This study verified the predictive force of 12 categories of special educational needs on the social skills repertoire of children: Autism, Hearing Impairment, Mild Intellectual Disabilities, Moderate Intellectual Disabilities, Visual Impairment, Phonological Disorder, Learning Disabilities, Giftedness and Talent, Externalizing Behavior Problems, Internalizing Behavior Problems, Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. One hundred and twenty students from regular and special schools, aged between six and 15 years, were assessed by their teachers using the Social Skills Rating System. The special needs which strongly predicted social skills deficits were: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems, Autism, Externalizing Behavior Problems, Internalizing Behavior Problems and Learning Disabilities. Specific characteristics of these categories and the needs to improve their social skills repertoire are discussed.
Social skills; special educational needs; psychological assessment; statistical regression