1. An introduction for ESF educational assistants
Social Thinking
An introduction for ESF
educational assistants
Social Thinking developed by Michelle Garcia Winner
Presented by Colette Davis and Belinda McLaughlin
material interactive, questions at the end

3. What is social thinking?
‘the ability to consider your own and others thoughts, emotions, beliefs, intentions, knowledge etc to help interpret and respond to the information in your mind and possibly through your social behavioural interactions’

4. Core philosophies
We think with our eyes to figure out people's thoughts, intentions, emotions etc
Thoughts and Emotions are highly connected
We think about people all the time even when we have no plans to interact with them
We are constantly considering other people around us and adjusting our behaviour to avoid other people having ‘weird’ thoughts about us

5. Core philosophies
Most of the core social thinking content is below the level of culture, meaning that all people engage in these thoughts and social behavioural adjustments
How we adapt our behaviour changes as we age- developed by the end of Year 2 in neurotypical individuals and then refined throughout lives
Social thinking affects us in adulthood. To hold a job, most of us have to adapt our own social behaviour based on the perceived thoughts of the people we work and live with.

7. Who - students with Social communication challenges - autism
Nonverbal learning disability
Social Anxiety, Phobia, Shyness
ADHD - attention and concentration
Social/emotional
OR any typical developing student

8. What are considered good social skills?
‘the ability to consider your own social thinking and then adapt your behaviour effectively based on the situation and what you know about the people in the situation, and for them to react and respond to you in the manner you had hoped.’

9. Role play- play in a group
Intervention for students with poor social skills, requires teaching more than social skills...
We need to help teach students become more efficient social thinkers, before we can expect them to produce better social skills.
Example : eye contact
Role play- play in a group
life long learning- birth, iq, intuitive for most, range of diagnoses- some with, some without

10. Students with Social communication challenges…..
can have a weak ability to think with their eyes. It’s teaching students to think with their eyes versus eye-contact
Joint attention is the doorway to social learning

11. Our students often tend to focus on objects or actions rather than on the people’s reactions or relations.

13. Double Interview….
All students are assessed using the Double Interview which includes
Verbal Interview (2 way)
Picture interpretation
Thinking with our eyes
Sequencing
Social Scenarios

14. add pix

15. What is happening?
Two teachers with a group of children on a field trip. Teachers are seeing the hole in the guys pants. He might be embarrassed. They are laughing saying ‘ha’ ha your pants are awkward’.
It’s tricky, I don’t know. Two girls looking at a man - making boxes. WOW that’s cool
Is it HK? Is it an office? Why do they laugh at each other? Because they work together. They want to talk to the man about the boxes.
He’s trying to wee then his pants ripped apart. The women are looking and laughing.

16. Social Thinking – Social Communication Profile
Significantly Challenged Social Communicator (SCSC)
Very, limited in their knowledge of other people’s perspective. Requires highly structured environment to facilitate social interaction
Emerging Social Communicator (ESC)
Understand people have different thoughts if they think long and hard about it. Concrete literal thinkers.
Nuance Challenged Social Communicator (NCSC)
Quick at understanding that people have different thoughts but slow in determining how to figure them out. Subtle but significant challenges.
Resistant Social Communicator (RSC)
Argues and insists they are right.
Neuro-typical Social Communicator (NTSC)
link to level of adjustments and share some simple case studies. peer acceptance for nuanced challenged

17. What does it look like ?

18. I Laugh: An acronym for teaching communication and problem solving
Initiating L
Listening with eyes and brain A
Abstracting and inferencing U
Understanding perspective G
Getting the Big Picture H
Humor and Human Relationships

19. I- Initiation
Must teach children how to ask for help to avoid reinforcing learned helplessness
Build initiation into routines- PRACTISE
How to handle boring work

22. L- Listening with eyes and brain
Strategies
Circle game- eye contact- starter (can be numbers letters etc)
Blurting- I was looking at Belinda, that means I was talking to Belinda, I was not talking to you

23. A- Abstracting and Inferencing
Writing is a thinking activity
Stop, Pausing, what happens next?
Teach figurative language- figure it out
Huge implications for adolescents - dating/ online chats etc

24. U- Understanding Perspective
Milliseconds to process
4 steps to perspective taking
I think about you.
I think about why you are near me. what is your intent?
I think about what you are thinking about me.
I monitor you and modify my behaviour to keep you thinking about me in the way I want you to think about me.
Embarrassment monitor- unaware of anyone having thoughts about them… anxiety can increase when they become aware

