What is Social Learning?

Our Social Learning groups utilises concepts from Social Thinking® (Michelle Garcia-Winner) and teaches children a problem-solving approach to navigating their way through social interactions.  "Social Thinking® is a term coined by Michelle Garcia Winner, CCC-SLP and represents a flexible, systems-based teaching methodology consisting of curricula, vocabulary, teaching tools, and strategies for individuals aged preschool through adults. Learn more at www.socialthinking.com”

Social Thinking® (Michelle Garcia-Winner) moves away from the idea that we just have to learn a set of social behaviours or skills when interacting with people to, instead, thinking about the social learning process. That process starts in our minds and then transfers to how we behave in front of others.  Michelle’s Social Thinking® theory believes that a child’s ability to think through a situation can help to change their behaviour in that situation.  

The Social Thinking® framework that our groups are based on assists kids in learning to navigate and problem solve their way through interactions with others toward their desired social outcome.  We use a structured evidence based approach (Social Thinking®) to assist our students to be better observers of social information. To begin with, students need to observe:

 
 

  • The situation and the people in the situation. A situation is a specific event happening within a more general environment. If the environment is a classroom, a situation may be “when the students are expected to work independently” or “when they are having a full class discussion” or “when they are preparing to leave the classroom,” etc. There are many situations within any larger environment.

  • Within each situation, students are expected to figure out the “hidden social rules”; this is also called the “hidden curriculum.” To determine the hidden social rules we have to figure out what is happening in the situation and what is expected of people as they relate or share space in the situation.  As we figure out the hidden social rules, we can group social behaviours into those that are “expected” and “unexpected.”     

  • We work with students to increase their own observational powers to notice the situation and discern which behaviours are expected versus unexpected. 

  • What makes a behaviour expected is that it encourages  others to feel calm or possibly even pleased in response to the social behaviour.

  • What makes a behaviour unexpected is that in response to the behaviour people who witness the behaviour feel stress or possibly become upset by it.  

Social Thinking® theory, following the practice of cognitive behaviour therapy, believes that a student’s ability to think through a situation can help to change their behaviour in that situation.  Our aim is to use this process to teach children how to problem solve their way through social interactions in their daily life toward their desired social outcome.

Our Social Learning therapists use Social Thinking® concepts and resources throughout their practice in individual as well as paired therapy sessions and we also run Social Learning Groups.

 
 

How does the group work?

Our Social Learning groups are run by 2 specialist trained allied health professionals (Occupational Therapist and / or Speech Pathologist) and are designed to teach children more awareness of the social situation and the expectations people have within those situations, which in turn leads to more awareness of a child's own behaviour.

We have 4 group members and with a 2:1 ratio of children to therapists learning is tailored to each individual child. 

Examples of Social Thinking®concepts covered in the curriculum include:

 
 

  • Thoughts and feelings

  • Social observation

  • How to make a ‘smart guess’

  • How to be part of a group and a group plan

  • Listening with our whole body

  • Thinking with our eyes

  • Components of a conversation

  • Stuck and flexible thinking

  • Social behaviour mapping

  • How to assess the size of a problem and gauge a reaction
    … and a whole lot more!  

 

Note: This program, including its teacher and/or leader, is not affiliated with, nor has it been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by Michelle Garcia Winner and Think Social Publishing, Inc.

 For further information or to talk to a therapist about the group and group content contact us on 9754 3061 or admin@potentialtherapyservices.com.au