1. Social Language Groups at Miner School Presented By: Christina Dudgeon & Maura Kramer

2. Background Information Miner School Population – Therapeutic day school setting – Elementary through transition – Wide range of special needs including autism spectrum disorders, behavioral disorders, cognitive disabilities, physical/health impairments, and multiple disabilities Who is involved? – Speech-Language Pathologists and Classroom Therapists (Social Worker, Psychologists) – Teachers and Assistants – Students

3. Logistics Social skills groups meet once a week to explicitly teach and practice the targeted skill Classrooms carry-over skills through review (morning meeting, etc.) and incidental teaching Visuals are posted throughout the school to promote generalization Coordination with PBIS interventions

4. Rationale Why have a school-wide social skills curriculum? – Appropriate social behavior can be taught the same way academic skills are taught – All staff and students are aware of expectations and demonstrate, explain, and practice the skills across all school settings on a daily basis – Peer modeling-Higher functioning students are able to model for lower students

5. Universal Themes Each classroom is working on the same theme, or unit, at the same time. Each unit lasts about a month. Materials are adapted/differentiated to meet student needs. Themes include: – Introductions and Greetings – Emotions – Self-Regulation (5-Point Scale) – Hygiene and Health – Relationships – Leisure

6. Group Example - CIRCLES The CIRCLES Program (Champagne, M.P. & Walker-Hirsh, L.) was developed to teach the concepts of relationships and social boundaries to students with disabilities

7. Group Example - CIRCLES Each colored circle represents a different type of relationship (e.g. family, friends, community helpers, strangers, etc.) The Three T’s: Touch, Talk, & Trust

8. Group Example - CIRCLES Visuals

9. Group Example - CIRCLES Group Dynamics – 10 high school students – Range of disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), emotional/behavioral disorders, cognitive disabilities, other health impairments, etc. – Range of functioning

10. Group Example – BLUE CIRCLE Schedule – Displayed on Smartboard – Each student has a personal binder with the schedule and all group materials – Students update schedules by crossing off activities as they are completed during the group

11. Group Example – BLUE CIRCLE

12. Rules – aligned with school-wide PBIS rules

13. Group Example – BLUE CIRCLE Check-in procedures

14. Group Example – BLUE CIRCLE Check-in script

15. Group Example – BLUE CIRCLE Activity 1 – Story – Students take turns reading each page – Group leaders assess student comprehension throughout reading (simple yes/no or wh- questions, asking students to point to pictures, etc.)

31. Group Example – BLUE CIRCLE Sensory Break (one minute) – Students choose a sensory activity to complete in the room (e.g. wall push-ups, hold sensory items, theraputty, bounce on exercise ball, etc.)

32. Group Example – BLUE CIRCLE Activity 2 – Color Circles – Each student colors the blue circle in his/her personal circles chart

33. Group Example – BLUE CIRCLE Activity 3 – People in My Family – Students complete the worksheet and share the information with the group

34. Group Example – BLUE CIRCLE Check-out

35. Group Example-Greetings Group Dynamics – Six Middle School Students – Range of disabilities, including ASD, Down Syndrome, OHI, emotional/behavioral disorders – AAC Users (4 high-tech, one PECS, one low-tech communication book) – Schedule and activities displayed on Smartboard and manipulated by students – Frequent movement/sensory breaks

36. Group Example-Greetings

55. Group Example-Five Point Scale

81. Five Point Scale-IEP Goals When presented with visual supports (i.e., Five-Point Scale) Student will independently identify his feelings/level of arousal (i.e., “I am three - control and ready to work,” “I feel nervous,” etc.) and utilize a corresponding sensory strategy on 4/5 data collection opportunities by Annual Review 2015.

84. Our Next Steps… Increase classroom carryover of skills taught in group Pre and post assessment for the year to show student growth – CELF Pragmatics Profile – NSSEO Social Language Team Input Form – Moving Toward Functional Social Competence