1. Asperger Syndrome & Social Thinking Soup: What's Up With Educational Standards & Social Skills? Michelle Garcia Winner and Dr. Pamela Crooke www.socialthinking.com

2. copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 2 Today’s Message 1.Infant and preschool social development is key to academic success. 2.The infrastructure of the language arts goals are in social thinking. 3.Teaching social skills is different from teaching social thinking. 4.Social thinking vocabulary can be used across environments.

3. What is social thinking? Thinking about what people think (yourself and/or others) even in the absence of people in your immediate environment.

4. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 4 What is meant by having “good social skills”? Sharing space and adapting effectively to the different people in different contexts within the same environments and across environments.

5. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 5 Exploring Early Social Development First week of life babies start matching other’s facial expression. 9-12 months old: Joint attention Along with joint attention babies start to read other people’s plans (physical intentions) Use gestural communication (pointing) as baby moves towards the abstract. Language then emerges to request, comment and question.

6. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 6 Play concepts that emerge for typical toddlers in the preschool years which also help them learn to problem solve: Pretending and abstracting Imitation Synchronicity of body movement/body presence. Making guesses about other people in play. Sharing an imagination rather than a singular imagination. Listening to and expressing related ideas. Cooperating and negotiating through actions and language.

7. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 7 By 4 years old… Children are engaged in group imaginative, cooperative play. These play skills are critical for the later development of conversation, reading comprehension, class relations, personal problem solving, etc…

8. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 8 It is assumed all students enter elementary school with this “social software”.

9. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 9 Social skill challenges often come from poor social knowledge. Social skills are the tip of the iceberg. Social information is at the base of the iceberg supporting our demonstration of appropriate social skills. e.g. Eye contact social skill production Social knowledge supports our social skill behavior

10. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 10 Historically, teaching has been based on behavioral interventions of shaping social skills. Disciplines of anthropology, linguistics and psychology are dedicated to exploring the complexity of social behavior. Social processing and responses are dynamic and synergistic. By teaching at the level of one skill at a time is counter to our understanding of social complexity.

11. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 11 Teaching for students with AS and HFA means exploring social thinking as it leads to social skill development Eye contact

12. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 12 Social Thinking is the Infrastructure for many Educational standards Teaching social thinking and related skills is not an extra bonus to education IT INCLUDES the ESSENTIAL elements of education both for academics and life skills.

13. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 13 Select Reading Standards K.2.2 predictions with pictures and context. 4.3.5 Define figurative language and identify its use in literary works. 7.3.1 Identify events that advance the plot…and foreshadow future actions.

14. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 14 Standards in Writing: 2.1.1 Create graphic organizer or outline to practice pre-writing skills. 4.1.2 Create multiple paragraphs, support with topic sentence…and conclusion paragraph. 7.1.3 Strategies of note taking, outlining, summarizing to impose structure on composition drafts.

15. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 15 ILAUGH Model of Social Cognition I = Initiation of Language L= Listening with eyes and brain A= Abstract and Inferential communication U= Understanding Perspective G= Getting the Big Picture H= Humor and Human Relatedness

16. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 16 Theory: Provide lessons in social thinking to encourage social and academic skills

17. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 17 Treatment: Cognitive Behavioral Strategies Core concepts of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 1.Cognitive behavior affects activity 2.Cognitive activity may be monitored and altered 3.Desired behavior change may be effected through cognitive change Dobson, K. & Dozois, D. (2001) Historical and philosophical bases of the cognitive-behavioral therapies. In K. Dobson (Ed.) Handbook of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (pp.3- 39). New York, NY: The Guilford Press. Excellent book: Gaus, V. (2007) Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adult Asperger Syndrome. The Guilford Press

18. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 18 Cognitive behavioral therapies help to provide explanation to teach students to think about social information and making choices in their social responses. Social stories Comic strip conversations Tony Attwood’s information Social behavior mapping SCERTS Model; Ziggurat Model Relationship therapies Incredible 5 point scale

19. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 19 Teaching with social thinking concepts and vocabulary

20. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 20 Sharing an Imagination Is the basis of shared play Basis of reading comprehension and conversations. Teach: –Shared imagination verses singular imagination. –Activities to boost shared thinking of the mind –Discuss connection to reading comprehension!

21. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 21 Social Thinking Vocabulary Purpose is to make the explicit implicit. We don’t have a vocabulary for talking about social information because it is too emotionally loaded. Social information always begs an emotional response.

22. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 22 Core introductory social thinking vocabulary concepts: Expected / unexpected 3 parts of play Think with your eyes Is your body in the group or out of the group? Is your brain in the group or out of the group? “Add a thought”, etc…

23. Research and Social Thinking Background & Motivation

24. Summary of JADD Study Crooke, P, Hendrix, R, & Rachman, J. (2008) Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Vol. 38, No. 3

25. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 25 Larger Study Based on social Thinking Vocabulary Single Subject Multiple Baseline Design Social Skills Rating scale –Pre/post parents and subjects Double Interview Pre/Post One year follow-up for 4 of 6 subjects

26. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 26 Subjects 6 children with a current diagnosis of either High Functioning Autism (HFA) or Asperger Syndrome (AS) Aged 9 years to 11 years of age; Verbal IQ within the average range (85- 115); 4) No History of social “skill” intervention

27. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 27 Individual subject characteristics Subject Diagnostic Diagnosing Academic Social (age) Dx Instrument(s) Professional Intervention Intervention 1 (9:6)ASADOS/ADI *Psychologist NoneNone 2 (10:3) ASDSM-IV Psychiatrist NoneNone 3 (10:2)ASADOS/ADI *Psychologist NoneNone 4 (11;1)HFADSM-IV Psychiatrist Speech/LanguageNone 5 (11;2)ASADOS/ADI *Psychologist NoneNone 6 (9:2)HFAADOS/ADI *Psychologist Reading/Written Lang.None *ADOS/ADI conducted by licensed psychologist and psychiatrist as part of an interdisciplinary diagnostic team.

28. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 28 Methods – Pre/Post study 2 settings –Treatment –Generalization Videotaped Samples Based on Social Thinking vocabulary 8 Weeks

29. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 29 Expected (expected verbal, listening with eyes/brain, initiation) 123 456

30. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 30 Unexpected (verbal & nonverbal) Subject 1Subject 2 Figure 1. Pre - and Post - Measures of Categories of EXPECTED Behaviors ( Expected - Verbal, Initiation, Listening with Eyes ) by Subject 123 456

31. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 31 Results Cont. Statistically significant changes for the group from pre- post for expected Robust changes in unexpected **Not designed to be a pre/post study

32. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 32 Limitations Short time in the scheme of social thinking treatment Few subjects Results are for pre/post (not original design) Measured countable Behavior –(doing vs. thinking)

33. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 33 Preliminary Results – Big Study Baseline – 2 data points before 1 first lesson with social thinking vocabulary (expected/unexpected) Generalization Probe Baseline – 4 data points before lesson on initiation Generalization probe

34. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 34 Expected (Verbal & Nonverbal): #1,#2, #4

35. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 35 Listening/Thinking with eyes (#1,#2,#4)

36. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 36 Initiations (#1, #2, #4)

37. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 37 Need for additional research Important to ask the questions differently (MGW - politically incorrect) Focus on the thinking as well as the doing Replication

38. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 38 Other research Hong Kong –Social Thinking Curriculum in the schools –Data over the course of 1 year –Significant Changes over time Autism Speaks –Social Thinking Grant

39. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 39 Allison Adams (2008), British Columbia Other Research

40. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 40 Other projects based on Social Thinking Computer based “Eyes have thinking” Zeebu (video) Chapel Haven (transition to college for AS)

41. www.socialthinking.com copyright ©2008MGWinner&PJCrooke 41 Where do we go from here? Accept that we are in our infancy of understanding how to concretely teach abstract social information. Take data to explore not only student behavioral responses, but caregiver/educator satisfaction as well as student’s ability to process the social world differently. Evidence based needs to be qualitative as much as quantitative; social relationships are emotional not quantitative.

42. Core Concepts for Teaching Social Thinking www.socialthinking.com Articles, information, products.. www.socialthinking.com