (4) difficulty working in a group, and (5) generalised immaturity (Rimm-Kaufman, Pianta & Cox, 2000). For example, one teacher described her experience with kindergarten children who were at risk. She had intended to start the day with circle time and reading a story. However, two of the children lacked the social skills to sit quietly and keep their hands to themselves. She later discovered that these children had been reared in welfare hotels with no tables and chairs, toys, or books (Quindlen, 1991). Children with limited prior learning experiences are already at risk for school failure, primarily because of lack of social knowledge and competence. As a result of these problematic behaviours, many of these children will not develop necessary social skills or experience academic success. Therefore, they become at risk of developing serious emotional or behavioural disorders (Patterson, Reid & Dishion, 1992). In order to alleviate the poor outcomes caused by the lack of critical social skills at the preschool level, many of these children will require early intervention or special education services when they enter the public school system. Prevention research focusing on preschoolers and kindergarteners provides a framework for addressing behavioural issues of young children who are at risk of developing an emotional or behavioural disorder. This research indicates that teaching young children the social skills they need to develop positive relationships with teachers and peers serves as a buffer against the development of future problems (Sprague, Walker, Golly, White, Myers, & Shannon, 2001). …