Social Thinking Across a Lifespan · Michelle Garcia Winner October 19, 2017 Fargo, North Dakota Copyright 2017 Think Social Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 4

MichelleGarciaWinner October19,2017Fargo,NorthDakota

Copyright2017ThinkSocialPublishing,Inc.AllRightsReserved.www.socialthinking.com 1

ExploringFoundationalConcepts,Frameworks&StrategiesMichelleGarciaWinner

M.A.,CCC–SLPwww.socialthinking.com

SocialThinkingAcrossaLifespan:

Treatmentdesignedforusewithstudentswhoselanguageandacademiclearningskillsarewithinnearnormalto

giftedrange.

Overthelast20plusyearswehavecreatedmanytreatment

frameworks,strategiesandassessmenttasksforusewithstudentsofallages,fromfour-years-oldandthrough

adulthood.

Wearenotsimplyasocialskillsapproach!

Weareusinglanguagetoexplainthesociallearningprocess,helpingindividualsimprovetheirsocial

competencies.

OurWorkProvidesStrategiestopeoplewithalltypesofdiagnosticlabelsand

thosewithoutdiagnosticlabels!

®ASDlevels1,2and3®Asperger’sSyndrome/PDD-NOS®SemanticPragmaticDisorder®NonverbalLearningDisorder(NLD)®Hyperlexia®Prader-Willi Syndrome®TourettesSyndrome…®SocialCommunicationDisorder®ADHD®OCD?....WheredoesBipolarfitin?....etc…



WhatisSocialThinking?Theabilitytoconsiderthesituationandyourownandothersthoughts,emotions,beliefs,intentions,knowledge,etc.tohelpinterpretandrespondtotheinformationinyourmindandpossiblythroughyoursocialbehavioralinteractions.

Whatareconsideredgoodsocialskills?

Theabilitytoconsideryoursocialthinkingandthenadaptyourbehavioreffectivelybasedonthesituationandwhatyouknowaboutthepeopleinthesituationforthemtoreactandrespondtoyouinthemanneryouhadhoped.

Whydoweusesocialskills?

Toimpacthowwemakepeoplefeelwhichthenimpactshowtheyfeelaboutus.

Thereisadeepconnectionbetweensocialthinking,socialskillsandmanyaspectsoftheacademiccurriculum.

Considerthefollowingasrequiring“pointofview”and“narrative

language”,conceptsaddressedinacademicstandardsworldwide.

Asweexploreindividuals’learningstrengthsandweaknessesweneedtoavoidassumptionsbasedonapersons’IQandlanguageabilities.



Ourteachingprocessfostersgrowthinmanyaspectsofsociallearningaboutone’sown

andothers’:• Socialattention• Socialinterpretation• SocialProblemSolvingandRelatedDecisionMaking

• SocialResponses

WatchthisyoutubeclipfromAmeriquest mortgage:

Firstyoumustattend,interpretmultipleperspectives,problemsolvewhat’shappeninginordertojoininthehumorousresponse

expectedfromthisclip.

Considerhowtheinformationinthatcliprelatesto:

•Leisuretime•Readingcomprehensionofliterature•Writtenexpression•Speakingandlistening•Groupworkthroughthepathwayofimagination

ThisisexplainedthroughSocialThinking’s

SocialCompetencyModel

Usinganiceberganalogy.Weeasilyonlyseethetopoftheiceberg.

SocialCompetencyModel

Copyright2017,ThinkSocialPublishing,Inc.



WearefocusedonteachingSocialThinkingframeworksandstrategiesinordertohelpindividuals:

1. Sociallyattend2. Interpret(makemeaningofselfandothers)

3. Problemsolvetomakedecisions4. CreateSocialResponses

Therearemanytypesofsocialresponses:

•Language•Socialskills•Readingcomprehensionofliterature•Explainingoneselfusingnarrativelanguage•Groupwork•Classroommanagement•Writtenexpression,etc…

Wefocusontwochannelstoencouragethedevelopmentofsocialcompetencies:

• SocialInput(e.g.socialthinking):• theprocessthroughwhichpeoplegathersocialinformationaboutthesituationandwhattheyknowaboutthepeopleinordertomakemeaningoutoftheinformationtheyaregathering.

• SocialOutput(e.g.socialskills)•Theintellectualendeavortoexplainverbally,inwriting,througharttheirresponsetothesocialinput.

•Themannerinwhichtheyadapttheirsocialbehaviortohelpachievetheirpersonalsocialgoals.

SocialthinkingplaysaPROMINENTroleintheclassroomwhen:

• Eachparticipanthastointerprettheother(studentandteacher)accurately

• Studentsandteacherhavetosharespaceeffectively

• Studentsworktogetherinpeer-basedgroups• Studentshavetointerpretandrespond

appropriatelytothecurriculum

Erika’sTestScores:DoesshequalifyforanIEP?

