BVI Program - Social Interaction

img: https://learnpatch.com/2019/08/the-role-of-social-interaction-in-learning/

Social interaction skills include awareness of body language, gestures, facial expressions, and personal space. Instruction also includes learning about interpersonal relationships, self-control, and human sexuality. Almost all social skills are learned by visually observing other people. Instruction in social interaction skills in school, work, and recreational settings is crucial. Having appropriate social skills can often mean the difference between social isolation and a fulfilling life as an adult (TSBVI, 2014).

“The basic components of the ECC area of social interaction include:

■ appropriate body language—knowing when to lean forward to hear a secret from a friend, maintaining appropriate eye contact, facing a person who is speaking, standing up to greet a new friend, keeping hands to oneself during a group conversation

■ social communication—engaging in appropriate verbal and nonverbal interaction with others, initiating conversations, expressing needs and wants

■ effective conversation patterns—asking for help; initiating, maintaining, and ending conversations; extending invitations

■ cooperative skills—working with another to accomplish a goal, volunteering to help in the classroom, helping with home chores

■ interactions with others—knowing how to react to humor, identify the person in charge in a given situation, and respond to the presence of a peer; developing dating skills

■ social etiquette—demonstrating courteous behavior, thanking a friend for a gift, sharing a seat with another on the bus, smiling at others

■ development of relationships and friendships— taking turns, seeking friendships with others, working effectively in groups

■ knowledge of self—knowing one’s likes and dislikes, taking responsibility for actions, understanding the concept of personal body space, showing pride in accomplished tasks, stating one’s own point of view

■ interpretation and monitoring[…]”

Excerpt From: Carol B. Allman and Sandra Lewis, Editors. “ECC Essentials: Teaching the Expanded Core Curriculum to Students with Visual Impairments.” Apple Books.