25. G- getting the big picture
Over focus on details- don’t see the big picture
Don’t account for contextual cues
examples- Aidan at the door
Aidan in maths lesson Maybe show graphic organiser- use for butterfly activity

26. H- Humour Fostering a relationship with our kids is crucial
Laugh and stay versus Laugh and leave
Laughing can indicate awkwardness/ anxiousness/ nervousness as well as humour
Dr Stanley Greenspan
“A person needs to be able to relate affectively before he can grow cognitively”

27. sheldon

28. Does Sheldon? Understand he has his own thoughts and feelings?
Understand others have thoughts/feelings different from his own?
Adjust his thinking and behaviour based on another’s thoughts and feelings?

29. Social Thinking – Social Communication Profile
Significantly Challenged Social Communicator (SCSC)
Very, limited in their knowledge of other people’s perspective. Requires highly structured environment to facilitate social interaction
Emerging Social Communicator (ESC)
Understand people have different thoughts if they think long and hard about it. Concrete literal thinkers.
Nuance Challenged Social Communicator (NCSC)
Quick at understanding that people have different thoughts but slow in determining how to figure them out. Subtle but significant challenges.
Resistant Social Communicator (RSC)
Argues and insists they are right.
Neuro-typical Social Communicator (NTSC)
link to level of adjustments and share some simple case studies. peer acceptance for nuanced challenged

30. 4 steps of communication
Thinking about people who share your space or who you plan to communicate with.
Establishing a physical presence to show intention to communicate.
Using eyes to think about others.
Language to relate to others.
share with person number 5

31. Social thinking plays a PROMINENT role in the classroom when
Students and teachers have to share space effectively
Students work together in peer based groups
Each participant has to interpret the other (student and teacher) accurately
Students have to interpret and respond appropriately to the curriculum
Make the visual organiser for the big picture of working effectively in a group

32. Group Activity Teacher selected groups of 5 4 participants, 1 observer
Follow instructions
Plan and collect equipment
Independent work
Feedback

33. Follow up
white board activity

34. Social thinking concepts and language
Expected and unexpected behaviour
Thinking with your eyes
Whole body listening
Brain in the group, body in the group
Big problems, small problems and glitches

35. Social thinking concepts and language
CBT: Green thoughts and red thoughts
3 Parts of play
Thinking about others
The impact that I have on others
Establishing physical presence

36. Social Thinking Curriculums
Incredible Flexible You
Thinking about me Thinking about you
Superflex
Movie time – linked to social thinking curriculum

37. Emotional Regulation

38. Social Behaviour mapping
My choices impact others which result in actions that impact me

39. Students needing support with
Social communication
Behaviour
Attention and Concentration
Interacting with others
Social/emotional
Or any typically developing student

40. IMPLEMENTING SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR MAPPING IN SCHOOL
Requires an adult to implement (at least whilst learning
Suitable for all ages and abilities – mainstream to LSC
Framework that students can understand
Living working document
Great SEN resource - preventative or in response to a problem
Reliable resource when problem solving next steps with students
Potential for the SBM outcomes to be utilised long term – ‘How my behaviour impacts others’.

41. Some examples
‘Moving around the school’ (whole school)
‘Belonging to my class’ (class)
‘Working in a group’ (individual and small group)
‘What goes in my mouth’ (individual)
'How do I stand in your shoes?’ (literacy focus)

42. Un Expected Behaviours How They Make Others Feel What happens next
How you feel about yourself
Wiggling
Fidgeting
Talking at the wrong time
Calling people names
Making the same mistakes over again
Easily distracted
Upset
Annoyed
Irritated
Disappointed
Angry
Mad
Sad
Frustrated
Losing points for my table
Others will not like it
They will not want to work with me
They may not like me
Get told off
Lonely
Bad

43. How They Makes Others Feel How you feel about yourself
Expected Behaviours
How They Makes Others Feel
What happens next
How you feel about yourself
Following class routines
Sitting still in class
Respecting the speaker
Respecting other people
Staying focused
Happy
Good feelings
Proud
Pleased
Earning points for my table
Praise me
Other people will like me
Other people will want to work with me
Good thoughts

44. How That Makes Others Feel How you feel about yourself
Expected Behaviours
How That Makes Others Feel
What happens next
How you feel about yourself
Working collaboratively
Doing your share
Talking to each other
Sharing opinions and ideas
Eye contact with the speaker
Brain stays in the group
Body stays in the group
Consider others ideas and if I don’t agree look for evidence to support their thinking
That you are hard working
Happy to have me in the group
Valued and appreciated
Respectful of my ideas
Other people will have good thoughts about me
The group are working more efficiently
End result will likely be successful
Happy because I am popular amongst my group
Valued by my group