•IQ•verbal“verysuperiorrange”(145)•Nonverbal“AverageRange”(105)

•Academicassessment:•Reading:105•Math:107•Writing:110



SpeechandLanguageAssessmentComprehensiveAssessmentofSpokenLanguage(CASL)Non-literallanguage:112(79th %)Inferences:106(66th %)PragmaticJudgment:98(45th%)

TestofProblemSolving:57th %percentile

Pauseanddiscusstheinter-relationshipbetweenthedevelopmentofthesocialmindandtheacademictasksstudentsareexpectedtoknowhowtodowithminimalteacherguidance.

TheSocialThinkingMethodologyencouragesusalltoavoidmakingassumptionsaboutindividualsdescribedas

“smart”.

Socialattentionisattheheartofsocialinterpretation,

problemsolvingandrelatedresponses.



Peoplesimplyneedtopayattentiontoeachothersocially.

Soundeasy?

Notsomuch!Especiallyfor

peoplewithsociallearningchallenges!

Manystudentswithsociallearningchallengeshaveweaksocialattention.

Theabilitytoobserveandattendtothedifferentsituationsandpeopleinasociallandscape,utilizingourpriorknowledgeandperspectivetakinginordertointerpretmeaning,whilealsofiguringouthoweachofusshouldrespond.

Peoplewithstrongsocialattentioncan’thelpbutattendtoitall.

Peoplewithobject-orientedattentionmayfocusonnon-socialaspectsofthesituation.

ThreeCoreElementsofSocialAttention

1.Situationalattention2.Perspectivetaking3.Socialself-awareness…whichcanleadtoconformity!



Awarenesstothesituationandthepeopleinthesituationhelpstofigure

outtheHiddenRules

Thehiddenrulesguideustofigureoutwhatisexpectedandunexpected behaviorin

asituation.

Everysituationhashidden(unspoken)rules:Example- theclassroom!

1. Getreadyforclasstobegin2. Teachertalktime3. Classroomdiscussiontime4. Individualworktime5. Groupworktime6. Getreadyforrecesstime7. Recess,etc.

Allofthisrequiresindividualstomakesmartguesses

….asopposedtowackyguesses!

Wesharespaceandpossiblyinteractbasedonongoing

guesses/inferenceswemakeaboutpeopleinspecific

situations!

Weunderstandthatweeachaffectothersandtheaffectus!

Wecallit:TheSocialEmotionalChainReaction

Inanysituation_________________Expectedbehaviors

Unexpectedbehaviors

Howyoubehaveaffectshowpeople…

Feel&Think

Whichaffectshowtheyreact&respond

Whichaffectshowyoufeelyourself



43

Thissociallearningprocessalsoencouragesthedevelopmentof:

• Socialawareness• Socialinterpretation• Socialself-awareness• Self-monitoringofself&others

SocialThinkingfocusesonteachingframeworkstohelpus

allorganizethesocialexperience.

Wealsoprovidealotofstrategies.

Ourteachingframeworksprovideanoverviewofthe

manymovingpartsinvolvedinsocialinterpretationsand

responses.

Forexample:TheFourStepsofFace-to-Face

Communication46

4StepsofFace-to-FaceCommunication

Thinking aboutwhereweareandwhoImaywanttotalkwith.

1.

Establishingaphysicalpresencetoshowintentiontocommunicate.

2.

Useeyestothinkaboutothers.3.

Language torelatetoothers.4.

Wealsodefineourteachingstrategieswithlanguagewhich

ispartofourSocialThinkingVocabulary

Weusethissamevocabularyacrossdifferentagegroups.

Languagehelpstodrivesocialattentiontothosewhomaynotbeassociallyalert!



Hereareafewofourmanydifferenttreatmentstrategies….

Weactivelyteachhowtomakesenseofourstudent’ssocialattention,socialthinkingandandsocialskillswithinformal

assessmenttasks.

Wehavecreatedstrategiesthatconnecttoallthetreatment

frameworks.

Weteach,Thinkwithyoureyesand/orListenwithyoureyesinsteadof“Eye-Contact”

Thinkwithyoureyesisadynamicprocess….

“Eye-contact”isstaticandmakesanassumptionourstudentsknowwhattheyarelookingat!

Ourlanguageuseimpactshowourstudentslearn!

Avoidassumptionsthatourstudentshavealreadyfiguredthisallout!



Quotefrom43yroldmaleclient“ObservingthesocialinteractionsofothersisveryhelpfultomeasIformulatehowtointeractmyself.AsIlearnnoteveryonewalkswiththeirheaddownavoidingeyecontactallofthetime.AsIlearnwhenandhowtosmile.AsIstudywhatmakesastrangerseemapproachable.Inshort,youhavetoknowtherulesofthegameinordertoplaythegame.”

Weworktohelpteachtheimplicitdemandsofthesocial

world,explicitly.

Lessononphysicalpresence:Isyourbodyinthegroup?

57 58

Is your body out of the group?

