This  year your son/daughter has been on a Social Thinking Unit.  This unit emphasized that a person’s behavior effects how he/she feels and how other people feel.  Also, that there are expected behaviors in every situation; which can vary from situation to situation and one’s age. 

The class worked on the following things during the unit:

1. Read the book, “You are a Social Detective! Explaining Social Thinking to Kids” by Michelle Garcia Winner and Pamela Crooke.
2. Learned Social Thinking Vocabulary Definitions (See attached page for definitions)
3. Created a comprehensive list of places that a person uses his/her Social Smarts
4. Created a list of both, expected and unexpected behaviors for specific places that people use their Social Smarts
5. Created “universal expected behaviors”, categorized them into 6 main categories and selected visual cues for each main category (See attached chart of expected behaviors and examples)
6. Reflected on his/her behavior in a given situation and with staff filled out charts for that situation which included examples, both his/her feelings and other people’s feelings and the consequence of the behavior (See attached reflection chart)

Please note the reflection chart was used for both expected and unexpected behaviors.  If a student did not demonstrate expected behavior for the situation, then it was crossed out on the chart.  If the chart was used for unexpected behavior, it was always ended with the student stating the expected behavior and what he/she could do differently next time.  If needed, the chart of expected behaviors and examples were used to remind students of them.  This chart was frequently used when students were using the expected behaviors.  Everyone feels great when people notice they are doing what is socially expected!

Your son/daughter has been working very hard learning these concepts and using them throughout his/her day.  All the students are quite proud of their improvement in Social Thinking!

We hope you find these useful. 

Shirley Roat and Joanne Crowley