Upcoming Schedule for Parent Support Co-op

The Difficulty of Making Behavioral Change

Parents,
I just wanted to share this article with you from Pam Crooke, PhD, CCC-SLP. She works with Michelle Garcia Winner at the Social Thinking Clinic in California. She wrote this article about the difficulty and complexity of making behavioral change. It certainly serves as a good reminder about the complicated nature of what we ask students to do on a yearly basis. I encourage you to read it and email me any questions you have about the process or the techniques described. If you have a question, I'm sure others do as well. I would love to answer any questions that I can!

Click here to access the article.

Visuals To Prompt Play Skills

We've spent a number of weeks targeting group play skills including sharing and taking turns in the Kinder & 1st grade social thinking groups. The following visual has proven useful to cue students to use language to initiate and maintain play interactions. Feel free to print and use at home.

This powerpoint social story can also be helpful to review the "playdate rules" before playing with a friend.   Click here to download the "Playing with a Friend" social story.

Social Thinking Group Updates

Here are the latest tidbits from our Social Thinking groups...

Kinder & 1st Grade has been learning about play skills outdoors and indoors. We have been learning and practicing how to initiate play, how to share materials and toys, and how to take turns. The kids have watched video modeling by Playtime with Zeebu and have worked to problem solve basic problems in play situations. The kids love Zeebu. There are some basic feelings identification games available on the website if you would like to access them from home. Just click HERE to access the website.

2nd graders and 5th graders have worked hard on developing conversation skills. We have used various video modeling resources as well as experiential activities. We have practiced how to show and tell when others are interested or not interested, how to observe appropriate personal space, how to use our friend files to help us figure out what to talk about, how to take conversational turns, and how to adjust through related conversational topics. We are now beginning to learn about flexible thinking through the Superflex curriculum. Superflex is a curriculum created by Michelle Garcia Winner. Superflex is a superhero who teaches how to use strategies to defeat the "Unthinkables". Unthinkables are characters who cause inflexible thinking. As we study various strategies, I will post visual tools that you can use at home in the sidebar.

Preparing for Camp Champions

Woo hoo! It is almost time for the 5th graders to go to Camp Champions. The kids and I have been preparing by reading the Powerpoint below, generating lists of questions or concerns, and finding answers. They are feeling confident and ready! If you would like to go through the Powerpoint at home, click below.Camp Champion