Intro to Social Coaching
James Emmett
www.socialcoachinginstitute.net
APSE Webinar
Theory of Mind
• What if I don’t know that you have mind separate
and different from my own?
• What if I don’t realize that you are a unique
individual in your own right?
• What if I don’t realize that you have my interests
at heart and want to offer me the benefits of your
own experiences and thinking and ability?
• What if I don’t know that you experience things
differently from me?
Possible Work Problems
• Understanding what is
expected of them when
the job is not specific
enough, the tasks are
not defined and varied,
the employer’s
expectations are not
clear or there is little
routine to the job
• Recognizing the
informal rules of the
workplace which others
can understand without
being told
Possible Problems (cont.)
• Working as a
team..cannot offer
recognize humor, hints,
ironies
• seeking help in
appropriate
ways…having difficulty
assessing the best
times and methods to
use
• Recognizing that coworkers might find their
behavior intrusive or
odd
• coping with unexpected
changes at work…their
consequent anxiety
may make them less
competent and more
demanding
Problems (cont.)
• Different sensory
reactions from the
• Remembering info norm…background
that has been
noises, florescent
communicated
lighting, open
verbally
windows, vibrations.
Ways to Improve the
Experience of Work
• Gradual intro into the
work situation, with
support
• Clear, specific job
tasks--made clear to
employer
• Written, diagrammatic
or pictorial
instructions
• A structured work
pattern which enables
the employee to
complete one task
before beginning
another
Improving (cont.)
• Clear line of
management and an
informed supervisor,
or mentor who can be
available to give
advice
• Checklists and
timetables for work to
be done
• Initial close
supervision
• Explicit rules of
behavior and advice
about unwritten rules
in the workplace
• Consistency from
colleagues
Improving (cont.)
• Immediate, clear and
open feedback about
the standard of work
done
• Guidelines for
colleagues about how
they can meet the
individual needs in
the workplace
• Contingency plans for
dealing with
unbearable stress, a
place to go for refuge,
and contact with
someone who will
give support
Getting a Match
and an Action Plan
• List the environmental needs of the
student
• List the job requisites of the job
• List the requisites of the workplace
• Find the level of the match
Social Coaching
In the Workplace
Social Coaching
1.Values
2.Self-Advocacy
3.Social Skills
4.Communication Skills
Minnesota Work
Adjustment Theory
• Work skills matched with Job
Requirements = Satisfactoriness
• Work Values matched with Job
Reinforcers = Satisfaction
• Satisfaction + Satisfactoriness = Job
Tenure
Relation to Autism
• Too often we focus on satisfactoriness
• We need to assess what a worker with
autism values
• We cannot assume what an individual
values
• From experience, job retention is
significantly increased when a worker with
autism’s values are addressed and met on
the job
How to Assess Work Values
•
•
•
•
•
Direct Interview
Hobbies & Free Time
Ask family
Observations of behavior
O-Net
Self-Advocacy Skills
1. Asking For Help
2. Saying “I don’t Understand”
3. Requesting a break
Social Skills
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Understanding Job Responsibilities
Understanding Directions
Making Introductions
Asking Questions
Asking Permission
Asking for Help
Accepting Help
Offering Help
Requesting Information
Social Skills (cont.)
10. Taking Messages
11. Engaging In Conversation
12. Giving Directions
13. Receiving Compliments
14. Giving Compliments
15. Convincing Others
16. Apologizing
17. Accepting Criticism
18. Responding to a Complaint
Social Interaction On The Job
• Temple Grandin is an individual with
autism who has her Ph.D. in Animal
Science
• She defined the following Rule System to
guide her social interactions and
behaviors, especially on the job
Social Interaction (cont.)
