What is Social Skills Group Training

Although inclusive education (i.e., education that does not include separate special education classes) is legislated and pervasive worldwide, the implementation of educational inclusion is poor. To create more inclusive school settings, we need to explore what constitutes good practice. Moreover, we need evidence of effective interventions that address student needs. This chapter provides evidence from two interventions aimed at improving inclusion (NDC AI and SKOLKONTAKT®). These mixed methods, which merge quantitative and qualitative data, show that professional development enhances the inclusive skills of teachers and group training of students improves social skills, school attendance, and participation, leading to less loneliness, making the whole school's social environment better. Unexpectedly, the teachers became more aware of social impairments and developed new concrete tools to handle conflicts and bullying.