Additional Social Thinking Strategies

Additional Social Thinking StrategiesThe Incredible 5-Point ScaleComic Strip ConversationsPower Cards

ppts from the following resources:http://www.5pointscale.com/CEC_handout.ppthttp://www.5pointscale.com/washington/washington_part_two_handout.ppthttp://www.kessjones.com/events/H2T15/documents/Session2.ppthttp://seasdnetwork.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/incredible-5-point-scale-asd-conference.pdfhttp://www.livingandlearningtogether.org/downloads/Social%20Stories%20&%20Comic%20Strip%20Conversations%20Workshop.ppthttp://www.aiu3.net/uploadedFiles/Teaching_and_Learning/IDEA_and_Training_Consultation/Standard%205%20powerpoint.ppthttp://www.vcu.edu/ttac/images/social_skills.ppthttp://dmsec.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/autism-training-pp.ppt

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25 Point ScaleThe 5-Point Scale is a predictable visual systemused to help students reduce abstract ideas such as emotions, feelings, or pain into simple numbers can also be used to address behaviors such as vocal volume, disrespect, etc. can be used to help student identify where they can use certain behaviors. (e.g. vocal volume level 5 is reserved for outside or in an extreme emergency when there is no one near by that can hear you)ExampleMichael is a 5th grader with autism. He is very soft spoken and often difficult to understand. He is frequently asked to repeat things because he is so difficult to understand. He is prompted constantly to speak louder, however, every time he is called on the teacher has to ask him to speak up again.A 5 point scale was created for him to use to measure vocal volume and since it is been in place the teacher no longer says speak up. Instead she uses phrases such as, Say it at a 3! or Keep it at a 2! In addition, she will use a visual and point the volume level she wants Michael to use.Example

The scale:What it looks like:Yelling(sirens, shouting, screaming, fire alarm)Loud(announcements over the intercom)Conversation(friends talking, easy to hear but not too loud)Whisper(have to be really close to hear, talk into ear)No sound(peaceful)ExampleColton is in the 6th grade. He has problems getting along in school. He likes to be in control and gets upset if he perceives something is wrong. For example, if someone cuts in line he may feel compelled to punish that person by kicking or hitting them. Coltons ability to control his behavior varies from day to day. Colton enjoys school despite having challenges with others who do not follow his way of thinking

(Buron & Curtis, 2003, p. 26).ExampleLooks LikeFeels LikeI Can Try toKicking or hittingMy head will explodeCall my mom to go homeScreaming or hittingNervousGo see Mr. PetersonQuiet, rude talkBad mood, grumpyStay away from kidsRegular kidGood Enjoy itPlayingA million bucksStay that way

Todays Math Topic5 - I am lost! I need a lot of help.4 - Hard stuff. I get some of it. I will need help.3 - So-so. I have to really think hard. A review before the quiz would help.2 - Hey, I get it! Dont wait too long for the quiz, I might forget. 1 - Easy! I could help somebody else.8Personal Speed Scale5

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3

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1Indy 500!Running Full speedVery slowSnailOKAY NOT OKAYRunning/joggingFast walk/skippingWalkingWhere am I? Who am I with? What am I doing? Whats going on?9-Breaks down a concept / behavior into 5 concrete levels, 1 - 5, often differentiated by intensity.

-There is mutual agreement to what each number represents.- Helps your student (& you) better understand what is being asked.Incredible 5 Point Scale10My Bus Ride Report5 = Terrible because:_________________Help me resolve this!4 = Kind of bad because:_________________Im over it. I might need a bit of a break.3 = Okay. I had a little issue:________________ I was able to work it out safely.2 = Good ride! No problems I:____________

1 = Excellent ride because:_____________I feel great!To help me have a 1 - 2 - 3 bus ride, I could ______

11My Energy Level Too Much Energy - Bonkers! A lot of Energy -ExcitedAverage Energy - AwakeCalm Energy- PeacefulNo Energy - Drowsy54321WHEN, WHERE, with WHOM would these energy levels Be Okay and Not Okay?12Typical QuestionsIs a 5 always bad? A 5 can be either good or bad it is usually the biggest illustration of the concept.

