As we begin another school year, perspective taking is something our students are required to do every day, all day. Whether working in a group, reading a book, hanging out, or writing for others, understanding another’s point of view is embedded in every school’s curriculum. Perspective taking also helps us be consciously aware of each other and consider the thoughts, feelings, and intentions as we participate in and work our way through social situations.
Perspective taking is what helps us make sense of social situations—where we are, who is there with us, and what’s happening—even when we aren’t actively interacting with each other. Perspective taking helps us regulate our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and adjust what we do and say to meet our own and others’ social goals—whether we’re playing a game, enjoying a family meal, learning in a group, or driving a car.
What is alexithymia? It refers to challenges in developing awareness of one’s feelings, identifying, and distinguishing them from other physical sensations—and it’s gaining interest in the research, schools, and clinical arenas. Educators and parents have reported an increase in overall “regulation” challenges in the classroom, on the playground, and during small group activities. We’ll highlight select key aspects of emotional awareness and regulation and its role in perspective taking. Specifically, we’ll explore how alexithymia can impact the building blocks for spontaneous perspective taking across all contexts. We will suggest practical strategies to increase awareness of feelings within the perspective-taking process to use within the classroom, school, community, and home.
1.5 hours of CE credit available for select professionals.
Small talk and conversations are dynamic, and we cannot create reliable scripts for how they will unfold. We can, however, increase our students' awareness of why we engage in social exchanges such as small talk. In this online course, we will unpack the complexities of small talk and conversation. We’ll break these down into their component parts to build strategies that support engagement in initial and ongoing social connection for children, teens, and adults.
3.5 hours of CE credit available for select professionals.
This strategy-filled course delves into crucial aspects of building social competencies in preschool and early elementary-age students (ages 4-7). Explore how flexible thinking, social language, self-regulation, and social and emotional development are vital for developing collaborative interactions in group settings, both on the playground and in the classroom. Gain insights from a research perspective on the impact of executive functioning, social attention, and social problem solving through the lens of our award-winning We Thinkers! curriculum series. Walk away with practical strategies and examples to seamlessly integrate social learning concepts into your existing teaching methods.
5.5 hours of training and CE credit available for select professionals.
Parents and caregivers are always asking about how to teach and support self-regulation. In this course designed specifically for parents and caregivers, we’ll talk about the ways the social mind can support social thinking and self-regulation for early learners. We will cover practical strategies including how we can use stories, activities, and play to build self-regulation; how to teach children to better understand their own and others’ thoughts and feelings, and the plan of the group and their role within it. Please note: this course is not eligible for Continuing Education.
Please note: this course is not eligible for Continuing Education.
Social Perspective Taking & The 5 Steps of Being with Others
Allison King | MS, CCC-SLP Social Thinking San Jose, Clinical Director
Everyone has thoughts! How do we know what other people are thinking? How can we let other people know what we are thinking about? How do we get thoughts from one brain to another? The only way to do it is to bridge your brains!
Did you know that asking for help requires self-awareness of one’s own perspective taking? All individuals need help at times, but needing help doesn’t mean you don’t know anything at all. We created a simple Asking for Help Strategy Card that breaks down the amount of help a student needs. This free video lesson & strategy card is part of our in depth 60-minute free webinar: Perspective Taking in the Classroom.
The Social Thinking Methodology provides evidence-based strategies to help people ages four through adult develop their social competencies, flexible thinking & social problem solving to meet their own social goals and improve: