Social Compass Curriculum: A Story-Based Intervention Package for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Children with autism learn social skills best in group settings where they can practice everyday interactions with peers. Now there's a highly effective, ready-to-use curriculum educators can use to explicitly teach social skills right in the classroom! Ideal for Grades 4-8 but easily adaptable for use with older children, this social skills intervention curriculum gives educators 24 lessons that help students with autism make progress in areas critical to social success. Each step-by-step lesson gives students a social story that models a key skill; worksheets that reinforce takeaway points; a simple, memorable icon that helps them remember what to do; opportunities to role-play and rehearse the skill; and take-home worksheets to ensure generalisation in settings outside of school.

Why Use The Social Compass Curriculum?

• Helps students make progress in 4 key areas: non-verbal communication; emotion; social problem solving, and "we" skills for effective conversation
• Field-tested over 10 years with more than 300 students, with significant positive results
• Teaches and reinforces social skills with clear directions and visual supports
• Gives students repeated opportunities to role-play and rehearse social skills with their peers
• Flexible—lets the teacher go back and review areas where students are struggling
• Lessons take just 20-40 minutes
• Based on evidence-based practices such as ABA, visual and peer supports, and Social Stories™
• Ensures generalisation of new skills with activity worksheets to use at home

Practical Materials: In-class and take-home worksheets, flashcards and handouts that reinforce skills, and a full-colour quick-reference poster of the social compass icons.

Helps students develop key social skills like:

• Interpreting body language
• Dealing with teasing
• Building empathy
• Using self-control
• Accepting change
• Paying attention
• Initiating a conversation
• Sharing information
• Negotiating needs
• Avoiding being left out
• Expanding personal interests
• and more...

Table of Contents

About the Material Included in This Curriculum

Foreword Peter F. Gerhardt

About the Authors

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Module 1: Nonverbal Skills

• Lesson 1A Body Language/Gestures
• Lesson 1B Space and Proximity
• Lesson 1C Volume of Voice
• Lesson 1D Social Referencing

Module 2: Emotions

• Lesson 2A Increasing Emotional Vocabulary
• Lesson 2B Identifying Intensity of Feelings
• Lesson 2C Empathy
• Lesson 2D Positive Self-Talk

Module 3: Social Problem Solving

• Lesson 3A Staying on Topic
• Lesson 3B Paying Attention
• Lesson 3C Accepting Change in Routines
• Lesson 3D Resisting Tattling
• Lesson 3E Handling Teasing
• Lesson 3F Using Self-Control
• Lesson 3G Avoiding Being Left Out

Module 4: "We" Skills

• Lesson 4A Initiating a Conversation
• Lesson 4B Asking Questions
• Lesson 4C Sharing Information
• Lesson 4D Giving Compliments
• Lesson 4E Expanding Personal Interests
• Lesson 4F Paraphrasing
• Lesson 4G Negotiating Needs
• Lesson 4H Maintaining a Conversation
• Lesson 4I Ending a Conversation

Appendix A: Photocopiable Materials for Use in Multiple Lessons

Appendix B : Lesson'Specific Resources

Index

"A very useful resource for teaching social skills to students with autism spectrum disorders . . . will guide teachers in how to teach these elusive skills in concrete, fun, and interactive ways."
- Dr. Mary Jane Weiss, Director, Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis Program & Professor

"An evidence-based intervention that is very user-friendly . . . emphasizes understanding of social interactions by contextualizing complex ideas in stories. A highly recommended book."
- Lauren Franke, speech-language pathologist and clinical psychologist

"I have witnessed numerous children develop strong social skills with the help of the Social Compass curriculum. Finally, students from all over the world will be able to use what we in Southern California have had for years through this excellent guide."
- Gillian Hayes, Associate Professor, Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences, University of California, Irvine

"An instructional curriculum that will enhance the lives of children with autism and those on the spectrum. This is a must-have curriculum for every teacher!"
- Belinda Karge, Director Project AIMS: Autism, Inclusion, Math and Science, California State University, Fullerton

"Ideal for the busy school based clinician or behaviorist . . . This is an excellent resource for use with our school-age ASD students."
- Michelle Garcia Winner, Speech Language Pathologist and Founder of Social Thinking®