I recently ran into a problem: the toddlers I’m working with needed a toy that could help them learn to label emotions. Interestingly, our research is showing that it’s easier for children to label others’ emotions than it is for them to label their own so I start with kids labeling the emotions of others. …
Here’s my video tutorial on how I’ve been using Toca Pet Doctor with more details on the least-to-most cueing hierarchy I use when I’m targeting these skills. A special note: When inferencing the cause of emotions I prefer to ask “what made him feel sad?” rather than “why does he feel sad?” I find if I use …
Please visit my original post here to learn the basics about using a therapy dog in speech & language treatment. Once you have the basics you can start thinking about using AAI for social skills. Most kids start greeting Zooey before they start greeting me. It’s an interesting example of dogs being helpful for kids …
Toca Kitchen Monsters is another FREE app from Toca Boca. In this one, kids get to choose from 2 monsters and then they get to choose which food items and how to prepare them. This app can be really fun for learning about likes and dislikes when talking about social skills! When using this app …
As children with social skills deficits try to navigate our highly-social world they must first learn the basics (eye contact, following eye-gaze, attending to others, etc.) and then learn to use those skills to identify others’ emotions, inference the cause of the emotions, and problem-solve the situations causing these emotions. In Toca Boca World I …
For a lot of kids who are learning to navigate our highly-social world, some of the most advanced skills are inferencing others’ wants, needs, thoughts, and relationships. When I worked in a clinic with lots of people around I had lots of opportunities to practice these skills while using the people around us as examples. …
As children with social skills deficits try to navigate our highly-social world they must first learn the basics (eye contact, following eye-gaze, attending to others, etc.) and then learn to use those skills to identify others’ emotions, inference the cause of the emotions, and problem-solve the situations causing these emotions. To target these skills I …
For my patients who master the conversation trains I switch to multi-timers. Once they master the multi-timers I start using this FREE conversation hot cocoa slideshow – this shows them how many turns they’re taking compared to their peer or me. I start by showing them the first slide, which has ideas for conversation on …
Years ago I read a blog about using trains as a metaphor for turn-taking during conversations. I can’t find the blog, but it must have been written by Joel Shaul since he came out with a book with the same premise. I bought the book and it’s great for talking kids through conversation, but not …
For my patients who have mastered conversation trains I’ve been using this FREE app. I involve the kids in making their timer – they get to choose the timer’s color and symbol. This helps them see which timer is theirs and keeps them motivated to participate. One tap on a timer starts it, a second …
