Examining the social skills differences among at-risk youth diagnosed with learning disability, conduct disorder and serious emotional disturbance

The purpose of this study is to assess the social skills differences among at-risk youth diagnosed with Learning Disability, Conduct Disorder and Serious Emotional Disturbance. Thirty youths and their respective Department of Youth Service (DYS) caseworker participated in the study.; Study participants completed the Community-Based Social Skills Performance Assessment Tool. The assessment tool consisted of two surveys, the Test of Community-Based Social Skills Knowledge completed by the youth participants and the Scale of Community-Based Social Skills Performance completed by the DYS caseworkers. The former assesses the effective responses to 41 social situations; the latter assesses the proficiency and frequency of four social skills factors: (1) positive social behavior, (2) social skills mechanics, (3) antisocial behavior, and (4) self-control. Interviews were conducted with youth participants (n = 4) to assess their understanding of social skills and what causes them to participate in illegal activities in their communities.; Youth participants were categorized according to their reported disability diagnoses: 10% Learning Disability, 7% Conduct Disorder, 3% Serious Emotional Disturbance, and 80% No Diagnoses Indicated. The participants interviewed (n = 4) did not report any disability diagnoses. However they (n = 3) self-reported that their reason for involvement with youth services was due to anger issues and subsequent fights in the community.; Results from the data analyses demonstrated that no significant differences exist among the groups with respect to effective responses to the proposed social situations and the frequency and proficiency of social skills behaviors. It is posited that the social skills learned by the youth participants regardless of disability is dependent on the context of their environment. That is, the social skills learned keep them safe and is considered a "norm" in their neighborhoods. In this case, the youth participants live in the Metropolitan Boston areas that have been affected by violence since the 1980s.