Socially Thinking
Coordinating Abilities for a Better Outcome
Under the school website’s Social Skills heading, it states:
Social Skills Classes: All students enrolled in Gersh Academy participate in Social Skill classes that are built into their schedule. The
content varies by age and program but the overall goal is to provide students with the skills they need to make friends and have meaningful
relationships.
Social Thinking is a set of periods where children address (here in no particular order):
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Problem Identification & Problem Solving
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Interpersonal Communication and Dialog (eye contact, body language, intelligibility, turn taking, listening, etc)
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Cognitive Flexibility (differing opinions, multiple ways of doing things)
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Communicating Ideas Fully (give all necessary information, avoid and repair communication breakdowns)
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Greeting, introducing, topic initiation, topic maintenance, proper ways of ending a conversation
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Bullying, appropriateness (expected vs unexpected), kindness and word selection
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Self-Regulation (inhibiting actions, remembering and following rules)
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Utilizing AAC to participate in interpersonal interactions
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Social Media Safety (protecting personal information, meeting people off the internet)
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Executive Functioning (higher level: evaluating evidence, making decisions, etc)
We believe the Social Thinking period to be of utmost importance to our students attaining independence within the
community.
We are working to create a program that draws from expertise from Speech Language Pathology,
Psychology/Counseling, Social Work, and Occupational Therapy- as well as some yoga principles!
Our Kids Are Different
• Our students have a primary diagnosis of Autism, which means they
have several impairments all at once:
• They receive OT, PT, Counseling with the
Psychologists and/or Social Worker, and
Speech/Language Therapy in addition to
their classroom time.
• How do we coordinate these skills so the
child can use these skills functionally as a
member of society?
• Get the professions working together!
Why Develop their Social Skills?
• Increases feelings such as: Belonging, Acceptance, and Confidence
• Helps them make friends, feel good about themselves, develop skills
such as team work
• Increases their communication skills and allows them opportunities to
use their communication skills
• Prepares them for the future (job, relationships, etc.)
• Enhances their overall happiness
• Improves academic achievement
• Decreases emotional & behavioral problems
Why Occupational Therapy?
• The Occupational Therapists are uniquely qualified to provide ways
for the children to improve their Self-Regulation through sensorymotor activities.
• According to Psychology Today, research consistently shows that selfregulation skill is necessary for reliable emotional well being.
Behaviorally, self-regulation is the ability to act in your long-term best
interest, consistent with your deepest values.
• Without emotional stability, it is difficult to relate to the outside
world or even feel ready to confront it.
What is Self-Regulation?
• The ability to manage and direct one’s own physical states, feelings,
thoughts, and actions in healthy, pro-active ways to be successful
across several domains of life.
• It is universal…a set of skills everyone needs for success.
• Also called self-control, emotion regulation, coping, impulse control,
executive function, etc.
Why is Self-Regulation Important?
• Directly related to success in learning, academic performance, social
interaction, overall health, safety and more.
• Is critical for success in school, work, and life.
• A better predictor of academic success than IQ.
Self-Regulation requires the skills and ability
to:
• Identify one’s physical state to be able to then calm or arouse one’s
body and physical state
• Identify, express and manage one’s feelings in an age appropriate and
healthy ways
• Manage one’s thoughts and engage in cognitive processes such as
problem solving and academic learning
• Recent research shows children with less impairment in these
behaviors make larger gains in vocabulary and language learning
Teaching Self-Regulation Skills
• Self-regulation skills can be taught.
• Overall, children learn self-regulation by observing how others,
especially significant adults regulated themselves.
• Self-regulation skills develop gradually, so it is important that adults
hold developmentally appropriate expectations for children’s
behavior.
• Some children need direct instruction and practice to learn these
skills.
Sensory Processing/Modulation is…
• Natural process of the maturing nervous system .
• The ability to appropriately grade one’s responses to sensory
stimuli.
• To react to the environment without over or under-responding to
stimuli.
