This document summarizes a presentation about the importance of social competence for people with disabilities or mental health problems. It discusses how social competence is key to someone's functioning and ability to achieve goals. It provides definitions of social competence from various sources and describes aspects of social competence, such as communication skills and social skills, that are important for daily living. The document discusses how social competence can be observed and trained through projects and gives perspectives from someone with disabilities on how social competence is important not just for the individual but how others must also show respect.

1. Social competence, mental health
and disablity
Prof. Dr. Manfred Pretis
Presentation for the SGSCC
Workshop
Brussels, 17.12.2014
Dieses Projekt wurde mit Unterstützung der Europäischen Kommission finanziert. Die
Verantwortung für den Inhalt dieser Veröffentlichung (Mitteilung) trägt allein der Verfasser;
die Kommission haftet nicht für die weitere Verwendung der darin enthaltenen Angaben.

2. Take home messages

3. • In the disablity and mental health area social
competence plays a key role
• The „functionning“ of a persons with disabilty
and/or mental health problems to a high
extent is correlated to his/her social
competences

4. • Most frequently cited is the Rubin and Rose-
Krasnor (1992) definition:
• Social competence is “the ability to achieve
personal goals in social interaction
• while simultaneously maintaining positive
relationships with others over time
• and across situations” (p. 285).

5. Social Competence
Semrud-Clikeman (2007) describes that social
competence is the foundation upon which
“expectations for future interaction with
others is built, and upon which individuals
develop perceptions of their own behaviour (p.
1).”

6. Schoon (2009) summarises in a broad sense that
“social competencies reflect adjustment in the
family, school, work, in society at large, and in
old age, requiring more context specific
definitions of the construct , as well as a focus
on particular facets of social competence,
such as empathy, self control, trust, respect
for other people, or civic engagement” (p.2).

7. So what?

8. DSM IV diagnosis: where can we identify aspects of social
competence
Social competence – disability and mental health

9. • 2. Deficits or impairments in adaptive functioning
• This includes skills needed to live in an independent and responsible
manner. Limited abilities in these life skills make it difficult to achieve
age appropriate standards of behavior. Without these skills, a person
needs additional supports to succeed at school, work, or independent
life. Deficits in adaptive functioning are measured using standardized,
culturally appropriate tests.
• Various skills are needed for daily living:
• Communication: This refers to the ability to convey information from
one person to another. Communication is conveyed through words and
actions. It involves the ability to understand others, and to express
one's self through words or actions.
• Social skills: This refers to the ability to interact effectively with others.
We usually take social skills for granted. However, these skills are
critical for success in life. These skills include the ability to understand
and comply with social rules, customs, and standards of public
behavior. This intricate function requires the ability to process figurative
language and detect unspoken cues such as body language
Intellectal disability

10. Depression

11. Video message from Max, 22 years, VLBW, cerbral palsy,
visual impairment, calculation dycalculia
What is social competence for Max?
What is needed to behave in a social competent way?
How could social competence and creativity be trained?
Further important aspects
Social competence from a beneficiairies point of
view

12. Social competence is seen as a major pre-requist towards
professional training
Social competence is not only about training the
beneficiaries but also to expect respect from OTHERS.
Social competence is ALSO an issue of the OTHERS
Training of social competence might also include broader
support processes
IT is the WAY of INCLUSION and not primarily the effort of
a PWD to learn competencies!!
Lessons learnt from Max

13. Perspective for the pilot runs:
Trainers/Mentors will be able to observe, that the training
of social compentences and creativity makes a
difference for the beneficiaries
We will be able within the project to enable transfer
effects between cognitions and emotions of beneficiaries
(concerning their social competence and creativity) and
daily life/employablity
Discussion

14. Please visit our projects
www.icf-training.eu
www.games4competence.eu
MSH Medical School Hamburg GmbH
Fachhochschule für Gesundheit und Medizin
Tel.: 040 / 36 00 65 - 42
Fax: 040 / 36 00 65 - 43
E-Mail: info@medicalschool-hamburg.de
www.medicalschool-hamburg.de
oder folgen Sie uns zu , und
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication
[communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible
for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Thanks and a „SERVUS“ from Austria
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