What is Social Thinking
Junior High and Beyond: Bullies, Jerks and The Line
Cumming & Griffiths
Friday, June 22, 2012 3:00 PM
Click here for the handouts 
Description
What do bullies, jerks, inconsiderate behavior and crossing the line have to do with junior high social thinking curriculum? As students with social thinking challenges embark on the journey from elementary through junior high, they need explicit instruction and guided support to manage the new experiences they will encounter. Lake Oswego Junior High School has developed a specialized program to specifically address this need. This pivotal time requires students' enhanced understanding of the social nuances and heightened organizational demands. Executive skills challenges impact these areas.The ACCESS program curriculum involves definition of skills, student self-reflection, and development of individual goals to minimize the negative impact of deficit areas. Executive skills teaching is combined with the continuum of negative behaviors and instruction about “crossing the line” to help students to understand their own social behavior and decision-making. Although curriculum exists involving the continuum of negative behaviors and executive skills instruction, this program has integrated those concepts with students understanding of their own behaviors relative to “crossing the line.” The ACCESS program curriculum equips students with strategies to become self-sufficient as they operate within the social expectations of their environment.
Objectives
- Participants will understand the integration of executive skill instruction and social thinking concepts to support students in the areas of independence, academics, and social decision-making.
- Participants will learn the components of an effective school program that meets the unique learning needs of students with social-thinking deficits.
- Participants will learn strategies to guide students in recognizing and managing the social expectations of their social environments.