Using my own clinical experience combined with specific research, I developed the I LAUGH Framework of social cognition to better understand the multiple skills/concepts that need to be processed and reacted to in order to succeed at personal problem solving and social interaction. When each of these factors is considered, it becomes increasingly clear how each of these elements of social cognition impact not only our ability to make and keep friends, but also our ability to process complex information in the classroom. Below The I LAUGH framework is briefly reviewed

•  I = Initiation of Language:
  Initiation of language is the ability to use one’s language skills to seek assistance or information. A student’s ability to talk about his own topics of interest can be in sharp contrast to how that student communicates when he needs assistance. Lack of initiation also impacts ones ability to enter into social interactions in the classroom or on the playground.
•  L= Listening With Eyes and Brain:
  Most persons on the autism spectrum have difficulty with auditory comprehension. Listening however requires more than just taking in the auditory information it also requires the person to integrate information he sees with what he hears to understand the deeper concept of the message, or to make a smart guess about what is being said when you cannot clearly hear it. Most students with social cognitive deficits have impairments in their ability to process the verbal and non-verbal aspects of the message being considered.
•  A = Abstract and Inferential Language/communication:
  Communicative comprehension also depends on ones ability to recognize that most language/communication is not intended for literal interpretation. To interpret adequately one must be able to flexibly make smart guesses about the intended meaning of the message requiring one to pursue the analysis of language/communication rather than accept the meaning at face value. Abstract and inferential meaning is often carried subtly through verbal and nonverbal means of communication. This skill begins to develop early in life and continues across our school years as the messages we are to interpret; both socially and academically become increasingly abstract. Interpretation depends in part on one’s ability to “make a guess”, it also depends on one’s ability to take perspective of another.
•  U = Understanding Perspective:
  This is the ability to understand the emotions, thoughts, beliefs, prior knowledge, motives and intentions of yourself as well as others. We generally acquire this skill in our preschool years, intuitively. Most students have acquired a solid foundation in this ability between the ages of 4-6 years old. The ability to take perspective is key to participation in any type of group (social or academic) as well as interpreting information that requires understanding of other people’s minds such as reading comprehension, history, social studies, etc. Weakness in perspective taking is a significant part of the diagnosis of social cognitive deficits.  
•  G=Gestalt Processing/Getting The Big Picture:
  Information is conveyed through concepts and not just facts. When participating in a conversation the participants intuitively should determine the underlying concept being discussed. When reading, the reader has to follow the overall meaning (concept) rather than just collect a series of facts. Conceptual processing is another key component to understanding social and academic information. Furthermore, difficulty with organizational strategies is born from problems with conceptual processing.
•  H= Humor and Human Relatedness:
  Most of the clients I work with actually have a very good sense of humor, but they feel anxious since they miss many of the subtle cues that help them to understand how to participate successfully with others. It is important for educators/parents to work compassionately and with humor to help minimize the anxiety the students are experiencing. Many of our students also may attempt to use humor at school, but do so unsuccessfully since they failed to consider all the complex variables required to determine if their humor was produced at the right time and place.

Michelle’s overall message:

Whether it is through Michelle’s workshop presentations, products (books and videotapes) or in the sessions run at her clinic, Michelle believes strongly in the fact that social cognition is key towards success across the multitude of environments in which all persons are expected to excel in school and into their adult years.

Michelle’s message is that while this particular area of weakness is difficult to assess, it is an important area to explore with students who are impacted by this learning challenge, to help them move towards being as productive and satisfied as possible when they emerge into adults in society.

Some of the keys points Michelle explores in her work include:

•  Breaking down concepts into very concrete parts to help our students grasp the idea and then learn how to apply them in increasingly complex situations. The most difficult aspect of working with these students is learning how to break information down enough so that the student can grasp its meanings.
•  Engage the students in the process of learning how to think through social situations. It is Michelle’s belief that we have to teach students more than social skills; rather we need to teacher them “social thinking and related skills”. Given that the students Michelle works with typically have solid intelligence as measured by IQ testing, it is her experience that these students can learn information to boost their social cognitive understanding of the world and then better understand how to apply that knowledge by learning the appropriate social skills. We need to do this by explaining to the student how people think socially through specific situations and then to better understand the use for specific skills. For example, when watching a student work with a teacher at school on learning the social skill of complimenting he was told a compliment was saying something like, “I like your shirt”. When he was then asked to generate a compliment to Michelle and another woman in the room, he told both of them, “I like your shirt”. When Michelle asked him why he would give a compliment he said, “I have no idea”. This is an example of a student who was being taught a skill without the social cognitive knowledge to understand how to apply the skill.
•  Be honest and compassionate about a students abilities and deficits, especially in team meetings. In our society we find it embarrassing to talk about students' difficulties with social interaction and more importantly we down play the importance of social cognition as it impacts our daily living and academic skills. We need to discuss more than a students ability to read, write and do math!
•  Have fun! If you are working on social thinking and related skills, make the interaction one that the student would want to engage in!
•  Make the student, parent and educators responsible for learning about how to help. Help the student to explore the information and then set reasonable expectations to do more with his knowledge and skills with regard to what he is learning. Students with social cognitive learning disabilities have a 24-hour disability meaning that it does not go away when they close their textbook. Therefore, all persons who live with or educate the child need to learn new strategies for educating the student and the student is expected to apply the strategies. Remember, “No one ever rose to a low expectation”. At the same time, neither parents nor educators can insist it is the responsibility of the other person to help this child. Everyone needs to help!