• This system is helpful to assist other
individuals with autism in understanding
social rules on the job
• There are four categories in this system:
Really Bad Things
• Defined as things that are considered
extremely bad by a culture and are most
time illegal
• Examples:
– Stealing someone’s work
– Hitting a co-worker
Courtesy Rules
• These things are important because they
make others around you at work feel
comfortable
• Examples:
– Cleaning up the lunch area after you finish
lunch
– Letting a co-worker in a rush make copies
before you
Illegal But Not Bad
• These things technically violate a law, but
are not considered bad by the culture
• Examples:
– Speeding when you are late for work
– “Stealing” a paper clip from a co-worker’s
desk
Sins of the System
• These are the unwritten rules of the workplace
that will lead to termination. Some of these rules
may vary from work place to work place. This is
a category that is difficult for workers with autism
• Examples:
– Not asking a supervisor 6 times when it will be time to
return from break
– Not discussing sexual issues with a co-worker
Being a Competent
Communicator?
The “Culture” of Autism:
Being a Cross-cultural
Translator
(adapted from Mesibov)
Difficulty in
combining ideas
Additional
neurological
patterns
Focus on
Detail
Difficulty
organizing
and sequencing
Thinking
Difficulty
generalizing
Concrete
Distractibility
How to Aid Understanding
•
•
•
•
Talk less
Give wait time (use silence)
Keep it concrete and straightforward
Do not use sarcasm or abstract phrases
Environmental Supports
Are the materials that assist the individual
client taking into account?
– Their sensory needs
– Their need to understand the passage of time
– The ways they learn based on their strengths
– Their need for accurate consistent information
Why Is It Important?
• So they can make sense of their world
• So they can become flexible
• So they can be independent
Time
Supports that organize sequences of time
and time frames
– Schedules
– Mini schedules
– Completion guidelines
– Waiting supports
– Accepting change
Space
Supports that provide specific information
about the organization of the environment
– Location
– Sensory overload supports
– Personal space
– Relationship to others
Events
Supports that connect the steps of an
activity to the people/objects
– Routines
– Rule cards
– Task completion
– Mini schedules
– Possessions
– Privacy
Expressions
Supports that allow the client to initiate
interactions and have control
– Making choices
– Self-control
– Improving expressions
Considerations for Designing
Environment Supports
• The client
• Physical Space
• Sensory Space
• User Friendliness
Tools to Help Our
Clients Improve
Social
Communication
Helping Our Client’s
Understanding
• 1. Visual supports
• 2. Social stories
Social Stories
Good social stories use 3 types of sentences:
1. Descriptive
1. Perspective
1. Directive
Social Story Ratio
0-1 Directive
_______________
2-5 Descriptive,
Perspective or
Affirmative Sentences
From T-TAC Sue Palko, VCU
The basic social story ratio
defines the proportion of
sentences used in a story. This
ratio is maintained no matter
what the length or focus of the
story. This ratio ensures the
DESCRIPTIVE quality of the story.
Some social stories do not
contain directive sentences but
are entirely descriptive.
Following this ratio results in a
social story that has a patient and
reassuring quality and can be
referred to time and time again
as a source of social information
for the student with ASD
Social Skill Supports
Comic Strip Conversation:
A Comic Strip Conversation is a visual
conversation between two or more people
using simple illustrations in a comic strip
format.
Social Skill Supports
• Comic Strip Conversation:
An individual uses simple drawings to
communicate what he/she and others say,
do, and think. These words and drawings
serve as an outline of the conversation
Other Social Skill
Support Strategies (cont.)
4. Mentoring:
 Mentor Training
 Incentives & Follow-Up
Social Support
Strategies (cont.)
5. Role Play:
 Specific text with instructor
 Specific text with peer
 Improvise entire interaction
 Practice in natural environment
Social Support
Strategies (cont.)
6) Scripting: Write the “play” together
7) Board Games: Concrete practice
8) Direction Instruction: Class style
9) Peer Tutoring: Helping each other
10) Incidental Teaching: Reinforce when it
occurs in natural environment
Social Support
Strategies (cont.)
11) Rehearsal: Acronyms, practice
Accepting Help:
Greet
Express appreciation
Tell how to help
Thank the person
GETT
Social Support
Strategies (cont.)
12) Modeling
13) Visualization
14) Rule Cards
15) Immediate Feedback
16) Self-Management
17) Organizational Chart
18) Social Communication Groups
Contact Me
James Emmett
Social Coaching Institute
Corporate Disability Consultant
www.socialcoachinginstitute.net
jamesemmett@socialcoachinginstitute.net
574-808-9779
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesemmett21
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