What age or cognitive level does a student have to be? No rules. If you talk to your child or student, you can use a scale or some kind of visual system.13Knowing When Things I Am Told To Do REALLY Need To Get Done

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Threatening words

Angry words

Hurtful words

Just fine words

Sweet words15My Verbal Responses to Requests5 - hurtful4 - negative3 - neutral2 - constructive 1 - positiveFrom Whos Perspective? How does tone of voice, volume and facial expression impact opinion?16

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Use of road signs to increaseMotivation and clarity18

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20Social Behavior Scale5 = Physically hurtful/ threatening4 = Scary behavior3 = Odd behavior2 = Reasonable behavior1 = Very informal social behavior21

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Involving yourstudent in theprocess23

5 =No question. Against the Law!

4 =Could be against the law if someone is afraid. Will get you fired and people will be angry.

3 =Unexpected behavior. People dont know what to think

2 = OK other people are feeling OK about you.

1 = Great! This might even make someone happy.24

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Buron27

Buron, Manns, Schultz and Thomas28VDOE T/TAC at VCU

(Dunn, Buron K., Curtis, M. 2004)

Five Point Scale

295-point scales can be used to help teach the person with ASD to recognize different levels of stress and anxiety. The scale visually breaks down a persons responses to stress by labeling each level with what the behavior looks like, what the level feels like, and what stress reduction exercise or routines can be used to reduce the stress level (Buron, K & Curtis, M. 2003). The person with ASD and his caregiver can begin to think in terms of being at a level 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 using the scale as a visual prompt. After much practice and patience, the person can be prompted to bring their stress level down from a 4 to a 2 using the scale as a guide Comic Strip ConversationsUse of simple drawings to visually clarify the elements of social interactions and emotional relations. Can be used to visually "work through" a problem situation and identify solutions.

30Comic Strip ConversationsAllow you to get the childs perspective of a situation.

Allow you to share with the child what others are thinking.31VDOE T/TAC at VCU

32Comic strip conversations are reduced versions of social stories and offer support to students depicting the perspective of others. Through the use of simple drawings, comic strips visually illustrate the actions, feelings, thoughts, and intentions of those involved in a social situation.

VDOE T/TAC at VCU(Gray, Carol. 1994)

33Using stick figures and word bubbles to show what was said, and thought bubbles to show the creators perspective of what participants are thinking, information about a situation can be readily available to students. In addition, colors can be used to display and highlight feelings as well. (For example, red might display bad ideas, anger, fear; blue could symbolize sadness; green might be good ideas, happiness or friendliness)

Comic Strip ConversationSocial Skills -How to Teach! 34This is person and talk. You may continue to teach the strategy by saying to the student draw and tell me about your trip to Disneyworld. Again, you are teaching this strategy when the student is calm and wants to talk about a fun event.

In a typical conversation, people face one another. In a comic strip conversation, the student and instructor are seated side by side with their focus on the paper. The instructor might even sit slightly back and to the side so that the student is leading and the instructor is guiding.

The focus of the conversation is generally a difficulty a student is having. This instructor may begin the conversation with a question such as where were you when this happened and the student may begin by drawing a playground at the top right.playgroundXX?X!!HAHA HA!!!You go to the bench!35The focus of the conversation is generally a difficulty the student is having. This instructor may begin the conversation with a question such as where were you when this happened and the student may begin by drawing a playground at the top left.

The student was on the swing on the playgroundyou see, it doesnt have to be a Picassojust so you and the student understand the location.

You may now ask where were you? and the student draws as he says I was here

You may then ask what happened? and the student draws relevant actions while talking. John kicked me and I cursed. I got in trouble and he laughed. The playground teacher made me sit on the bench.

The instructor would summarize by saying: Let me make sure I understand. You were on the playground and John kicked you. You cursed at him and you got into trouble and had to sit on the bench and John laughed at you. Now you can ask the student what he or she could have done. You can discuss the pros and cons of each solution with the student.

This strategy allows students a safe way to talk about the disturbing event. As students become more proficient, additional conversation symbols can be introduced. On the next slide and in you handout are additional symbols.Comic Strip Conversations/CartooningComic Strip Conversations (aka: Cartooning) are visual systems used to enhance the ability of children and youth with social-cognitive challenges to understand their environment, including the hidden curriculum.

