A Strengths-Based Approach to the Social Developmental Study

School social workers commonly conduct Social Developmental Studies (SDSs) to provide multidisciplinary teams with information about medical, social, academic, cultural, and behavioral issues that affect a student's learning. This information helps the multidisciplinary team to make eligibility decisions and to plan appropriate interventions. This article describes ways in which social workers can apply the strengths-based approach—a social work practice approach focusing on individual and environmental resiliencies, talents, connections, skills, and gifts—to components of the SDS. It also describes specific strengths-based applications to observations, interviews, academic reviews, standardized measures, written reports, and oral presentations. Examples illustrate how identified strengths and protective factors can be used to solve problems associated with risk factors.