Social Skills & Interactions for Children with Special Needs

Attendance Board
Situation: 

How can I help students learn their classmate’s names and faces?

Perspective-Taking Visual
Situation: 

I have a student who tends to make comments to classmates and teachers that result in hurt feelings, confusion, and ultimately avoidance (i.e. “Your shirt is ugly”, “This is stupid”, etc.) He seems to want to make friends and be liked by his teachers and classmates but these comments are really bothering the people around him. How can I help this student understand how his behavior affects others?

Special Education Transition Using Pen Pal System
Situation: 

I’m a special education teacher and a few of my 5th grade students are getting nervous about moving to the Middle School in the fall.  We always visit the new school towards the end of the year, but I don’t think it’s enough to calm their anxiety.  Any ideas to help make the transition smoother?

School Store Social Skills
Situation: 

The students in my Life Skills class need more practice with social skills, but they always seem to clam up in those unstructured times like lunch and in between classes.  Is there something I can do to help them have more opportunities to interact?

Seat Sheet and Collector Cards: Restaurant
Situation: 

My son will not sit when we go out to a restaurant. He continually tries to crawl under the table or run away from the table. What can we do to make going out to eat easier?

“Look Again” Positive Ways to Provide Corrections to School Work
Situation: 

Several students in my Learning Support class become very upset when I make corrections on their papers.  I’ve tried calling them up to my desk for a private review of their errors, and they still cry, protest, or shut down.  How can I get them to fix their mistakes without the negative reactions?

School-Based Vocational Experiences
Situation: 

My older middle school Life Skills students need some community-based work experiences, but our school is located in a rural area without many opportunities nearby.  What can I do to help them learn some beneficial work skills?

Growing Up: Preparing for Menstruation
Situation: 

I have a 4th grade student who is developing rapidly.  Her mother is not sure how to talk to her and teach her about menstruation and how her body is changing.  I’m not sure how to address this either.  Do you have any ideas to help?

Sharing Space Strategy
Situation: 

One of my students has great difficulty sharing playground equipment with his classmates. He tends to push them away when they try to climb up beside him or yell at them if they’re ahead of him in line for the slide. He’s not making any friends this way. How can I help him share his space?

Errorless Learning
Situation: 

My students often imitate and I want to avoid reinforcing “wrong” or poor skills and behaviors. How can I teach and reinforce positive skills and behaviors?