Ever wish you had a superpower to handle stress, stay organized, and crush your goals? Here are 12 practical tips to help you strengthen your executive functioning, activate your mental superpower, and feel more in control of your day.
Neurodiversity should be acknowledged and celebrated. But there are some who struggle to understand and navigate within the social world, who seek and should also have access to information for developing stronger social competencies in order to meet their self-determined social goals. This article makes a clear, logical case for providing access to social emotional teaching and strategies, not to “fix” or “cure” but to provide a methodical and concrete way of seeing and understanding how the social world works. The point of this article is not to mandate social interventions but rather make the argument that all individuals, neurotypical or Neurodivergent, should have the opportunity to find strategies to meet their social goals if they so choose.
As we travel around the country, people are often interested in what we recommend as the “DOs and DON’Ts” related to Social Thinking philosophy and treatment. We start out by saying: be flexible! Be an observer, be supportive, be present! It turns out that what we teach our students and clients is sound advice for us as well.
Superflex® has become super-popular! We have enjoyed hearing from so many people around the world about their love of Superflex and the Team of UnthinkaBots and Thinkables and the positive effect the Superflex curriculum has on helping individuals become better social thinkers and social problem solvers!
Have you ever wondered how do we know what to do or say in a given situation? The Social Thinking-Social Competency Model breaks down this big, complex process into four foundational steps.
Like a sportscaster for daily life, Social Casting (or Thinking Out Loud) helps kids decode social environments, promoting awareness and empathy through guided observation. Adults serve as a social narrator, making the invisible - visible - and giving kids tools to better understand group dynamics. It’s a powerful way to teach the 'why' behind what people do and say without judgment. Over time, it helps build the student’s competencies in observing, interpreting, and anticipating social outcomes.
Support social learners in developing executive functioning skills with a simple 4-step framework. Learn how routines, goal-setting, self-regulation, and flexible thinking build the foundation for success in school, friendships, and life.
Checking in on ourselves is just part of being human. In fact, reflecting on how we’re feeling, what we’re thinking, and what we need, is often times the fuel that ignites our decisions about what we do or say (or not do or say) to meet our own goals for the situation. If we are checking in on ourselves, we can figure out if we need (or want) help from others. It can also encourage us to think about our choices, advocate for ourselves, or make a little more time to refuel.
The energy of students flows from the hallway into the classroom as a new school day begins. The teacher welcomes the class, as students put their bodies in the group and find their seats. They think with their eyes to observe the classroom environment, looking for materials to make a smart guess about the group plan for the day. Students listen with their brains and bodies, as they share an imagination and figure out the group plan. The class discusses the expected behavior for the situation to help everyone feel comfortable learning together as a group. Flexible thinking and problem solving will, no doubt, be required throughout another day of school.
The “I Don’t Care Scale” is a visual tool codeveloped by teens. It was originally designed to help educators, therapists, and caregivers better understand the perspective of the student who routinely responds with, “I don’t care.” The scale is also a tool to acknowledge an individual’s point of view with empathy and without judgement and promote meaningful discussions.
Consider that everything we do or say, and possibly what we don’t do or say, is perceived and interpreted by others. At times the message we are communicating is considered quite risky, but it might be worth the potential benefit. To help individuals figure out the perceived or potential level of risk related to actions or statements, we developed the Social Risk Scale. It’s a simple visual tool to empower people to make their own decisions related to their social goals.
The 3 Parts of Play/Activity is a visual framework designed to teach social learners about planning, choice making, and time management—all executive functions. It also helps individuals learn that any activity involves a process, and there are steps we take from start to finish while keeping time limitations in mind. This builds essential and foundational executive functions. The nice part about this framework is that we can explain that any activity, whether individual or group based, has at least three parts, and all parts involve time prediction.
Most of us find motivation to do stuff we like or that interests us. But how do we rally our motivation to do things when we feel sad or anxious, or when tasks are complex, or take a lot of time, effort, and thought? Motivation is essential to achieving our goals—mundane or spectacular—but how to rally it is rarely, if ever, taught explicitly. This article explores evidence-informed and practice-based tips, tools & strategies to help individuals of all ages overcome such motivation when dealing with anxiety, depression, lagging social and/or organizational competencies, and negative self-talk.
Listening to our students and trusting them as experts on their own experiences can transform the educational landscape through student-led approaches to social, emotional, and academic learning (SEAL). Conversations with approximately 500 4th and 5th graders based on the simple prompt, Someday in school, I would like to_____., empowered these kids to give voice to their aspirations and perspectives on making school a more inclusive and fulfilling environment. The powerful themes of choices and relationships that emerged from this activity highlight the essential elements needed for every student to feel a sense of belonging. Truly heeding their voice serves as an important reminder of where to invest our time and energy—especially as we head back to school.
Engage your students in a low-effort, high-impact group activity that cultivates future thinking, reasoning, and flexible thinking to develop advocacy skills. When encouraging students to imagine their ideal school experience by completing the sentence, Someday in school, I would like to ___., educators create opportunities for students to imagine what they can do in the here and now to create a path for themselves that they desire for the future. Explore how this activity fosters students’ goal setting, interactions with others, and the practice of using their voice for advocacy, allowing them to feel empowered, included, heard, and engaged in their educational experience.
Explore the teachable role that everyday doors play in developing social observation skills. Doors not only define physical spaces, but they also serve as visual cues for transitioning into new situations. By encouraging our students, children, and clients to use the Do ObseRve strategy before entering a new space, they can first imagine the situation, gather information by thinking with their eyes, ears, and brain as they observe the situation, and then make smart guesses about what to expect to manage the transition and navigate social situations more effectively. Use this simple strategy in school, at home, and in the community.
Creating imaginary front doors for your favorite Halloween character can be a fun and friendly way to teach social observation, reading clues, people files, and smart guesses. From brooms and spider webs to giant googly eyes, kids will enjoy transforming a simple file folder or folded paper into a front door where goblins, witches, mummies, or any other Halloween character might live.
“I’m bored!” Those familiar (yet dreaded!) words can often punctuate the lazy days of summer we hope to be filled with fun, adventure, and new experiences. But boredom, like any other feeling, holds valuable information. Recognizing and understanding boredom is the first step toward transforming it into something more fulfilling. In this article, we explore the signs of summer boredom, particularly focusing on children and teens, and delve into strategies to combat its restlessness, ignite creativity, and empower guided decision-making.
Summertime is traveling time, whether in the car, train, bus, or airplane. And while travel can be exciting and fun for many, it can be stressful for individuals with social learning differences, difficulties, or disabilities and their travel companions. Learn about some common travel stressors and tips for a more pleasant trip for all!
Summer is almost here, and for many families that means vacation and new adventures—great opportunities to practice being a Social Detective! Explore why social observation is a crucial skill for everyone when traveling, and how to take a few minutes each day to increase social awareness in a fun, effective way.