Recognize the Issue
Having a best friend, attending birthday parties and sleepovers are routine for a lot of children. One of the most critical developmental tasks for a middle schooler is to create lasting friendships. These skills predicts social skills that will be lifelong.
Unfortunately, some children have trouble making friends and if they do make friends, it is hard for them to maintain those relationships.
If your child is having difficulty making friends you may notice the following:
- your child is not invited on play dates or to birthday parties
- your child has no interests in playing with other children
- your child’s teacher gives you feedback about shyness or an inability to make friends at school
- your child exhibits behaviors that are rude, bullying, bossy, causing peers to avoid them
Understand the Possible Causes
Support Services: What do you do?
If your child has difficulty playing with other children it can be an opportunity to work with them using role-play to show them how they may respond next time. However, if these behaviors are enduring and you are concerned about your child’s social skills you may want to consider an evaluation.
Poor social skills are often linked to ADHD and Aspergers syndrome. However, some children simply need some social skills training or therapy to learn appropriate social skills.