Social skills instruction (SSI) provides a promising avenue for teaching and promoting positive social interactions to students with high-incidence disabilities. Within SSI, a distinction can be made between social skills and social competence. Social skills are specific behaviors one must perform correctly within a specific social context or task. Social competence refers to how others, such as teachers, parents, or community members, conceptualize or judge the outcomes of specific social skills of individuals across settings, individuals, and situations. SSI can play an important role in developing students' ability to cultivate supportive relationships that affect quality of life. To address SSI needs, students require direct and systematic teaching of skills in both school settings and in the community. Teachers require the knowledge and tools necessary to assess, teach, and promote generalization and maintenance of social skills. With sufficient preparation, teachers can use the knowledge and materials they already possess to address students' social competence needs. With increased social competence, students may spend less time facing behavioral challenges and thus be more available for learning.