Social Skills Strategies
Nicole Van Buren
Picture Stories
Content- Social Skills
Grade Level- K-2, ESOL and ESE students in any grade
Curriculum Standard- Demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal
communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health
risks
HE.1.B.1.2 Identify healthy ways to express needs, wants, and
feelings
Picture Stories Cont.
Description of practices- Picture Stories are mini-books that illustrate,
step-by-step, children demonstrating various social skills. The skills
are presented in a cartoon strip and includes bubbles to denote what
the children are saying. Teachers can show the Picture Stories to the
student, and ask them questions about the scenarios, then have the
students reenact the social skills in the comic.
http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/images/product/mayerj/sSocial5.jpg
Picture Stories Cont.
Delivery model- Picture Stories can be used during a whole group
mini-lesson or in small groups. In a co-taught class, each teacher can
lead a small group session where the students can read the minibooks, then reenact the scenario. The cooperative learning aspect of
the strategy can reinforce the social skills being taught in the Picture
Stories.
Reference:
Baker, J. E., & Myles, B. S. (2003). Social Skills Training for
Children and Adolescents with Aspergers Syndrome and
Social Communication Problems. Autism Asperger Publishing
Co.
Cognitive Picture
Rehearsal
Content: Social Skills
Grade Level: K-2, ESOL and ESE students in any grade
Curriculum Standards-Demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal
communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health
risks
HE.1.B.1.2 Identify healthy ways to express needs, wants, and
feelings
Cognitive Picture
Rehearsal Cont.
Description of practice- Cognitive Picture Rehearsals are used for
specific problem situations. For example, if a child is having
difficulties getting off the computer, the teacher could use a
Cognitive Picture Rehearsal to show the student the proper way to
react in this situation. The mini-book may illustrate a student
getting off the computer when the teacher asks him to. The
student is able to see what is expected through the directions
from the mini-book.
Delivery model- This strategy is ideal for modeling desired
behaviors in the classroom. Cognitive Picture Rehearsals can be
implemented with the general education teacher or the special
education teacher. If a student displays undesirable behaviors,
either teacher can find a mini-book that models the correct
behavior for the situation in the classroom.
Cognitive Picture Rehearsal Cont.
http://elearning.autism.net/visuals/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1
06&g2_serialNumber=8
Reference:
Baker, J. E., & Myles, B. S. (2003). Social Skills Training for Children and Adolescents
with Aspergers Syndrome and Social Communication Problems. Autism Asperger
Publishing Co.
What Does It Really
Mean?
Content: Social Skills, Language Arts
Grade Level: K-2, ESOL and ESE students in any grade
Curriculum Standard- The student will revise and refine the draft
for clarity and effectiveness.
LA.2.3.3.3 The student will revise by creating interest by
incorporating descriptive words and supporting details
What Does It Really
Mean? Cont.
Description of practice- What Does It Really Mean? is a flashcard game
that assesses a student’s knowledge of common American idioms.
According to Jed E. Baker and Brenda Smith Myles, authors of Social
Skills Training for Children and Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome
and Social Communication Problems, children and young adults with AS
can often “misinterpret social situations when required to make
inferences or drawing conclusions that are not carefully spelled out.”
(Baker & Myles, 2003) Idioms can be very confusing for not only these
children, but ESOL students as well.
Delivery Models: This strategy can be used with various models of
delivery. For example, in a co-taught classroom, the exceptional
education teacher can pull a child and have them define the idioms using
the flashcards, or he/she can assist the general education teacher when
the cards are used during a game whole-group. The idiom flashcards can
also be used in a self-contained class as an activity for pairs during
centers.
What Does It Really
Mean? Cont.
To play What Does it Really Mean?, go to http://www.flashcardmachine.com/myflashcards/set.cgi?topic_id=744672
Login: Nicolevb12, password: ni1230
Then press Start Study Session, and Begin
References:
Baker, J. E., & Myles, B. S. (2003). Social Skills Training for Chilren and Adolescents
with Aspergers Syndrome and Social Communication Problems. Autism Asperger Publishing
Co.
Lundquist, M. (2010, May 6). Flashcard Machine. Retrieve from
http://www.flashcardmachine.com/
Riggio, R. (1986) Assessment of Basic Social Skills. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51
(3), 649-660. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.51.3.649