Presentation:

Elizabeth Delsandro, M.S., CCC-SLP, author We Can Make It Better! Stories
This presentation will show how sets of visual supports that include concepts of Social Thinking, Social Stories (Gray), the Incredible 5-Point Scale (Buron and Curtis), step-by-step social scripts (Jed Baker), First-Then Boards and We Can Make It Better! Stories may be created to provide a “package” of instructional materials to promote social understanding. One of three 60-minute sessions to choose from at this time slot. Please go to the Conference Session Selection menu if you'd like to attend.

Social Thinking concepts and social behavioral approaches may be combined to help build social understanding in young children. Sets of visual supports that include concepts of Social Thinking (Michelle Garcia Winner), Social Stories (Carol Gray), the Incredible 5-Point Scale (Kari Dunn Buron and Mitzi Curtis), step-by-step social scripts (Jed Baker), First-Then Boards and We Can Make It Better! Stories may be created to provide a “package” of instructional materials to promote social understanding. These materials may be used to help prime or prepare elementary-age children for potential social interactions and build that beginning foundation of social understanding. In addition to providing young children with visual supports to build social understanding, it is important to consider how use of the instructional materials will be explained to potential instructors (e.g., teachers, para-educators, respite workers, and parents). This presentation will provide participants with multiple examples of how different tools were integrated to meet children’s identified needs; and demonstrate how a free application (Photo Story for Windows) was used to create basic and brief instructional videos.

Learning objectives

1. Participants will identify different tools or strategies which may be combined to help build social understanding in younger children.

2. Participants with identify technology that may be used to create brief instructional videos for using the tools or strategies.

3. Participants will understand how concepts of Social Thinking may be paired with social-behavioral approaches to build social understanding in younger children.

Presenter

Elizabeth Delsandro, M.S., CCC-SLP, will be a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, beginning in August 2010. She works with individuals with autism spectrum disorders and social cognitive challenges, focusing on functional communication, social participation, emotional regulation, and peer and community awareness. She has been an autism consultant with the Grant Wood Area Education Agency in the Iowa public school system and an assistive technology trainer in Virginia public schools.

Elizabeth also has worked as a speech-language pathologist in Baltimore public schools and at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. A graduate of West Virginia University, she has taught master’s level courses at George Mason University and Johns Hopkins University.