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.

Participants will leave the session with an understanding of what Social Thinking is as well as knowledge of the ILAUGH model of social cognition and how challenges in the social mind are connected to academic abilities.