Course Descriptions

Day L - Information and Agenda

New! Social Thinking Meets RTI and PBS

Course Outline, Objectives, Speaker, Contact Details

Students with Social Thinking challenges, such as those with ASD, ADHD, NLD, Social Communication Disorder, and other social and behaviorally-based disorders often struggle in the areas of organization, attention, social engagement, group dynamics, and self-regulation; all of which make learning difficult. In this presentation, we will explore how the Social Thinking framework can easily be introduced school wide, offer strategies to differentiate Social Thinking instruction across the three tiers of intervention and describe effective tools for universal screening, data collection, progress monitoring, and more.

The model presented is based on the framework of RTI and PB/PBIS. Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-tiered method of academic intervention designed to provide early, effective assistance to struggling learners at increasing levels of intensity. It is designed to address the learning needs of all students, school wide, through academic supports aligned with individual student need. Positive Behavior Supports (PBS/PBIS) is another school initiative that uses a differentiated system of supports to increase learning and decrease problem behavior. RTI and PBS are both used at the group and individual level and help educators and intervention providers ensure that instructional practices are high quality, based on scientific evidence, and are assessment driven, differentiated, and specific. Information gained from an RTI or PBS process is used by school personnel and parents to adapt instruction as needed to facilitate student learning.

Intended audiences: teachers (general and exceptional education); paraprofessionals; school counselors; autism specialists; transition specialists; speech-language pathologists; therapists (MFTs; LCSWs; OTs; PTs); behavioral consultants (including BCBAs); psychologists (clinical, educational, and developmental); clinical and educational administrators; parents and other family members and caregivers of students with social thinking challenges.

Populations to be discussed: School-age students who have social and communication difficulties, including but not limited to those who have a current diagnosis of ASD (or previous diagnosis of AS, PDD-NOS), NLD, ADHD, Social Communication Disorder and undiagnosed challenges. Information presented concentrates on students with near average to far above average verbal intelligence (verbal IQ above 70). This presentation can be specifically adapted for early childhood, elementary or secondary levels.

Objectives

1. Participants will be able to describe systems for teaching Social Thinking in a Differentiated Instruction Model.

2. Participants will gain data collection tools for Universal Screening and progress monitoring of Social Thinking skills.

3. Participants will review a plan for introducing, planning for and implementing a school wide Social Thinking model.

Speakers Available


Gretchen Schmidt-Mertes