SOCIAL SKILLS

Thinking socially isn’t something that most of us even think about. It is what we do when we are around others and when we line up at the supermarket, sit in a classroom, watch Netflix, catch public transport, engage in play at the local park , and a whole host of other daily activities that involve social interpretation. We inherently consider the context; take in the thoughts, emotions and intentions of the people; and (when needed) use that information to work out how we respond. How we think about people affects how we behave, which in turn affects how others respond to us, which in turn affects our internal and external emotional responses. What an incredibly complex process!

For most of us, our ability to think socially develops naturally. But for many individuals, this process is anything but natural. Some struggle to think about what others are thinking and have a hard time in using their social skills in the exact moment they are needed.

At St John’s we recognise that some children need to have these social thoughts and skills explicitly taught to them.  As such, we are committed to identifying these students and engaging them in social skills programs that are targeted to encourage individuals to focus their social attention, interpret the social context and problem solve to figure out how to respond.

Our range of social skills programs are outlined below:

- We Thinkers! Volume 1 and 2 series to introduce social skills concepts and lay the groundwork in children’s thinking to move on to other materials over time.

- Social Thinking and Me teaches various social-emotional concepts and builds on the knowledge that the students already have.

- You are a Social Detective increases student awareness as they learn to be detectives to look for social cues and clues around them. It introduces strategies to help students to engage with others.

-Superflex extends children’s understanding from the Social Detective series and encourages them to recognise when they are having difficulties in social situations.

SOCIAL THINKING SKILLS

Social skills are something that we all develop; some more quickly and easily than others. Here at St John’s we foster positive social interactions in all of the things that we do, and we make teachable moments out of so many different events in our students lives. Click on the link below to read an article which discusses the importance of social thinking and its link to improving social skills.