The difficulty in learning social skills is one problem teachers should be concerned about.  There are students who are good in relational abilities while there are some who finds it hard to make even just one friend. There are many possible reasons for this inability. It could be that the student has been a victim of bullying, is a silent type, has grown in a home where conversations and interactions are scarce, or there could be lesser or more serious roots.

When a child is used to being at home and is the center of attention now goes out to school and has to play alongside with other children can suddenly feel isolated and unable to make friends. This may be due to how quickly social interactions change once a child moves out of toddler-hood. The child must now take hold of 
the hints of both verbal and non-verbal language and discern between literal and non-literal language. This is not an easy thing to do for them and they want to make friends but do not know how just yet.
 
As teachers, it is crucial to understand that social skills difficulties are key components to learning, language, and communication. The consequences of not being able to learn are huge. They can be at great risk for suffering anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and social isolation. They can also suffer from being bullied because they are unable to pick up on social cues.
 

The one major thing you should never ever do and what parents should never do is to place the children in settings with other children who have good social skills and hope that the child will learn from their peers. The child cannot pick up on social cues so they end up more frustrated. So, you should be able to identify the places where teaching young students to learn social skills are appropriate so that it becomes effective.

By: BERNARDITO B. CADATAL | Teacher II | Sta. Rosa Elementary School | Sta. Rosa, Pilar, Bataan