In the present systematic investigation, a review of different bibliographic sources that have as research variables special education, special educational needs, social skills, emphasizing the Latin American reality, was carried out. The main objective of the article is to present the definitions of the variables and highlight the cases that focus on the development of the social skills of children and young people with special educational needs, according to different authors and their respective contextual realities. Different relationships that these sources seek to establish, among their research variables. Among the findings, various programs focused on socialization are mentioned, including from the interpretation of new languages ​for children with hearing disabilities to communication therapy with dogs, in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).