Steps for creating/using comic strip conversations:

Drawing: Begin by drawing the drawing the comic strip conversation. This can be done by you or the student. Either way, artistic ability is not required; stick figures work fine.

Guide with questions: The adult guides the students drawing or what needs to be drawn by asking a series of questions:Where are you? Who else is there?What did you do?What did others do

(Myles, Trautman, & Schelvan, 2004, p. 28-29)

Insight: The adult shares his/her personal insights during the cartooning process when the natural opportunity occurs. (NOTE: student should have as much control as possible during the cartooning session and adults should strive to achieve a balance between gathering insights into the students perspective, while sharing accurate social information.

Provide sequence or structure: Use comic strip boxes in which the student can draw the figures, particularly if the student has organizational problems. This way boxes can be numbered if the events are drawn out of sequence.

Summarize the cartoon: This allows participants to discuss the comic strip in chronological order. The student should verbalize independently, as much as possible, with the adult only clarifying as needed. Summarization ensures that both the child and the adult have the same understanding of a given situation.

Identify new solutions: The adult and student work together, again with the student performing as independently as possible, to identify new outcomes of the pictured event. The adult and student jointly analyze each item, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each. The student retains the list, which becomes a plan for future situations.

(Myles, Trautman, & Schelvan, 2004, p. 28-29)

Example

Example

Comic Strip ConversationsQuestions that guide a Comic Strip Conversation:Where is the child/young person?Who else is there?What is the child doing?What happened?What did the child think?What did others do?What did others say and think?

40Comic Strip ConversationUse colour to visually define the feelings and intentions of a speaker.

Carol Gray (1994) suggested:

Green good ideas, happy, friendlyRed bad ideas, teasing, angerBrown comfortable, cosyPurple proudYellow frightenedBlack facts, things we knowOrange questionsCombination of colours - confused

41Correcting an incorrect colourClass teacher joking with classroom assistant: youre going to get detention

Child felt this was bad and therefore red words:

youre going to get detention

Acknowledge the child's response that yes in fact these words can be bad etc but in this situation the teacher was teasing and the words were friendly so in fact they are green words:

youre going to get detention

42Comic strip conversations often provide insight into a childs perspective of a situation and serve as an excellent prerequisite activity to the development of a social story.

They can help to establish social understanding that can then be improved with a social story.43Power CardsThe power card strategy is a visual aid that incorporates the childsspecial interest in teaching appropriate social interactions including:routinesbehavior expectationsthe meaning of languagethe hidden curriculum.

The Power Card Strategy consists of presenting on a single sheet or in booklet form a short scenario, written in the first person, describing howthe childs hero solves a problem and a small card, the POWER CARD,which recaps how the child can use the same strategy to solve a similarproblem himself.

(Gagnon, 2001, p. 19)Components:A brief scenario using the students hero or special interest and the behavior or situation that is difficult for the child. The scenario is written at the individuals comprehension level. In the first paragraph, the hero or role model attempts a solution to the problem and experiences success. The second paragraph encourages the student to try out the new behavior, which is broken down into three to five manageable steps. The POWER CARD is the size of a trading card, bookmark, or business card. It contains a small picture of the special interest and the solutions to the problem behavior or situation broken down into three to five steps. The POWER CARD is provided to aid in generalization. It can be carried in a purse, wallet or pocket or it can be velcroed inside a book, notebook, or locker. It may also be placed on the corner of a students desk.

(Gagnon, 2001, p. 21)

Where Can the Power Card Strategy Be Used?Power Cards are appropriate for behaviors/situations in which the student:lacks understanding of what she/he is to do.does not understand that he has choices.has difficulty understanding that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between a specific behavior and its consequence.has difficulty remembering what to do without a prompt.does not understand the perspective of others.knows what to do when calm but cannot follow a give routine under stress.needs a visual reminder to recall the behavioral expectation for the situation.has difficulty generalizing.is difficult to motivate and may be motivated only by the special interest.has difficulty accepting directions from an adult (Gagnon, 2001, p. 21-22)Power Cards are NOT appropriate with/when the student:has sensory needs such as difficulty tolerating certain noises, smells, or tastes. Is extremely challenged cognitively and appears not to understand spoken language at the sentence or paragraph level. (This doesnt mean that the child has to be a reader.)engages in the problem behavior only once. The teacher or other adults do not have a positive relationship with the child. Remember, the Power Card strategy is not a punishment. It should not be perceived as negative in any way.A child in crisis. When the child is in the rage stage, this technique will not work. does not have a well-developed area of interest. In order to buy into the strategy, the child needs to want to follow the heros directions. (Gagnon, 2001, p. 22)

