Social Thinking is what we do when we interact with people.

For successful social interactions, it is important that we take in and process verbal and non-verbal information and cues in order to respond effectively.

Joint attention, knowledge of expectations regarding behaviour, and mental flexibility are all key components for appropriate social relationships.  A child or young person who has difficulty with focus, understanding the context of the environment around them, and lacks knowledge of how their behaviours make others feel may experience difficulties with Social Thinking.

Students who demonstrate Social Thinking challenges often also exhibit difficulties across many curriculum areas as academic learning requires a solid understanding of social thinking concepts as well as the ability to apply them.

Research has demonstrated that once students have been taught how to think about Social Concepts (such as ‘working as part of a group’ or ‘how to make friends’), they are more able to generalize their knowledge into their daily activities.

This workshop aims to break down how abstract Social Thinking concepts can be made more concrete and teachable using real-life examples provided by staff at Island School.  Using a range of resources – from film clips to 12-step plans – participants will receive lots of ideas and suggestions about how Social Thinking can be ‘made real’ and delivered in their settings.

Whilst the examples provided will be from a secondary perspective, the ideas will still be applicable to primary settings.

Please note: it is recommended that participants have attended Social Thinking training prior to this session and that they are familiar with one or more of the following books: Thinking About YOU, Thinking About ME, Inside Out: What Makes a Person With Social Cognitive Deficits Tick?, Think Social! A Social Thinking Curriculum.