Programs Used for Self-Regulation
Zones of Regulation Videos
• Here is a video on what it looks like to be in the Blue Zone (Barbie crying and
upset):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5ze5PfDEzI&index=2&list=PL87B22B04E
C463D3B
• Here is a video on what it looks like to be in the Green Zone: (Finding Nemo:
Just Keep Swimming): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB6W2VAx2J8
• Here is a video on what it looks like to be in the Yellow Zone (Mike’s New Car):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfC_GuHiP68
• Here is a video on what it looks like to be in the Red Zone (Lucy mad in Charlie
Brown):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq9hBEvFNlM&list=PLD7C6A74DFECE6B3
F&index=1
Self-Regulation Strategies
Sensory Strategies
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Drink
Bathroom
Wall push-up
Palm press or tickles
Wiggle cushion
Lap pad
Thera-putty/Playdoh
Therapy Ball
Chair push-ups
Movement break
Arm squeezes
Calming Techniques
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Deep breathing
Tense and relax muscles
Worry/feeling book
Counting to 10
Asking for help
Thinking Strategies
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Self-talk
Thinking good thoughts
Use your imagination
Big problem vs. little problem,
Brain break
Talk about it
Resources
• GoNoodle.com
Why Social Work?
• Among the many professionals who work with people on the autism
spectrum, social workers have moved to the forefront in the areas of case
management, community interaction, and social skills training.
• Unique knowledge of community related issues that confront people with
autism.
• Social workers are trained to provide individual and group therapy services,
and make extremely effective social-cognition coaches who can help an
increasing number of adults with autism learn to cope with the ambiguous
and sometimes-frustrating world of workplace social interaction. Social
Workers can play a key role in improving social functioning, addressing
behavioral issues, and increasing the well-being of individuals on the
autism spectrum – whether at school, in a clinic, or at a workplace.
Why Psychology/Counseling?
• Psychologists are uniquely qualified to provide treatments to help
people with ASD manage anxiety or mood disorders such as
depression. This often includes modified cognitive behavioral therapy,
a method that helps individuals change negative thoughts and
behaviors.
• They often lead social skills groups to help people with ASD improve
conversational skills, nonverbal communication and play.
Why Speech Language Pathology?
• The Speech Language Pathologist is uniquely
qualified to sew the parts together with the
How of language.
• How should I formulate my request so people
understand what I want?
• How do I know what information is important to
listen to?
• How do I know what information is important to
give?
• How do I react to linguistic information?
• What vocabulary is
• How do I interpret supralinguistic information?
important in which
How do I give supralinguistic information? (body
context? What’s the topic?
language, facial expression, tone of voice)
What’s the theme?
WAIT!!! What about Michelle Garcia
Winner’s Social Thinking program???
• We’ll still use it!!
• We’re adding some perquisites and expanding the program, but you can
absolutely still use Thinksheets, Thinking About You, Thinking About me,
and the Super Flex curriculum and characters. In fact- we recommend it!
• It is extremely helpful for the students to anthropomorphize the different
concepts and skills. In fact, we’re providing a link to a great online
PowerPoint to introduce the concepts and their corresponding characters
to you:
http://allspecialed.com/Forums/attachments/video-tutorialspresentations/118d1327954350-social-thinking-powerpoint-social-thinkingpowerpoint.pdf
I know what Social Skills are. Why am I here?
What are you doing for me?
• We generally think of Social Skills as
Interpersonal Communication.
But we can’t begin there.
We can’t assume our students are ready.
Our students range in age and level of need. And they are here for a better
program than the one they left. We need to find the gaps in their
knowledge.
We need to work on hidden areas.
Is it Complicated?
Social Skills, the way we
typically approach
them, have many
prerequisites. They are
rooted in Sensory
Integration and
Regulation, Awareness
of Self and Empathy for
Others. We can attach
language to these skills,
and social
communication can
grow. But we start with
the basics of Body
Awareness, beginning
inside. Outward social
skills need a base from
which to build.
Yeah.
The red circle
shows the areas
we consider real
social and
interpersonal
skills. This is the
tip of the iceberg.
The yellow circle
indicates the
underlying levels
that prepare
them to focus
outwards, by
organizing their
internal needs.
Why so many Specialties?
• The previous slide shows how social skills and daily living activities are
at the top of a wide pyramid.