ExampleStudent Description: Aaron has been acting out in class and seeking attention from his peers by saying or blurting out inappropriate comments in class. He likes the attention he gets from his peers for doing this and he thinks hes being accepted when his peers laugh at him for doing this. Aarons special interest is Nascar and he especially likes Nascar driver, Jeff Gordon.Power Card Story:Jeff Gordon and His FansJeff Gordon loves being a race car driver, but sometimes it is difficult for him to think before he speaks. At the end of a long day sometimes all he wants to do is make others laugh. Sometimes Jeff blurts things out when his boss is talking. But Jeff has learned to think before he speaks. Jeff has learned it is important not to talk when his boss is talking and not to say things to try and make others laugh

when his boss is trying to talk to his pit crew and teach them the latest NASCAR rules and regulations. Jeff has learned to stop and think about the comments he makes before speaking.Just like Jeff, it is important for Aaron to think before he speaks. It would make Jeff proud to know that Aaron is like him and that he thinks before he speaks and doesnt interrupt his teachers in class. It is important for Aaron to remember to do the following:1. Think before he speaks. Say it in your head first before saying it out loud. If its not related to what the teacher is teaching then Aaron shouldnt say out loud in class.2. If Aaron cant think of something to say about the teachers lesson, its better for him not to say anything at all.3. Always follow the classroom rules and raise your hand before you speak.

1. Think before he speaks. Say it in your head first before saying it out loud. If its not related to what the teacher is teaching then Aaron shouldnt say out loud in class.

2. If Aaron cant think of something to say about the teachers lesson, its better for him not to say anything at all.

3. Always follow the classroom rules and raise your hand before you speak. Power Cards-Social ScriptWill Smith is a cool guy who has made a lot of movies. It takes a lot of people doing many jobs to make a good movie. Sometimes Will or others make mistakes on the movie set. Will Smith stays calm when he or someone else makes a mistake. If he needs to, he asks for help. Will Smith knows that everyone make mistakes.Will would like everyone to remember to stay calm when mistakes happen, to ask for help if it is needed, and that EVERYONE makes mistakes!Social Script:First Paragraph the hero or role model attempts to solve a problem and experiences success.The second paragraph encourages the student to try a new behavior, which is broken down into 3-5 manageable steps.51Power Cards

52Calm in Crisis/How to Handle a MeltdownDont:Loud voicesNegative statements/threats (e.g. You had your chance, You made your choice, now you need to leave class)Taking away preferred or comforting materials or activitiesPhysical redirectionAngry tone or body languagePunishments (e.g., You just lost your sticker on your behavior chart)

Do:One of the most important skills a teacher can have is the ability to be clam and comforting in a crisis or meltdown situation. A comforting teacher may:talk softly and share encouraging wordsrepeat a calming phraseor simply keep ones own body relaxed

(Kluth)

The more you try to control the situation, the less control you will have!

Things to Consider:Its important to consider the following things:

Fight or Flight

Ask previous teachers and/or parents what typically occurs when the child has a meltdown (does he/she throw things, hit, kick, etc.)

Find out if there are triggers or warning signs that a meltdown might occur and if so what are those triggers or warning signs

Talk with teachers, parents, administrators, etc and discuss the best way to deescalate the situation

Determine when you should call for additional support

Sit down,

Listen to speaker,

Turn in assignmentBrush teeth when mom says

Take the dog out

Excuse self after burping5

now/hour in ___ minutes

Resource materialsWash your hair4

By end of morning

End of afternoon,

Before bed

Peer proof read assignment

Turn in permission slipClean your room

Mow the lawn3within #__ of days

Turn in fund raiser

Return library

booksClean out garage2

within #__weeks

Turn in final projectGet job1

Within # of months

____

School Home

Urgency

Do it by: