Intro to Social Coaching

James Emmett

www.socialcoachinginstitute.net

APSE Webinar

Theory of Mind

• What if I don’t know that you have mind separate and different from my own?

• What if I don’t realize that you are a unique individual in your own right?

• What if I don’t realize that you have my interests at heart and want to offer me the benefits of your own experiences and thinking and ability?

• What if I don’t know that you experience things differently from me?

Possible Work Problems

• Understanding what is expected of them when the job is not specific enough, the tasks are not defined and varied, the employer’s expectations are not clear or there is little routine to the job

• Recognizing the informal rules of the workplace which others can understand without being told

Possible Problems (cont.)

• Working as a team..cannot offer recognize humor, hints, ironies

• seeking help in appropriate ways…having difficulty assessing the best times and methods to use

• Recognizing that co-workers might find their behavior intrusive or odd

• coping with unexpected changes at work…their consequent anxiety may make them less competent and more demanding

Problems (cont.)

• Remembering info that has been communicated verbally

• Different sensory reactions from the norm…background noises, florescent lighting, open windows, vibrations.

Ways to Improve the Experience of Work

• Gradual intro into the work situation, with support

• Clear, specific job tasks--made clear to employer

• Written, diagrammatic or pictorial instructions

• A structured work pattern which enables the employee to complete one task before beginning another

Improving (cont.)

• Clear line of management and an informed supervisor, or mentor who can be available to give advice

• Checklists and timetables for work to be done

• Initial close supervision

• Explicit rules of behavior and advice about unwritten rules in the workplace

• Consistency from colleagues

Improving (cont.)

• Immediate, clear and open feedback about the standard of work done

• Guidelines for colleagues about how they can meet the individual needs in the workplace

• Contingency plans for dealing with unbearable stress, a place to go for refuge, and contact with someone who will give support

Getting a Match and an Action Plan

• List the environmental needs of the student

• List the job requisites of the job

• List the requisites of the workplace

• Find the level of the match

• Create the action plan

Social Coaching In the Workplace

Social Coaching

1.Values

2.Self-Advocacy

3.Social Skills

4.Communication Skills

Minnesota Work Adjustment Theory

• Work skills matched with Job Requirements = Satisfactoriness

• Work Values matched with Job Reinforcers = Satisfaction

• Satisfaction + Satisfactoriness = Job Tenure

Relation to Autism

• Too often we focus on satisfactoriness• We need to assess what a worker with

autism values• We cannot assume what an individual

values• From experience, job retention is

significantly increased when a worker with autism’s values are addressed and met on the job

How to Assess Work Values

• Direct Interview• Hobbies & Free Time• Ask family• Observations of behavior• O-Net

Self-Advocacy Skills

1. Asking For Help

2. Saying “I don’t Understand”

3. Requesting a break

1. Understanding Job Responsibilities2. Understanding Directions3. Making Introductions4. Asking Questions5. Asking Permission6. Asking for Help7. Accepting Help8. Offering Help9. Requesting Information

Social Skills

Social Skills (cont.)

10. Taking Messages11. Engaging In Conversation12. Giving Directions13. Receiving Compliments14. Giving Compliments15. Convincing Others16. Apologizing17. Accepting Criticism18. Responding to a Complaint

Social Interaction On The Job

• Temple Grandin is an individual with autism who has her Ph.D. in Animal Science

• She defined the following Rule System to guide her social interactions and behaviors, especially on the job

Social Interaction (cont.)

