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Published on Thursday, 08 September 2011 11:21

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Washington Times

Social thinking: Teaching the "why" of social skills

SILVER SPRING, Md., August 19, 2011 — For a long time in the autism community, teaching social skills has been a crucial component of therapy. This often rote learning of scripts and strategies aimed at helping kids interact with their peers is a standard—and valuable—way to enhance a child's chance of success in the world.

However, in recent years, more and more speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have turned to social thinking, a new way of teaching social competence espoused by Michelle Garcia Winner, the founder of this new school of thought and its associated methodology... Read more

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Portland Tribune

Breaking down barriers

Camp Yakety Yak teaches special needs children and their peers tools to build friendships and boost self-confidence

 
By Christina Lent
The Beaverton Valley Times, Jul 28, 2011, Updated Aug 2, 2011

Jaime Valdez / Beaverton Valley Times

Campers learn how to monitor their emotions and communicate feelings with others while taking part in fun activities with their new friends during the Camp Yakety Yak session at St. Matthew Lutheran Church.

Camp Yakety Yak is arming special needs children and their young peers with the superpower of flexibility this summer.

With the help of Superflex, a superhero who battles a bothersome group of Unthinkables who pop up in the mind, summer campers are learning how to work through their emotions in what could be stressful situations and get back to having fun and trying new things.... Read more

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Philly.com - The Inquirer (Philadelphia)

Camp Sequoia to help children with social cognitive difficulties learn how to make and keep friends

By Bonnie L. Cook, Inquirer Staff Writer
August 09, 2011

The typical day at Camp Sequoia on the Hill School campus in Pottstown is notable for what is absent. There are no TVs or video games that lead some children to huddle by themselves in corners. There are no cellphones or laptops to take them away from their peers. Instead, the children are attending the experimental overnight camp to learn confidence and to improve their social skills - all in an atmosphere of summer fun.

"It's good for campers who need help with building independence or [overcoming] social-skills problems. I wouldn't recommend it to kids who are close to their families and always want to stay with them," says Eli Werbach, 9, of Villanova.

Children like Eli may be diagnosed with difficulty learning, attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, or mild Asperger's syndrome. Some may be autistic or anxious.

Read More

Prospering with Asperger's

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Published on Friday, 13 May 2011 16:17

Prospering with Asperger's

May 8, 2011 By Stephen Borgman

What if I told you that the Aspergers and the autism spectrum is a laughing matter? In this article, I'm going to share with you Ms. Garcia Winner's I LAUGH model as a way as understanding the core social challenges that individuals on the spectrum face.

http://www.myaspergers.net/ways-understand-autism-spectrum/

UK's Largest Newspaper Features Social Thinking

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Published on Thursday, 27 January 2011 13:42

The Mirror (London, England)

December 2, 2010

Why can't your child make friends? Childhood should be a time for fun, play and making friends. So why is it that for some children, things aren't quite so simple?

PDF version

Features

SECTION: Pg. 51 ISSN: 1462-995X

LENGTH: 921 words

Byline: Tanith Carey

Victoria is the type of child that other girls in her class describe as "a bit weird".

She's only nine, but there's something about her body language andthe way she hovers at the sidelines during games which makes them uncomfortable.

From time to time, Victoria also pipes up with "funny" things in lessons.

The last time was when she talked about where she went on holiday last year during maths.

Behind her back, although never to her face, the other children complain that Victoria is a "show-off" because she talks "at" them instead of just joining in with their conversations.

Read more...

Learning Spring's Unthinkables Halloween

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Published on Wednesday, 17 November 2010 09:30

At Learning Spring, a small school in in New York City, for Halloween, the speech therapists, occupational therapists and school psychologist dressed as the Team of Unthinkables!  They also had a Superflex make some appearances throughout the day. Another great way to reinforce teaching the strategies related to Superflex!

