Looking at Needs for
Goal Development for
Students with ASD
Middle School Point Person Training #3
January 31, 2013
Sabrina Beaudry & Pam Leonard
In Review, Last Time We:
O We reviewed the psychological/brain based
theories
O We practiced describing challenges with
those in mind
O We got a little off topic in discussing student
transitions to middle school
Today we will:
O Again practice describing what individual students’ autism
looks like.
O Use this knowledge of what it looks like, to determine specific
student needs.
O Look at the global concept of social thinking needs and how to
incorporate it into goals.
O Work from students’ specific needs to goal development.
O Develop goals using a social cognition paradigm
O Provide you with specific resources for social cognition and
planning with social cognition in mind
Let’s remember the
importance of describing
O We always want to start by describing our
students’ autism…what do we see when we
watch them?
O Through our trainings we have used different
observation tools
Putting characteristics together
Social/Emotional
Communication
Repetitive Patterns
Sensory
Cognitive/Curriculum
Pam & Sabrina’s areas to consider:
Social
Communication
Social Problem
Solving
Flexible Thinking
Organization
Comorbidity
What Does it Look Like?
Communication
Social
Cognitive Style
Emotional
Academic
Regulation
Sensory
Introducing Katie:
O 8th grade
O Planning on attending college
O Takes all general education classes with
support
O Supportive family
O No typical peer friends
O Asperger’s Syndrome
Another example: Katie Looks Like:
Communication
Will go on and on when
telling a story/ unaware that
others have lost interest.
Difficulty understanding
abstract language
Social
Enjoys being with peers, but
has difficulty with perspective
taking
Initiates conversation with
others
Has great motivation to have
friends & social relationships
Difficulty always recognizing
humor/sarcasm, and using itshe tries!
Does not request clarification
or assistance when confused
or when does not understand
something someone has said
to her (may ask about specific
vocabulary)
Language processing is a
weakness
May interrupt others/ has
difficult waiting her turn to
speak in a group
Has great motivation to
improve her social
interactions
Cognitive Style
Emotional
Academic
Regulation
Average intelligence- math is
strength.
When she thinks anyone
(familiar or strangers) in her
surrounding is sick, she will
ask them if they are sick &
well as other related
questions, she may raise her
fist & growl at the person.
Reading comprehension is a
weakness.
Expressive writing skills are a
weakness.
Weak executive functioning
(impulsive, poorly organized,
difficulty remembering all
tasks needed to be
completed).
Perseverates on mistakes
she makes.
Although she thinks she is
“helping”, she will point out
others’ inappropriate
behaviors or mistakes and
gives feedback in a “lecturey”
way.
Weak central coherence
(difficulty picking out
important details from the big
picture- perseverates on
incorrect details).
Asks a lot of questions about
others’
behaviors/perspectives (Why
someone would be upset
about a situation)
Will use inappropriate
comments or may “lecture”
others if they interrupt her, do
not hear her/ask her to
repeat herself.
May demonstrate a vocal tic
& twitch (sounds like throat
clearing or a hiccup) when
frustrated or upset with
others.
Becomes giggly/laughs when
she is able to “push others
buttons” & they demonstrate
inappropriate behavior.
Laughs/becomes silly when
discussing her own
inappropriate behavior.
Sensory
Does not like to be touched
Does not like loud
environments
What Does it Look Like for Your Student?
Communication
Social
Cognitive Style
Emotional
Academic
Regulation
Sensory
Break
Now, let’s talk about needs…
What does that mean?
O A lack of something requisite, desirable, or
useful.
O A physiological or psychological requirement
for the well being of an organism.
Determining Student Needs:
O Use the description of your student to
determine his/her needs.
O We can use the Autism 7 Considerations
form to document these needs.
O The 7 considerations aligns closely with the
areas of support that we discussed last
training.
Autism 7 Considerations
Form:
O ..\..\Point Person 10-11\Resources\autism
consideration forms\AUTISM
CONSIDERATIONS linear blank.docx
O This will be included in IEP Plus
Example
O Katie's 7 considerations page
Your student’s needs:
O Fill in each area of need on the 7
considerations form for your student.
Now we’re back to supporting
students!
O Here are Katie’s supports documented on
the 7 considerations form.
O Katie's supports
Your Turn
O Add supports to your student’s 7
considerations form.
Back to Needs for a minute…
Is there a theme?
O Do the majority of needs fall under one
umbrella?
O Is there an over riding deficit area that
affects all need areas?
O What is the root of the needs?
Social Cognition? In recent
research
Theory of mind, Central coherence, &
Executive functioning are seen to work
together in their role of social learning
development.
An Article to Read!
Read the article and then
head to lunch…
Social Thinking-Social
Learning Tree
What were your thoughts?
So what is social cognition?
O The “thinking” that we use to process, store and
apply information about other people and social
situations
O It is an intuitive process that most people are “hard-
wired” at birth that allows us to learn through
observation and trial and error
O It allows us to use the processes Theory of Mind,
Central Coherence and Executive Function skills in a
coordinated manner
The work of Michelle Garcia has outlined Four
Principles of Social Thinking
O Our thoughts and emotions are strongly connected. How
we think affects how we feel and how we behave affects
how others think and feel.
