Social Thinking Across The Home and School Day: The ILAUGH Model of Social Cognition

Information for Promotions/CEU Applications, Course Outline, Objectives, Michelle's Bio, Contact information, Typical Agenda

Course Outline

This workshop is designed for parents and professionals to understand the inner mind of persons high on the autism spectrum (Asperger Syndrome, PDD-NOS or high-functioning autism), with ADHD, Nonverbal Learning Disability or have no working diagnosis but they fit the clinical picture! Participants will learn not only functional treatment strategies they can use both at school and at home, but they will also better understand why these students' react and respond the way they do.

Informal Dynamic Social Thinking Assessment and Core Treatment Strategies for Home and School

Information for Promotions/CEU Applications, Course Outline, Objectives, Michelle's Bio, Contact Information, Typical Agenda

Informal Dynamic Social Thinking assessments are not only to be done as part of the initial or every 3 year testing process; instead this type of assessment can be done on an ongoing basis to determine students’ abilities and needs across the time we work and live with them at home, in school or in specially designed treatment sessions. This workshop is designed for parents and professionals to gain more specific knowledge about their students by using the Dynamic Informal Social Thinking Assessment, as described in Michelle’s book, Thinking About YOU Thinking About ME, 2nd Edition. Video clips of the informal assessment will demonstrate how all of us (diagnosticians, parents, paraprofessionals, treatment clinicians, etc.) can learn more about the inner minds of the individuals we are working with and why they need specific treatment strategies. This is very practical information.

Thinking About YOU Thinking About ME

Information for Promotions/CEU Applications, Course Outline, Objectives, Michelle's Bio, Contact information, Typical Agenda

Perspective taking involves the synergy between the researched concepts of "Theory of Mind," gestalt processing and executive functioning. This workshop will explore how central the concepts and skills related to "perspective taking" , (also referred to as "social communication") are to all social contact and interpretation be it non-verbal or verbal, intentional and non-intentional. Audiences rave about this workshop day as being filled with research based information but is practical and allows audience members to better understand the specific social communication and academic needs of their students/children.

Updated! Organized Thinking: Dealing with the Dreaded Homework Assignment and Everything Else a Student Wants to Postpone!

Information for Promotions/CEU Applications, Course Outline, Objectives, Michelle's Bio, Contact information, Typical Agenda

Course Outline

Implementing Social Thinking® Concepts and Vocabulary into our School and Home Day: A Day to Develop Team Creativity

Information for Promotions/CEU Applications, Course Outline, Objectives, Michelle's Bio, Contact information, Typical Agenda

Course Outline

This is a favorite workshop day for parents and educators given the very practical nature of the information. Lessons are relevant for all school age students; and those working with preschoolers and young adults will also benefit from parts of this information.

We will define many social thinking concepts and how to apply the Social Thinking® Vocabulary across the school and home day. Beginning with exploring how we work as part of a group, the three parts of play, exploring lessons on abstracting and inferencing information, sharing an imagination and how all this is combined to learn how to teach students how to communicate. As with all of our workshops, clinical examples will be used to highlight how to teach these abstract concepts to help make the information more concrete. Social Thinking Vocabulary (STV) has become the backbone of the Social Thinking teaching program. Research published in 2008 (Crooke, et al) in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders demonstrated how students benefited from learning these specific concepts in that they were able to generalize the  information once taught how to think about it.

Preparing for the Transition into Adulthood

Information for Promotions/CEU Applications, Course Outline, Objectives, Michelle's Bio, Contact information, Typical Agenda

Course Outline

Transitioning into adulthood and living as young adults can overwhelm individuals born to social learning challenges, even those who are "bright" with strong language skills. This workshop focuses on helping parents and professionals (e.g., teachers, counselors, psychologists) and even the students prepare for and respond to this transition.

We will explore the more nuanced expectations of emerging into adulthood and strategies to help individuals develop a more mature Social Thinking® mindset, including an "I can do this" and "I need to do this" attitude. We will specifically review concrete strategies to teach our students more about the concepts of responsibility, motivation, anxiety management and increasing skills in establishing a range of friendships. Ultimately, we help our students to learn to be more comfortable with the fact they are going to be increasingly uncomfortable with the demands of emerging into adulthood.

Skills You Need to Learn to Live as an Adult

Information for Promotions/CEU Applications, Course Outline, Objectives, Michelle's Bio, Contact information, Typical Agenda

Course Outline

The second day of this workshop series is an extension of the first day. While our focus is on the adult work world and what it takes to be an independent adult, the concepts we are expected to employ as adults should be explored by and taught to children and teens. Teachers and parents of school-age students have described this workshop day as essential for helping them orient their teachings toward encouraging “success” in the adult years.

Going beyond diagnostic labels, this workshop focuses on how we all live within social boundaries that encourage others to include us and show they value us.