Identify one effective strategy for teaching social skills to students with learning disabilities.

Role-playing and social stories are effective strategies for teaching social skills to students with learning disabilities because they provide interactive and relatable ways for students to learn and practice social interactions. Role-playing allows students to act out various social scenarios, enabling them to experiment with communication, understand social cues, and develop appropriate responses in a safe environment. This interactive approach is particularly beneficial as it engages students in active learning, helping them to internalize social concepts and rehearse skills in real-time.

Social stories complement this strategy by presenting social situations in a structured narrative format, making them easier for students to understand. These stories can help clarify expectations and appropriate behaviors in various contexts, which is especially beneficial for students who may struggle with abstract concepts. The combination of these methods supports skill acquisition by providing both theoretical background and practical application, making it easier for students to generalize these skills to real-life situations.

In contrast, independent study, direct instruction from textbooks, and lecture-based teaching tend to be more passive learning approaches. They may not engage students effectively in the context of social skills, which often require practice and interaction with others to master.