• This system is helpful to assist other individuals with autism in understanding social rules on the job

• There are four categories in this system:

Really Bad Things

• Defined as things that are considered extremely bad by a culture and are most time illegal

• Examples:– Stealing someone’s work– Hitting a co-worker

Courtesy Rules

• These things are important because they make others around you at work feel comfortable

• Examples:– Cleaning up the lunch area after you finish

lunch– Letting a co-worker in a rush make copies

before you

Illegal But Not Bad

• These things technically violate a law, but are not considered bad by the culture

• Examples:– Speeding when you are late for work– “Stealing” a paper clip from a co-worker’s

desk

Sins of the System

• These are the unwritten rules of the workplace that will lead to termination. Some of these rules may vary from work place to work place. This is a category that is difficult for workers with autism

• Examples:– Not asking a supervisor 6 times when it will be time to

return from break– Not discussing sexual issues with a co-worker

Being a Competent Communicator?

The “Culture” of Autism: Being a Cross-cultural

Translator

Thinking

Difficulty incombining ideas

Difficulty organizing

and sequencing

Difficultygeneralizing

Additional neurological

patterns

Concrete

Focus onDetail

Distractibility

(adapted from Mesibov)

How to Aid Understanding

• Talk less• Give wait time (use silence)• Keep it concrete and straightforward• Do not use sarcasm or abstract phrases

Environmental Supports

Are the materials that assist the individual client taking into account?– Their sensory needs– Their need to understand the passage of time– The ways they learn based on their strengths– Their need for accurate consistent information

Why Is It Important?

• So they can make sense of their world

• So they can become flexible

• So they can be independent

Time

Supports that organize sequences of time and time frames– Schedules– Mini schedules– Completion guidelines– Waiting supports– Accepting change

Space

Supports that provide specific information about the organization of the environment– Location– Sensory overload supports– Personal space– Relationship to others

Events

Supports that connect the steps of an activity to the people/objects– Routines– Rule cards– Task completion– Mini schedules– Possessions– Privacy

Expressions

Supports that allow the client to initiate interactions and have control

– Making choices

– Self-control

– Improving expressions

Considerations for Designing Environment Supports

• The client

• Physical Space

• Sensory Space

• User Friendliness

Tools to Help Our Clients Improve

Social Communication

Helping Our Client’s Understanding

• 1. Visual supports

• 2. Social stories

Social Stories

Good social stories use 3 types of sentences:

1. Descriptive

2. Perspective

3. Directive

0-1 Directive

_______________

2-5 Descriptive,

Perspective or

Affirmative Sentences

Social Story RatioThe basic social story ratio defines the proportion of sentences used in a story. This ratio is maintained no matter what the length or focus of the story. This ratio ensures the DESCRIPTIVE quality of the story. Some social stories do not contain directive sentences but are entirely descriptive. Following this ratio results in a social story that has a patient and reassuring quality and can be referred to time and time again as a source of social information for the student with ASD

From T-TAC Sue Palko, VCU

Social Skill Supports

Comic Strip Conversation:

A Comic Strip Conversation is a visual

conversation between two or more people

using simple illustrations in a comic strip

format.

Social Skill Supports

• Comic Strip Conversation:

An individual uses simple drawings to

communicate what he/she and others say,

do, and think. These words and drawings

serve as an outline of the conversation

Other Social SkillSupport Strategies (cont.)

4. Mentoring:

Mentor Training

Incentives & Follow-Up

Social Support Strategies (cont.)

5. Role Play:

Specific text with instructor

Specific text with peer

Improvise entire interaction

Practice in natural environment

Social Support Strategies (cont.)

6) Scripting: Write the “play” together7) Board Games: Concrete practice8) Direction Instruction: Class style9) Peer Tutoring: Helping each other10) Incidental Teaching: Reinforce when it

occurs in natural environment

Social Support Strategies (cont.)

11) Rehearsal: Acronyms, practiceAccepting Help:GreetExpress appreciationTell how to helpThank the personGETT

Social Support Strategies (cont.)

12) Modeling13) Visualization14) Rule Cards15) Immediate Feedback16) Self-Management17) Organizational Chart18) Social Communication Groups

Contact Me

James Emmett

Social Coaching Institute

Corporate Disability Consultant

www.socialcoachinginstitute.net

jamesemmett@socialcoachinginstitute.net

574-808-9779

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesemmett21