This is a metaphor I have been developing to help organise our thinking about social communication. It helps me think about what I am observing and also ideas for teaching and intervention.
2. Inclusive
Communication LTD
Shannon Hennig
PhD
Communication Equation
This is a metaphor I developed to help organise
my thinking about my observations of a
student’s social communication.
The house = reading the situation
Speech bubbles = what to say /do
Thought bubble = predicting outcome
4. Inclusive
Communication LTD
Shannon Hennig
PhD
Part 1: Can they
read the situation well?
Who likes who?
Is someone interested in what I am saying?
What has been already said before?
Is this a formal or informal situation?
Is this a good time for the person?
What body language, eye movements,
tone of voice, or facial expressions do I notice?
5. Inclusive
Communication LTD
Shannon Hennig
PhD
Part 2: Do they know what to do
and how to do it?
Knowing what words to say and do
Knowing how to do this
Knowing how to coordinate facial expressions &
tone of voice, timing, laughter, pauses of
conversation, body language etc etc
6. Inclusive
Communication LTD
Shannon Hennig
PhD
Part 3: Can they predict what will
happen and other people’s responses?
Can the student predict what will happen?
Can they read our emotional reactions?
Can they imagine both the visible outcomes
and invisible ones like people’s judgments
(often hidden behind polite smiles and nods)?
7. Inclusive
Communication LTD
Shannon Hennig
PhD
Coaching ideas for each part
Demonstrations / Try agains / video models
Cue cardsPoint out clues
1-5 scales – write/say list of options
Keep
promises
Acknowledge, then
respond
“I do it or you do it?” / think aloud
1-3 voice
Co-plan what to do
Thought bubbles
One concept that can help us understand just how much work social situation are is to imagine any given interaction like a maths equation built up of 3 sets of variables:
1 if this is happening (the situation)
2 and I do this (the actions)
3 this might happen (the outcomes)
Part 1 – reading the situation:
Are they aware of and understanding social cues to let us know what kind of moment / situation we are in?
Without this – people might think “this isn’t the right time or place for that!”
Discussion – What are some of the different situations our young people have to make sense of when they are with us?
Part 2 – Can they simultaneously think of what to do in that situation?
They might not know what is even possible to say or do in the situation. They might freeze and not know how to begin. Or they might accidentally sound sarcastic, fake, angry, too forward, etc without meaning to because it was too hard to juggle the words and the tone of voice.
Discussion – What is a situation where someone got the words or tone not quite right?
Part 3 – predicting what will happen.
If you find it hard to predict what people will do, people will seem random, illogical, or even uncaring.
If you can’t figure out what someone might be thinking, many things become hard:
Why would someone tell white lies? Why would someone pretend to like something they don’t actually like? Why would someone smile and say yes, if they really want to say no?
Pass out handout to read and discuss in groups
Here are suggestions of things you can do that help a child understand the situation, what they could do, and what might happen.
Blue are things that help children who struggle with reading the situation, green are those for children who don’t know what to do in the situation, and purple are to help with difficulties with imaging what will happen.
Demonstration - you (or a peer) do the steps first, person with autism WATCHES and learns steps. This works better than explaining. They need to see all the steps and transitions between steps
Try again - go back to the start of the situation and start it again. Like getting lost on the road. Go back to the starting point (rather than learn the way from where you discovered you got lost)
Video models - let them watch a video of a game /activity (maybe with commentary likes a sports announcer)
I do one (or lots), before they do one - Ask them, do you want to do it or me? Given them the option to just watch what happens. No pressure for them to then do it themselves until they are ready. This lets them see the entire thing
Think-alouds - act like a sports commentator but about social things (you see how she is standing over there alone, and looking back and forth at the game. I think she wants someone to ask if she wants to play)
Point out & highlight cues - like above - be like a social tour guide pointing out the social cues you can easily notice but they are missing
Cue cards - write down what they can say then let them go try the line in a real situation. Like a director feeding an actor a line
1 -3 voice - if their voice is too loud or quiet. Use a system of a 1 quiet voice, 2 medium voice, 3 loud voice. Demonstrate all three and point out "oh thanks for telling me X, but can you do that with a 2 voice?"
Keep promises - if you say X will happen, make it happen or explain that the situation changed. If it is hard to predict, it is even harder if people say "5 more minutes" then stop the activity at 2 or 15 minutes.
First Then – Let them know what will happen with simple “first ____, then _____” either speech, visual supports, or by writing it down.
1-5 scales - rather than an open ended question, say (and maybe write) down a scale to chose from. Does that make you a 1 not at all scared 3 a little scared 5 really scared).
Writing / saying a list of options that can hear and repeat verbatim in the situation - Warm milk? Cold milk? or no milk?
Thought bubbles -- draw out the situation and add speech and thought bubbles like in a comic strip. Write in both what people said and what they might have been thinking (credit Carol Gray – Comic Book Conversations)
Co planning - work as a team to figure out when and what they should do, and discuss possible outcomes. Then do it together.
Acknowledge then respond – 1st make sure they know you understand what they are communicating (“You want 17 chocolate bars”) THEN respond (“I am sorry, that’s not a choice right now”). Don't skip the acknowledge step or they may try a "louder" approach until they are sure you understood what they mean.