Jessica Lally (Superflex), Tara Feinberg (DOF), Ana Machuca (RockBrain), Melanie Weingarten (Worry Wall), Erica Rahavy (Glass Man), Bari Toor (Topic Twister Meister), Melissa Chan (Unwonderer), Laura Garcia (WasFunnyOnce)

New York City's Channel 5 Features Social Thinking in "Autism Social Therapy"

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Published on Wednesday, 17 November 2010 09:13

NEW YORK, NY - Living with autism can be very lonely. But thanks to a new way of thinking, people with social-cognitive deficits are learning what comes naturally to many of us. It is called "social thinking." A California therapist is behind the philosophy of teaching people on the autism spectrum how to think socially. (Original story no longer available on FOX news)

Psychology Today Blog on the Perspective Taking Spectrum: "The Light Bulb Went On!"

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Published on Wednesday, 17 November 2010 08:43

Psychology Today blogger Stephen Borgman, a psychotherapist who writes "Spectrum Solutions," recently praised Michelle Garcia Winner's work on Social Thinking, stating "she is one of my favorite authors in the field of teaching emotional intelligence" and has "pioneered some very helpful ways of conceptualizing and helping educators understand the social challenges that students on the autism spectrum face." Regarding Michelle's Perspective Taking Spectrum, he says, "It was like the light bulb went on." Read more at Psychology Today

Michelle Garcia Winner Called "the Leading Expert in the Field of Social Skills"

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Published on Wednesday, 17 November 2010 08:36

From GreatSchools, a national nonprofit organization

Will make eye contact

How to write social skills IEP goals that work.

By Valle Dwight

Ben Greene, 9, was at recess when a classmate asked him to play. “I would, but you smell really bad,” he replied. The girl walked away hurt. Ben, who has Asperger’s syndrome, had no idea why his remark bothered the little girl (“It’s a fact,” he said with a shrug). The next day, at the insistence of his aide, he apologized to her. “I’m sorry I made a personal remark, but you really do smell bad,” he said.

Anyone with a child on the autism spectrum probably recognizes that scenario and, in part, it’s just such situations that led Massachusetts to pass a law requiring that IEP teams consider and address the social skills needs of children on the spectrum. Advocates hailed the law, which recognizes that social skills are a critical part of a child’s education and development. Read more

Michelle answers SF Chronicle/SFgate reader question

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Published on Thursday, 25 March 2010 15:12

From Laura Shumaker's City Brights autism blog on SFgate.com

Autism Question of the Week

QUESTION: I think my 20 year old grand niece has autism, but she's never been diagnosed. How can I help her?

Dear Laura:

Thank you for offering to answer questions about autism.

My 20 year old grand niece lives with her family near Chicago. Julie went through 10th grade in a special needs school and then completed her GED online 3 years ago..."  Read more

Super Mario Brothers and Social Thinking

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Published on Thursday, 18 February 2010 08:00

From Dallas Morning News: "Since my son (Ethan, 7 years old) lives with Asperger's Syndrome (AS), an Autism Spectrum Disorder, he often has difficulty with forming and maintaining friendships. The truth is most kids and adults with AS have deficits related to social skills and communication... Thankfully, Ethan also attends a phenomenal Social Thinking Group (based on the Social Thinking Curriculum developed by Michelle Garcia Winner) with other kids and several very dedicated therapists at Help, Hope, Solutions in Plano..." Read more of article by Leigh Attaway Wilcox

Autism, Aspergers and social thinking: A conversation with Michelle Garcia Winner

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Published on Monday, 01 February 2010 00:00

One day during Matthew's freshman year at our local high school, he observed Joe pushing his girlfriend flirtatiously and then tapping her on the head. The couple kissed, took each other by the hand, and skipped away. Inspired Joe's success, Matthew tried the same moves on another girl with too much force, and she ran to the principal's office in tears.

When I arrived at school for a debriefing, Matthew was trying to explain himself. "Joe did the same thing to Sue, " he cried, "and she liked it!"

Good social skills vs. bad social skills? Not exactly, says Michelle Garcia Winner. She is the developer of Social Thinking, a philosophy and a treatment for individuals with social-cognitive deficits such as autism, Asperger syndrome, ADHD and nonverbal learning disorder (NLD).

by Laura Shumaker, February 4, 2010 San Francisco Chronicle/Sfgate.com - Read more...