Social skills are essential for building friendships, succeeding at school, and navigating daily interactions, and occupational therapy can help children who find social situations challenging. At WonderKids in Malta, our paediatric occupational therapists support children to develop the skills they need for positive peer relationships and confident social participation.
Why Do Some Children Struggle with Social Skills?
Social interaction requires the seamless integration of many abilities. Children need to read facial expressions and body language, regulate their emotions, take turns, share, manage personal space, and adapt their behaviour to different social contexts. When underlying skills such as sensory processing, emotional regulation, or motor planning are underdeveloped, social interactions can become overwhelming and confusing.
Children with autism spectrum conditions, ADHD, sensory processing differences, and developmental delays often experience social difficulties, though any child may struggle in this area.
How Do Social Skill Difficulties Present?
Children with social skill challenges may prefer to play alone, have difficulty joining group activities, struggle with turn-taking and sharing, become easily frustrated during games, misread social cues, stand too close to others, or have difficulty maintaining friendships. Some children may seem bossy or controlling in play, while others are withdrawn and passive.
These behaviours are not intentional. They reflect genuine difficulty with the complex demands of social interaction.
How We Help at WonderKids
Our approach addresses the root causes of social difficulties rather than simply teaching social rules. We begin by assessing your child’s sensory processing, emotional regulation, play skills, and communication to understand what is making social interaction challenging.
Therapy may include:
- Sensory regulation support: Helping children manage the sensory demands of social environments such as playgrounds and birthday parties
- Emotional awareness training: Teaching children to recognise and manage their own emotions and understand others’ feelings
- Play skill development: Building the motor and cognitive skills needed for cooperative, imaginative, and rule-based play
- Social story and visual supports: Using stories and visual aids to teach social expectations and routines
- Peer interaction practice: Structured opportunities to practise skills with other children in a supportive setting
What to Expect from Therapy
We begin with a comprehensive assessment that includes parent interview, standardised assessments, and clinical observation of your child’s play and interaction. This helps us identify specific goals and design an effective therapy plan.
Individual sessions focus on building foundational skills, while small group sessions provide opportunities to practise with peers. We work closely with parents, providing coaching and strategies to support social development at home and in the community.
How Can Parents Support Social Development?
Parents can help by arranging regular playdates, modelling social language, practising turn-taking through family games, and gently coaching their child through tricky social moments. Our therapists provide specific guidance tailored to your child’s needs.
Why Choose WonderKids?
Our therapists are experienced in supporting children with a wide range of social difficulties. We offer both individual and group sessions, no waiting lists, and a collaborative approach with families and schools. Contact us on +356 77048650 or email info@wonderkids.mt to book an assessment at our Mosta clinic.