O We think about people all the time, even when we have no
plans to interact with them. We adjust our own behavior
based on what we think the people around us are
thinking.
O We “think with our eyes” to figure out other people’s
thoughts, intentions, emotions
O When people learn how to think differently and flexibly
they can think anywhere.
Source: Winner, M.G. (2007) Thinking About You, Thinking
About Me. Think Social Publications, San Jose, Ca.
www.socialthinking.com
There are 3 aspects to teaching
Social Thinking skills:
1) Realize other people have a different frame of mind
2) Learn how to figure out what other people are
thinking and feeling
3) Use this knowledge to self-adjust your own
social behaviors to fit the social situation so
the other people view you favorably.
Another Way of thinking about Challenges of
Social Thinking
Written
Language
Learning
Disability
Reading
Learning
Disability
Student
with IEP
Social
Learning
Disability
Math
Learning
Disability
Jill D. Kuzma 8/2010 http://jillkuzma.wordpress.com
How do Social Cognitive Deficits
impact students?
Social Skills
Emotional Skills
Academic Skills
Behavioral Skills
Organizational Skills
Jill D. Kuzma 8/2010 http://jillkuzma.wordpress.com
So we have talked about
impact now what???
Time for goals!
Goal Development…
O We want to use student needs to develop
goals.
O We want to prioritize goal areas.
O We want to write goals with social thinking in
mind.
Prioritizing for Katie:
O Perspective taking- with both adults & peers
O Reading comprehension
O Expressive writing
O Organization for assignment completion
O Self Regulation of Emotions
Your turn
O Looking at the Seven Considerations page
what would you choose as priorities for your
student
Goal Area #1:
Perspective Taking
Present Level: Katie is able to determine what another
person may be thinking in a familiar situation/context,
when she is prompted to pay attention to particular
information (i.e. facial expressions, body language, tone
of voice, etc.). She is independently able to interpret
others’ thoughts in one on one or very small group
situations with people that she is familiar with; however,
she does not use this information to guide her own
behavior/social communication.
Same age peers are intuitively able to change their own
behavior based on what others are doing/saying
(perspective taking).
Goal: Improving observing & interpreting skills
(MGW calls it listening with your eyes)
By January 2014, In a structured small group
setting (3-4 students),Katie will demonstrate
the ability to independently change her own
behavior based on the behaviors of others in
the group 50% of the time.
Benchmarks:
A.
B.
C.
D.
In a small group structured activity, Katie will use perspective
taking skills to accurately describe the behaviors of others,
including: Body language, facial expressions, & tone of
voice, ¾ opportunities.
In a small group structured activity, Katie will use perspective
taking skills to accurately describe the behaviors of others
(Body language, facial expressions, & tone of voice), and
describe her interpretation of what they may be thinking 2/4
opportunities.
In a small group structured activity, Katie will use perspective
taking skills to accurately describe the behaviors of others
(Body language, facial expressions, & tone of voice),
describe her interpretation of what they may be thinking, and
appropriately change her own behavior as needed with adult
prompting 3/4 opportunities.
GOAL…
Goal 2 Reading
comprehension
O Present Level: When given a novel to read,
Katie is able to read and answer basic Wh
questions related to concrete facts. Deficits
in Katie’s perspective taking impair her
ability to answer inferential questions
related to character development or be able
to predict what may happen in a story.
Same age peers are able to use inferential
thinking to understand the characters’
perspective and predict outcome.
GOAL: To improve reading comprehension:
By January 2014, Katie will independently be
able to use a social thinking tool (i.e social
behavior map) to help her describe a
character’s actions, how a character feels, and
how a character’s actions impact others in the
novel with 80% accuracy.
Benchmarks:
A. After each reading assignment, Katie will independently
complete a social behavior map related to designated
characters in a novel with 50% accuracy.
B. After each reading assignment, Katie will independently
complete a social behavior map related to designated
characters in a novel with 60% accuracy.
C. After each reading assignment, Katie will independently
complete a social behavior map related to designated
characters in a novel with 70% accuracy.
D..GOAL…
Social Behavior Map for _________, Chapt. 1
Behaviors that are Expected
Expected Behaviors that
_______ Produces
How They Make Others Feel
Consequences He/She
Experiences
How ____Feels About
Himself/Herself
Consequences He/She
Experiences
How You Feel About
Himself/Herself
Behaviors that are Unexpected
Unexpected Behaviors _______
Produces
How They Make Others Feel



Your Turn
O Based on your student’s needs, priorities
decide what are the goal areas.
O Pick one goal area, and write a new goal
keeping social thinking in mind.
Additional Thoughts and
Resources
O A process for getting team based priorities
(including parents
O On-line resource that is invaluable
O A little more time with Michelle Garcia-
Winner’s resources
Next Time?
O We will focus on the ILAUGH model- what it
is and how to implement
Homework
O Either bring a goal that is based on social
cognition that has been presented and accepted
at an IEP meeting
OR
O Be able to describe how you have used your
knowledge of social cognition to help a team
priotize needs or shift their thinking about a
student