IsyourbrainINthegroup?OrOUTofthegroup?

59

Weteachindividualshowtheycanlearntokeepfiguringthisalloutiftheybecomesocial

detectives,spiesorpeoplelikeJamesBond!

Lessonsshiftwithage….



6162

ForouryoungerormoreChallengedSocialThinkerswestartwithabasicTreatmentFramework:

Ihaveathoughtandafeeling&

Youhaveathoughtandafeeling

FiveCoreLessonsinVol1

1.ThinkingThoughtsandFeelingFeelings

2.GroupPlan3.Thinkingwithyoureyes4.BodyintheGroup5.WholeBodyListening

65

BodyintheGroup

•StructuredActivity:Freeze!•Startmusicandhaveadanceparty!•PausethesongbrieflythroughoutandhavethechildrenFREEZE.

•Discussthephysicalpresenceofeveryone:• Isitstillagrouporaretherekidsallovertheroom?

•Whosebodyisstillinthegroup?•Whodancedout?

66



BodyintheGroup

Ifit'sone,makeittwoMakeitmeandyouIfit'stwo,makeitthreeYouandyouandmeIfit'sthree,makeitfourCausethreecoulduseonemoreIfit'sfour,makeitfiveBringthisgroupaliveEverybodyhasabodyKeepyourbodyinthegroup….

67

Crooke,P.J.;Hendrix,R.E.&Rachman,J.Y.(2008)BriefReport:MeasuringtheEffectivenessof

TeachingSocialThinkingtoChildrenwithAspergerSyndrome(AS)andHighFunctioningAutism(HFA).JournalofAutismandDevelopmentalDisorders,

(38)3.

Whataboutourstudent’sanxiety?

Allthisinformationisprettystressfultoprocessandrespondtowhenyourbraindoesn’tmakeiteasyforyouto

learn!

Howdowehelpstudentsengageinsocialemotionallearningwithanxiety?

Dotheyknowtheyhaveanxiety?

LessonadaptedfromDr.DanSiegel’sMindsight approach

Upstairs- Downstairsinthebrain(Siegel)

•Upstairs isthebrain’scontrolcenter

•Downstairs arethebrain’sauto-functions



….andinspiredbyPixar’smovie:InsideOut

wetooklemonsandmadelemonade

Freearticleonourwebsite-5TeachingIdeas

ConnectedtoPixar'sMovieInsideOut

Rileyisthe11yearoldprotagonistinthefilm

Mystudentswereasked–Isshecontrollingherbrainorisherbraincontrollingher?

Astheylearnedabouttheupstairs-downstairsconcepttheywereencouragedtoexplorethattheupstairsprovidesthestrategiestohelpcontrolwhateverisshowingupdownstairs

Theywerethenaskedtocreatetheirownnamesfortheircontrolcenterandtheirauto-pilotfunctioningin

theirbrain

“PresidentialSuite”versus

“Robots”

Earlierintheschoolyearoneoftheboyswasreallystrugglinginhisclasses.Hecouldnotexplaintheproblemsbut

hewasdoodlingonhistests,etc.

Iaskedhimtotrydrawingapictureofhowwhathisbrainwasthinkingaboutashesatinhisclasses.•Hedrewapictureofhimselfonarocketshipintospace.Hedidn’tthinkhewentintospacewhenhewasstressed,hejustwenttherealot!

•Oncehelearnedaboutupstairs-downstairs,hethenstartingtoreferringtohistripstospaceasthebeingcausedbytherobotsinhisbrain.



DeconstructingspacetravelandtherobotsWethendevelopedapresidentialsuiteofwayshecouldworkonkeepinghisbrainfocusedduringhomework,duringtestsandinclass.Strategiesrelatedto:

•Trackingproductivity•Beingawarethereisvalueinclassroomdiscussion

•Talkingtotheteacherwhenhenoticeshecan’tfocusduringatest

Upstairs– Downstairs:MindsightplusSocialThinking

Upstairs“CommandCenter”

Downstairs“robots”

Usestrategiestocontrolthedownstairs

Asyouexplorestrategieswithstudents,empowerthemto

usetheir“commandcenter”

(upstairspartoftheirbrain).

Wehavemanyfreearticlesonourwebsite.

Wehavealsodevelopedasystemforexploringthe

differenttypesoftreatmentneedsofourclientsbasedontheleveloftheirsocialmind.

SocialThinking’sSocialCommunicationProfile

Givenourglobalreach,weareabouttolaunch

eLearningfromourwebsite:www.socialthinking.com

Pleasejoinournewslettertolearnmoreaboutthemanytrainingmoduleswewillprovide.Wehopetobeginsharing

thisinformationbyearly2018.



Social Learning for a Lifetime of Well-Being

Documents

Social Thinking Across a Lifespan · Michelle Garcia Winner October 19, 2017 Fargo, North Dakota Copyright 2017 Think Social Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 4