• We work with non-neurotypical (neurodiverse) children who are overreactive and under-reactive to stimuli, and they may have trouble
integrating information from multiple sources at once. They may feel
bombarded as one piece of information is given too much
importance: the scratchy tag, for example. The student could be
overwhelmed with this sensation and under reactive to other input:
ex, the speaker in a social situation. The child does not hear the
question asked because his tactile sense is overloaded.
• For this reason, OT, PT, Speech, Counseling, and Social Work have
coordinated their efforts to provide a framework for the development
of social skills from the bottom up.
Sensory Stuff??
• Yes. Sensory stuff. Part of a child’s ability to
organize themselves depends on their sensory
needs being met.
• OT is creating a simple flow chart of
Behavior>>Probable Need>>Sensory Item or
activity to fill that need.
• Sensory items are NOT toys or rewards and
children do not earn them or lose them.
• All classrooms should have a sensory/break area
with items and activities
So much!! How do I get help?
• The Related Service Team is happy to help you
but first…
We’re creating a depository on the
N:/ drive under Social Thinking
and we’re looking to create a physical library with duplicate materials
and ideas for games and role-plays.
Body Awareness
• Go Noodle (website for 5 minute movement breaks)
• Excerpts from Astronaut Program (OT will provide handout)
• Deep Breathing
• Yoga (Lori will provide handouts)
• Whole-body Movement
• Heavy Work (crab walk, jumping, wall push-up, etc)
• Sensory Seat (for bottoms or feet!)
• Build a body- give children arms, legs, facial features, etc. and have
them build a body on the door one at a time. Talk about senses. Find
examples: things you touch, things you smell, things you hear, things
you taste.
• Body Wake Up- Wiggles, Jiggles, and Dancing
How is Body Awareness Important to
Developing Social Skills?
• Body awareness is the sense that we have of our own bodies. It helps
us know where the body parts are, how they move and work, and
even how they feel. Body awareness develops as gross motor and
fine motor development occur. Balance is also important in the
development of body awareness.
• Developing an understanding of your whole body, and individual parts
of the body, helps with controlling the body, from knowing when you
are moving and when you are still to being able to use body language,
gesture, and facial expressions in interpersonal communication.
Spatial Awareness/Bodies in Space
• Placemats (for rug)- discuss optimal distance and what to do with
each body part specifically. You can discuss Active/Whole Body
Listening here.
• Tape course
• Obstacle Course
• Group Scavenger Hunt
• Stretching
• Big circle/little circle – while holding hands, kids squish in tight, then
spread out to create a larger circle. Talk about sensations- what does
it feel like to be so tightly together?
• Freeze dance/free movement in space
How is Spatial Awareness Important to
Developing Social Skills?
• Spatial awareness is the ability to be aware of oneself in space. It is an
organized knowledge of objects in relation to oneself in that given
space. Spatial awareness also involves understanding the relationship
of these objects when there is a change of position.
• In interpersonal communication, spatial awareness allows one to
maintain an appropriate distance from a speaker, listener, or
bystander. The student will be able to judge appropriate movements
and touch that we use daily to augment our verbal communication.
Self Awareness
• Emotion Charades
• Identify anxieties
• Body drawing (where do you feel your feelings?)
• What do you feel? How does it feel? Where do you feel it?
• Emotional labeling and charting (See N:/Social Thinking/…)
• Anger Thermometer: How Big is my Problem? (Continue throughout
program)
• Positive Self-talk
• Coping Skills
• Sensory needs/sensory break
How is Self Awareness Important to
Developing Social Skills?
• Conscious knowledge of one's own character, feelings, motives, and
desires
• Awareness of self is important to developing self-determination. This
is not strictly reacting to the environment but allows for development
of self-esteem, goal setting, self-advocacy, and problem identification.
Perspective Taking/Empathy
• Body Language/Nonverbal Cues (anxious, impatient, bored, etc)
• Facial Expression- Face ID (MORE Emotional Charades)
• Tone of Voice – happy, sad, sarcastic
• Cognitive Flexibility – ex. Pete hates pizza. Pete likes PB&J. Which will
Pete eat?
How is Perspective Taking and Empathy
Important to Developing Social Skills?
• The autistic individual has a particular difficulty with Theory of Mind.
