Editing Social skills (section)

==Behavioral therapy==
{{Main|Behaviorism}}
Behaviorism interprets social skills as learned behaviors that function to facilitate social reinforcement. According to Schneider & Byrne (1985), [[operant conditioning]] procedures for training social skills had the largest effect size, followed by [[observational learning|modeling]], coaching, and social cognitive techniques.<ref>Schneider, B.H. & Byrne, B.M. (1985). Children's social skills training: A meta-analysis. In B.H. Schneider, K. Rubin, & J.E. Ledingham (Eds.) Children's Peer relations: Issues in assessment and intervention (pp. 175–90). New York: Springer-Verlag.</ref> Behavior analysts prefer to use the term behavioral skills to social skills.<ref name="baojournal2003">O'Donohue, W. (2003). Psychological Skills Training: Issues and Controversies. ''The Behavior Analyst Today, 4 (3),'' 331–35 [http://www.baojournal.com BAO].</ref> Behavioral skills training to build social and other skills is used with a variety of populations including in packages to treat addictions as in the [[community reinforcement approach and family training]] (CRAFT).<ref>Jane Ellen Smith, Jaime L. Milford, and Robert J. Meyers (2004): CRA and CRAFT: Behavioral Approaches to Treating Substance-Abusing Individuals&nbsp;– The Behavior Analyst Today, 5.(4), pp. 391–404 [http://www.baojournal.com]</ref>

Behavioral skills training is also used for people with [[borderline personality disorder]],<ref>Sampl, S. Wakai, S., Trestman, R. and Keeney, E.M. (2008). Functional Analysis of Behavior in Corrections: Empowering Inmates in Skills Training Groups. Journal of Behavior Analysis of Offender and Victim: Treatment and Prevention, 1(4), 42–51 [http://www.baojournal.com]</ref>
depression,<ref>Jonathan W. Kanter, Joseph D. Cautilli, Andrew M. Busch, and David E. Baruch (2005): Toward a Comprehensive Functional Analysis of Depressive Behavior: Five Environmental Factors and a Possible Sixth and Seventh. ''The Behavior Analyst Today, 6(1),'' 65–81. [http://www.baojournal.com]</ref> and developmental disabilities.<ref name="baojournal2003"/><ref>Gillis, J.M.  & Butler, R.C. (2007). Social skills interventions for preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A description of single&nbsp;– subject design studies. ''Journal of Early and Intensive Behavior Intervention, 4(3),'' 532–48. [http://www.baojournal.com]</ref>  Typically, behaviorists try to develop what are considered [[Behavioral cusp|cusp]] skills,<ref>Sébastien Bosch and Michael D. Hixson  (2004). The Final Piece to a Complete Science of Behavior: Behavior Development and Behavioral Cusps. The Behavior Analyst Today, 5(3),  244–54 [http://www.baojournal.com]</ref> which are critical skills to open access to a variety of environments.  The rationale for this type of approach to treatment is that people meet a variety of social problems and can reduce the stress and punishment from the encounter in a safe environment. It also addresses how they can increase reinforcement by having the correct skills.