Social skill development of individuals with special needs: the effect of creative drama

Social skills that are acquired are an important criterion for the individual to establish healthy relationships and be accepted in society. In this sense, this study aimed to examine the effects of creative drama activities on the social skill acquisition of individuals with special needs. The study was carried out with 2 special education teachers and 8 students, 4 females and 4 males, with moderate intellectual disability, in Karaman Special Education Practice School in Karaman. This is a qualitative study with a case study design. In the study, criterion sampling, which is one of the purposive sampling methods, was used. All data were collected through observations, interviews, researcher notes, pre- and post-tests, and the creative drama technique. The data were analysed with inductive data analysis, content analysis, and descriptive analysis methods. As a result, both significant and non-significant results were obtained within the scope of the themes determined as a result of the applied creative drama activities. In the scope of the study, though it was determined that the students with moderate intellectual disabilities had a low level of social skills before starting the creative drama activities, it was determined that the creative drama technique contributed positively to the development of the social skills of the students with moderate intellectual disabilities.