• Theory of mind refers to the notion that many autistic individuals do not
understand that other people have their own plans, thoughts, and points
of view. Furthermore, it appears that they have difficulty understanding
other people's beliefs, attitudes, and emotions.
• When interacting with another, it is important for the student to realize
their thoughts and experiences are not the same as those of the other
individual. There is literally no reason for one person to communicate with
another if one student thinks the other knows exactly what they
themselves know.
• The child has to be effected by another person’s feelings and emotional
state to recognize a problem and attempt a solution.
Perspective Taking/Empathy
• This is a BIG topic (and will take a while to cover!)
covering everything from
• Awareness of others and importance of others to
• Bullying/Cyberbullying (lots of YouTube videos on this topic: see “You Look
Disgusting,” “I’m not Black, You’re not White,” and “What happens when
we stop putting people in boxes.”)
• Recognizing and reacting to expressions (not laughing at peers that trip,
cry, get angry, sneeze, lose)
• Compliments
• Expected versus Unexpected behaviors (chart)
• Conversations (N:/Social Thinking/Conversation Train)
• Filtering (using appropriate language, limiting expression of thoughts)
• Sharing/Compromising
Perspective Taking/Empathy
• Developing and Maintaining Relationships (Family, Friends,
Employment, School, Romantic)
• Types of vocabulary for relatives, peers, authority figures,
acquaintances
• Cell phone/device overuse
• Private information versus public information (chart)
• Good attention/bad attention
• Social Media Safety
Conflict Identification and Resolution
• Avoid and Repair Communication Breakdowns -(5 “w”s) Give all
necessary information (and ask questions to obtain additional
information)
• Problem Solving
• Reacting to Situations
• Cause and Effect
• Accepting Consequences
• Topic Maintenance
But my Students are Non Verbal
• No, they are not. “Verbal” actually just describes the ability to use
language. Our kids are all at different language levels. They may be nonoral or non-vocal. They do not have spoken language. They have devices
or PECS to help them communicate. They simply need access to the
appropriate vocabulary.
• Those that do not yet have a system will be exposed to written words and
meaningful symbols.
• Fortunately, the SLPs are going to help generate vocabulary that could be
pertinent to the lessons so they can participate along with their peers. We
are also on hand to help you and the aides understand the child’s device so
you can program vocabulary in real time as you think of it.
Generalizing
Skills in isolation are one thing, but using them in different
contexts and beyond the classroom is quite another
• Use folder sets, role plays, matching, and movement/kinesthetic activities
to reinforce concepts throughout the day.
• Review whole body listening, expected versus unexpected behaviors, and
anger thermometer concepts throughout the day
• Incorporate “other-awareness” activities into the Daily Meeting. Who’s at
school? Who’s at home? A student can be the greeter, a student can pass
out the placemats, a student can hand out name tags/necklaces.
• “Hello, how are you?” song and others to preview and review greetings
and conversational components.
• Prepare children with the language they’ll need and give them tasks
throughout the day that require interpersonal communication and contact.
Resources!!!
We are hoping to provide a physical library in addition to one on the N:/
drive
• https://jillkuzma.wordpress.com/friendship-interactionskills/teaching-ideas/
• https://www.socialthinking.com/landingpages/webinarages47
• http://allspecialed.com/Forums/attachments/video-tutorialspresentations/118d1327954350-social-thinking-powerpointsocial-thinking-powerpoint.pdf
• The Question Challenge card game
• Feelings map, Anger Thermometer, Anxiety indicator (N:/…)
• Community map (N:/…)
• That’s Life! Social Language (book)
• Social Language Development Scenes for Elementary, for
Adolescents (cards)
• Temper Tamers (cards)
• YouTube: “You Look Disgusting,” “I am Not Black,
You are Not White,” “What Happens when We
Stop Putting People in Boxes.” (Empathy,
Perspective Taking)
• Conversation Train (N:/…)
• YouTube: Richert4 (channel) Social Skills made
Simple, presented by children
• Social Thinking books by Michelle Garcia Winner:
Thinksheets, Thinking About You, Thinking About
me
And so much more! We’re working to provide classrooms with more sensory items and
every class with a sensory needs flow chart and suggested activities list.