45. Un Expected Behaviours How That Makes Others Feel What happens next
How you feel about yourself
Bossing others around
Doing everything and not letting others contribute OR
Doing nothing – not doing your share
Talking over people
Shouting at others and not valuing other people’s opinions and ideas
Coming up with ideas that cannot be supported by evidence
They regret letting me be in their group
I am not hard working
I am useless
Bad about having me
Others will have bad thoughts about me
The group will go slowly
End result will be most likely unsuccessful
Bad
Nobody will like me

46. Social Behaviour Mapping
Behaviours that are Expected; ‘What goes in my mouth’
Expected Behaviours
How They Make Others Feel
What happens next
I feel
Happy
Pleased
My teacher and classmates have green thoughts about me
Proud

47. How They Make Others Feel
Social Behaviour Mapping
Behaviours that are UNEXPECTED: Attending a presentation
Unexpected Behaviours
Using a mobile phone for texting, Facebook, gaming or anything unrelated to the presentation
Falling asleep
Announcing that it’s boring
Talking, singing, humming or any other noises
Calling out
Anxious
Worried
Frustrated
Angry
Upset
Annoyed
Irritated
How They Make Others Feel
Information placed in each column does not necessarily directly correlate with the words to the right or left.

48. Consequences you Experience
Social Behaviour Mapping
Behaviours that are UNEXPECTED: Attending a presentation
Unexpected Behaviours
How They Make Others Feel
Using a mobile phone for texting, Facebook, gaming or anything unrelated to the presentation
Falling asleep
Announcing that it’s boring
Talking, singing, humming or any other noises
Calling out
Anxious
Worried
Frustrated
Angry
Upset
Annoyed
Irritated
You are asked to leave the presentation
Other people have weird thoughts about you
Other people stare at you
You are asked to be quiet
No one wants to work with you for the activities
Consequences you Experience

49. How You Feel About Yourself
Social Behaviour Mapping
Behaviours that are UNEXPECTED: Attending a presentation
Unexpected Behaviours
How They Make Others Feel
Consequences You Experience
Using a mobile phone for texting, Facebook, gaming or anything unrelated to the presentation
Falling asleep
Announcing that it’s boring
Talking, singing, humming or any other noises
Calling out
Anxious
Worried
Frustrated
Angry
Upset
Annoyed
Irritated
You are asked to leave the presentation
Other people have weird thoughts about you
Other people stare at you
You are asked to be quiet
No one wants to work with you for the activities
Uncomfortable
Embarrassed
Lonely
How You Feel About Yourself

50. Social Behaviour Mapping
Behaviours that are EXPECTED: Attending a presentation
Expected Behaviours
How they Make Others Feel
Keeping your body turned towards the presenters.
Mostly looking at the presenters.
Occasionally smiling and nodding at the presenters.
Taking notes.
Participating in the activities
Relaxed
Confident
Calm
Pleased
Happy

51. Social Behaviour Mapping
Behaviours that are EXPECTED: Attending a presentation
Expected Behaviours
How they Make Others Feel
Consequences You Experience
Keeping your body turned towards the presenters.
Mostly looking at the presenters.
Occasionally smiling and nodding at the presenters.
Taking notes.
Participating in the activities
Relaxed
Confident
Calm
Pleased
Happy
You enjoy the presentation
The presenters smile at you
Other people want to work with you
Others have good thoughts about you

52. Social Behaviour Mapping
Behaviours that are EXPECTED: Attending a presentation
Expected Behaviours
How they Make Others Feel
Consequences You Experience
How You Feel About Yourself
Keeping your body turned towards the presenters.
Mostly looking at the presenters.
Occasionally smiling and nodding at the presenters.
Taking notes.
Participating in the activities
Relaxed
Confident
Calm
Pleased
Happy
You enjoy the presentation
The presenters smile at you
Other people want to work with you
Others have good thoughts about you
Proud
Included
Circle the expected or unexpected behaviour that you noted…then circle an emotion that you feel is appropriate…then circle an appropriate consequence and finally circle the student’s emotion.
The goal is to catch the student doing an what’s expected.

53. At your tables now try some of your own.

54. Thank you for your interest and participation in our
Social Thinking workshop.
We hope this has been a valuable use of your time.
Belinda and Colette.