Assumed Knowledge: Strengthening the Core of Social Cognition - Anna Vagin, PhD, CCC-SLP

This full day workshop explores the social thinking concepts that the Core Curriculum assumes to be present and developing along a typical course in students. However, students who may have diagnoses such as ASD, ADHD, NVLD, Language Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Social Communication Disorder or Twice Exceptional often struggle with this social learning, so that their ability to learn becomes limited.

We will begin by reviewing multiple outcome standards across the Core Curriculum, focusing on literacy and classroom communication. An issue for most students with social learning challenges, we will review a number of strategies that can be helpful in building understanding of intention, behavior, and effect. We will look at some of the factors that intercept inference, whether in a picture book, textbook, media excerpt or social situation, and strategize some approaches for intervention. We will focus on emotional development and its role in core curriculum. We will review how we can support emotional learning, whether as part of our individual or group therapy, or in the classroom.

We will discuss the underlying social cognitive constructs of conversation and classroom discussion. We will talk about the importance of perspective, emotions and flexibility, and review some basic conversational choices. A systematic way of working on spontaneous conversation will be presented and practiced using small group activities. Lots of therapy video examples will be viewed throughout the day.