The effectiveness of social skills training on social development and family functioning in students with intellectual disabilities

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of social skills training on social development and family performance in slow-paced students. Method: The research method was quasi-experimental with pre-test-post-test design with experimental and control groups. The statistical population included 40 students of Simorgh Exceptional School. 20 students were selected by convenience sampling method and were randomly divided into two groups of experimental and control (each 10 students). The instruments were the Wayland Social Growth Test, and Family Performance Questionnaire (FAD), which were pre-tested for both groups. Results: The experimental group trained based on social skills protocol for 10 sessions of 30 minutes. After the intervention, post-test was performed again in both groups. Analysis of covariance and paired sample t-test were used for statistical analysis. Results indicated that social skill training is effective on social development (P<.0001), and family function (P<.001). Conclusion: The results showed that social skills training is effective on social development and family functioning in students with intellectual disabilities.