Wouldn’t it be great if life came with a guidebook that helped the socially awkward navigate various situations?
I have been a “groupie” of Michelle Garcia Winner’s work for nearly 20 years. I remember hearing her speak at a state convention in the late 1990’s, and knew that she was describing the struggle of many of my students. What Michelle then described as “Social Cognition” soon evolved into the enormous field encompassing perspective taking, thinking about others, emotional regulation and group thinking.
In 2004, Brenda Smith Myles, an associate professor at the University of Kansas, published The Hidden Curriculum: Practical Solutions for Understanding Unstated Rules in Social Situations. Dr. Smith Myles presents numerous social situations and spells out the unwritten rules associated with each.
As a clinician working with students on the autism spectrum, these difficulties with social cognition and understanding social rules are areas that are continually addressed. Recently there was a class birthday party for one of the students. As a critical observer, I watched as nearly ever social rule was broken. I’m not talking about manners, but rather things like:
- Who should blow out the candles?
- Should I bring my hand-held game to the party?
- What thoughts should we keep in our heads (i.e., should we say that we don’t like a present)?
This experience was the motivation for creating the “What Are They Thinking? Birthday Social Skills Activity”. Check out the terrific illustration created by my talented colleague Lauren Marie Clark (http://laurenmarieclark.com/)!
During a social skills lesson we began by talking about birthday parties that we had recently been to and brainstormed expected/unexpected behaviors. The best part was analyzing the character’s facial expressions and body language and then filling in the thought bubbles.
Download this freebie lesson at my TPT store!