Teaching “soft skills” to young adults with intellectual disabilities Presented by Mary Lange MS Director of Education for Older Adults and Adults with disabilities

Introductions Name Where you work Question: think about one of your favorite employees…what quality do you most admire about them?

What are soft skills? Wikipedia defines soft skills as follows: “ Soft skills is a term often associated with “EQ” (emotional intelligence quotient), the cluster of personality traits, social graces, communication, language, personal habits, friendliness, managing people, leadership etc. that characterize relationship[s with other people.”

What “soft skills “ do employers most value? Strong work Ethic Good communication Skills Time management abilities Problem-solving skills A team player Self- confidence Ability to accept and learn from criticism Flexibility and adaptability

The Truth about “soft skills” Can’t be taught from books and hand outs This teaching process started (or didn’t start) at birth. Some disabilities have strong contra- indicators for these skills. How can we teach, remediate or accommodate?

So Where do we begin? Use the classroom experience to teach and raise expectations Teach new skills Provide Constructive criticism Practice, Practice, Practice Take it to the streets! Build on each new unit, raise expectations as you go.

Raising expectations in the classroom Be on time Look and smell nice Appropriate greetings for teachers/boss Appropriate greetings for classmates/co- workers Appropriate conversation topics with teacher/boss. Appropriate conversation topics with class mates/co-workers

Preparing to teach a new skill Evaluate the current skill level of your students, break down lessons accordingly Make sure you have provided the tools needed for success (adaptive equipment, AAC, visual supports, peer buddy etc…) Set up an environment of mutual respect and high expectations Be prepared to problem solve

How to teach a new skill Through critical thinking, talk about why the skill is important. How will it impact their life, others, give examples through sharing or roll play. When you have the “buy in”……. Present your lesson Roll play/Video model/Practice with a mentor Practice with an unfamiliar staff person Get support circle involved It’s ok to “fake it til you make it”`!

Provide constructive criticism Have students and staff provide constructive criticism through a well laid out set of instructions or script. What I really like was______ I think you can improve on __________ something that might help is __________ When I have trouble with that I_________

Teach to process constructive criticism Verbal acknowledgment of the criticism Emotionally processing the feed back What are appropriate questions to ask? Teach active listening skills? Teach helpful “buzz phrases” Roll play/video modeling/mentor practice MAKE constructive criticism part of every learning unit. These skills can be deal breakers in a job situation!

Time Management Teach and remediate for telling time and using an alarm Do activities that help students plan realistic time lines. Incorporate this in to planning all outings

Teaching Problem Solving Teach critical thinking by presenting a problem situation. Have students identify the problem Identify who can solve the problem/ who to discuss it with. Decide how to advocate to solve the problem. Roll play, video modeling, critique, practice, practice, practice

Communication skills Verbal (sounds language and tone of voice) Aural (listening and hearing) Non –verbal (facial expression, body language and posture) Written( journals, s, social media) Visual (signs, symbols and pictures) Evaluate /remediate/ accommodate ability to communicate as needed.

Teaching good communication Each student has a way to communicate Each student is asked to provide input to teach self-advocacy and self-determination Each student provides active listening acknowledgment Non verbal communication is evaluated Who/What/ and when to communicate is discussed Roll play, video modeling, practice, practice...

“Team Player” Create team building tasks Identify strengths of each student Assign tasks based on strengths Carry out task Evaluate outcome What could we do better next time (practice constructive criticism) Plan for next time

Wrap Up Incorporate in daily routines and activities Post as reminders and references Use in “real life” situations across campus and in the community Evaluate and re-evaluate Include circles of support Practice, Practice, Practice……