Characters created by Stephanie Madrigal and Michelle Garcia Winnerwww.socialthinking.com

He helps you:Be a totally flexible thinker

which allows you to control yourbrain and change how you think

Think about how to act andbehave to keep others and

yourself feeling good (rainbowthoughts)

Be a great problem-solver

and think of many differentsolutions to one problem

Notice when an UNTHINKABLEis becoming more active in your

brain and come up with astrategy to defeat it.

Superflex is a

Superhero

He gets you stuck on yourown thoughts, answers andsolutions. He gets you to doonly what you want to do,without thinking about thegroup.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODEFEAT ROCK BRAIN:

Listen to your group’s ideas:be flexible

Agree to follow someoneelse’s plan

ROCK BRAIN

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODEFEAT BRAIN EATER:

Turn your eyes and bodyaway from what is

distracting you and look atthe group

Use a fidget to keep youbody busy while your brain

thinks about the group

Notice when your brain isthinking of something else

and get it to refocus onthe group

BRAIN EATERHe makes it hard foryou to focus on what youand your group is doing.

He gets you easilydistracted on your ownideas or things aroundyou.

Body Snatcher

He gets you to wander awayfrom the group and turn yourbody away from the group.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODEFEAT BODY SNATCHER

Point your shoulders to thegroup.

Think: Where should my bodybe?

Use your eyes to think aboutwhere your group is and what

it is doing

Glass Man

Gets upset very quickly

The degree of the upset does notmatch the seriousness of theproblem

Usually thinks things are not fair

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODEFEAT GLASS MAN

STOP and think about theproblem

Tell yourself to take a break andwalk away

Ask for help

Take a deep breath to calm down

Makes your body moveinto others’ spaceswhen it’s unexpected

Makes your friendsuncomfortable becauseyou are too close

WHAT YOU CAN DOTO DEFEAT SPACE

INVADER:

Use the one arm ruleto keep space between

you and your friend

Think about how yourbody looks in the groupSpace Invader

Energy Hare-y

Gives you too much energy –you are moving around andfidgeting too much

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODEFEAT ENERGY HARE-Y

Use whole body listening.

Check with your eyes to seehow others are acting. Match

their calmness.

Take a deep breath to calmdown.

One Sided Sid

Makes you talk about only what youare interested in

You think only your plan will work

Others must do it your way

You interrupt to talk about whatyou want to talk about

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODEFEAT ONE-SIDED SID:

Open your people files and thinkabout what others like

Look with your eyes – if the groupis busy, save what you want to say

Look with your eyes – are othershappy?

Worry Wall

Makes you feel nervous orworried

Makes you stop thinkingabout what the group isthinking about

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODEFEAT WORRY WALL:

Close your eyes, take adeep breath, and relax

Find a thought to help youchange how you are

thinking

Ask for help

Topic Twister

Keeps you from talking aboutwhat the group is talking about

Keeps you talking about whatyou want to talk about when thegroup doesn’t want to listen.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODEFEAT TOPIC TWISTER:

Look at others – do they seeminterested in what you are

saying?

Ask a question about whatothers are talking about

Turn off your “me” button andthink about the group

Mean Jean

Makes you do and say meanthings to your friends

Makes you take others’ thingswithout asking

Makes you unwilling to share

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODEFEAT MEAN JEAN:

Think: Will what I say or dohurt someone’s feelings?

Keep bragging, bossy, andhurtful thoughts in your head

Ask yourself: Will what I sayhurt my friends’ feelings?

He insists on being first,playing only what he wants toplay, and does not thinkabout compromising.

He doesn’t respect others’feelings.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODEFEAT D.O.F.:

Think: If I am a just meplayer, my friends will not

have a good time.

Think: Tiny problem. I willstill get a turn or win

another time.

Destroyer of Fun

D.O.F.

Stops you from showinginterest in others orthinking about whatothers want to do

Keeps you from askingquestions and addingyour ideas in group

WHAT YOU CAN DOTO DEFEAT

UN-WONDERER:

Look at the speaker

Listen and then ask aquestion

Create people files inyour brain

Un-Wonderer

GrumpGrumpaniny

Makes you think the worst andfeel others are unkind

Always sees things from anegative point of view

Nothing makes you happy

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODEFEAT GRUMP GRUMPANINY

STOP and think: is this personreally being mean to me?

Tell yourself: I am being mean.What would be a more positive

way to think about this?

Was Funny Once

Makes you tell jokes at thewrong time

Makes you retell the jokeswhen they are no longer funny

Makes you act and talk in a sillyway that makes the group loseits focus

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODEFEAT WAS FUNNY ONCE:

Ask yourself: is this a silly orserious moment?

Use the one time only rule: Tellyour joke only once so it doesn’t

get boring

Blurting Bob

He makes you interruptthe group.

He makes you not wait foryour turn to talk.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODEFEAT BLURTING BOB

You remember to raise youhand, wait to be called on,

and then talk.

Look at your friends andwait for a turn in the

conversation.

Rule PoliceTells others what to do

Wants to make all of the rules to fit hisneeds

Tattles on others when they aren’t doingwhat he expects

Likes to be the boss during the activity

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODEFEAT RULE POLICE

Asks others’ opinions abouthow to do something

Negotiates with the group todefine the rules for the activity

Takes care of himself and letsan adult worry about other

students

Shares responsibilities withothers to complete a job

WHAT YOU CAN DOTO DEFEAT CLUTTER

BUG:

Keeps work area clean –only the job beingworked on is out

Finishes one job beforebeginning another

Keeps materialsorganized in work area

Use organizational toollike folders, pencil boxes

Has all materials out at one time

Works on more than one job at a time

Loses materials because the desk is somessy

Forgets to complete jobs

Can’t find what he needs