Teaching Social Understanding to Promote Positive School Culture

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Teaching Social Understanding to Promote Positive
School Culture

• Webinar
• October 17, 2012

Julie Erdelyi, M.A. Program Manager ,
Communication Services at the Stern Center for
Language and Learning
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Supporting Social Competence, Academic
Achievement Safety
OUTCOMES
PRACTICES
Supporting Student Behavior
DATA
Supporting Decision Making

SYSTEMS

Supporting Staff Behavior
School-wide PBS
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Evidence-based features of SW-PBS

• Prevention
• Define and teach positive social expectations.
• Acknowledge positive behavior.
• Arrange consistent consequences for problem
  behavior.

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Evidence-based features of SW-PBS

• On-going collection and use of data for
  decision-making.
• Continuum of intensive, individual interventions.
• Administrative leadership Team based
  implementation (Systems that support effective
  practices).

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SWPBS IS ABOUT

• Improving
  classroom
• school climate
  
• Improving support Integrating
  academic
• for students with EBD
  behavior initiatives
• Decreasing reactive
  Maximizing academic
• management
  achievement

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School- Wide Positive Behavior Support
Tertiary Prevention Specialized Individualized
Systems for Students with High-Risk Behavior.
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Primary Prevention Universal systems for all
students, staff and settings.
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Secondary Prevention Specialized Group Systems
for Students with At-Risk Behaviors.
80 of students
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Enter Social COGNITION

• Social cognition provides positive and clear
  behavior expectations, and teaches the WHY behind
  the actions.
• We know that social cognitive challenges impact a
  students ability to access the core curriculum.

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Skill vs. Cognition Greeting

• Cognition
• Think about who is around you decide who you
  want to be friendly to.
• Decide how to best greet the person based on
  expectation and prior knowledge.
• Say Hi (verbal or nonverbal) in whatever way is
  expected

• Skill
• Look at the person
• Wave and/or say HI
• Reinforce the sequence

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A Big Assumption

• We assume that social knowledge is in place and
  that students are able to use social cognition to
  regulate their behavior in a group.

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Concepts that Support Universal Application

• Important Universal Concepts
• The Incredible 5 Point Scale
• Hidden Curriculum

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Monitoring My Anxiety Level A
Rating Scale for Sam

• 5
• 4
• 3
• 2
• 1

Forget it. My self control is zero. I need an
advocate.
It is pretty hard for me to control myself. Ill
need somebody safe with me or a way out in a
hurry.
Im okay. But I would like somebody nearby to
support me.
Im cool.
No problem. I'm in complete control for at least
___minutes. Ill even be able to help someone
else.
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• The scale can also serve as a quiet, unobtrusive
  reminder to the student to self monitor behavior.

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Vocabulary

• Listening with your eyes and brain.
• Brain in/Brain out
• Body in/Body out
• Too much/Too little/Just right
• Thinking bubble/Talking bubble
• Smart Guess/Wacky Guess
• People files
• Social Fake
• Thinking about you vs. Just me person
• I do, We do
• Listen, Care, Change
• Predict, Care, Change
• Giving and receiving information

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Define School-wide Expectations for Social
Behavior

• Identify 3-5 expectations in short statements.
• Use positive statements (what to do, not what to
  avoid doing)
• Make them memorable!

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Define School-wide Expectations for Social
Behavior

• Be respectful
• Be responsible
• Be safe
• Be kind
• Be a friend
• Be-there-be-ready
• Hands and feet to self
• Respect self, others, property
• Follow directions of adults

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References

• Buron, K. Curtis, M. (2003). The Incredible
  5-Point Scale Assisting Students with Autism
  Spectrum Disorders in Understanding Social
  Interactions and Controlling Their Emotional
  Responses. Shawnee Mission, KS Autism Asperger
  Publishing Company.www.5pointscale.com
• Delsandro, Elizabeth. (2010). We Can Make It
  Better! San Jose, CA Think Social Publishing,
  Inc. www.socialthinking.com
• Gray, C. (1994). The New Social Story Book
  Illustrated Edition. Arlington, TX Future
  Horizons, INC. www.thegraycenter.org.
• Moreau, M.R. (2010). Its All About the Story!
  An interactive Guide Using the Story Grammar
  Marker For Parents and Educators of Children with
  Aspergers Syndrome, Autism and Related
  Communication Disorders. Springfield, MA
  MindWing Concepts, Inc.
• Schmidt-Mertes, Gretchen. M.Ed., 2008-2011Puget
  Sound Autism Aspergers Support Associates
  Gretchenschmidt-mertes_at_psaasa.org