2. Agenda
Introductions
The importance of
independence, relationships, and self-
advocacy
Strategies to increase these factors
Practice & Problem Solving
3. Discuss
Why are social interactions and
relationships important?
Why is independence important?
Why is self-advocacy important?
4. Envisioning Friendships
It’s important to recognize that students with
disabilities want and need friends
It’s also important to recognize that students
with disabilities can be good friends to others
Imagine a solid mutual friendship between a
student with and without a disability. Picture it.
Describe it to someone next to you. Share with
the group.
Rossetti & Goessling (2010)
5. Barriers to Making Friends
What are some barriers that students with
disabilities might experience in making
friends?
6. How Might We At Times Hinder Social
Interactions & Independence?
Adults can inadvertently
create a physical barrier between peers
reduce social interaction by providing too
much 1:1 assistance
establish overdependence and learned-
helplessness
stigmatize a student
take away opportunities for choice-making
Causton-Theoharis & Malmgren (2005a, 2005b), Giangreco et al.
(1997), Rosetti & Goessling (2010)
7. Strategies to Promote Social
Interaction
Redirect peers to converse with the student
Teach others how to interact with the student
Systematically fade adult proximity and prompting
Increase student’s physical proximity to peers
Partner student with peers during academic tasks
Verbally highlight similarities between student and
peers
Use interactive technology
Causton-Theoharis & Malmgren (2005a, 2005b)
8. Using Social Behavioral
Supports
Shoot baskets with a peer
Invite a friend to sit with you at lunch
Select 2 peers to have lunch with the teacher
Play a math game with other students
Play computer games with friends
Pop popcorn with a peer and deliver it to the
class
Read with a friend in the library
Play a board game with the principal
From Causton-Theoharis & Malmgren (2005b)
9. Assigning Socially-Based
Responsibilities
Return books to the library with a friend
Straighten books in the library with a friend
Stuff mailboxes in the office with a friend
Water plants with a friend
Pass out papers with a partner
Collect homework with a partner
Sharpen pencils with a partner
Causton-Theorharis & Malmgren (2005b)
10. Tricky Tricks for Increasing
Social Interactions
Create a “fictional task”
Pull in non-disabled peers
Look for any and all social opportunities
Prompt the student to engage
successfully
Highlight similarities between student &
peers
Make a “purposeful error”
Rossetti & Goessling (2010)
11. Strategies to Increase
Independence
Thinkfirst: “When MUST the student have
help?”
Then ask: “Are there times when the
student could do some things without
help?”
12. Increasing Independence
(cont.)
Systematically fade support
Give more space
Leave room for short periods of time and
gradually increase time apart
Reinforce for working independently
Work together to create activities and tasks
that student can complete independently
Use self-monitoring behavioral supports
13. What is Self-Advocacy?
According
to www.self-
advocate.org, self-advocacy is:
speaking up for yourself.
asking for what you need.
negotiating for yourself.
knowing your rights and responsibilities.
using the resources that are available to
you.
14. Strategies to Promote Self-
Advocacy
Making choices
Timing – of when to get up, when to go to
bed, when to eat dinner, when to get a
haircut
Personal choices – choosing what to
wear, what shampoo to buy, what kind of
drink to get in the lunch line, which group to
join
15. Brainstorm
What else can we do to facilitate
Social interaction?
Independence?
Self-Advocacy?
16. Problem Solving
Vignette #1: Cassie is a 2nd grader with Down
syndrome. She is at the developmental level
of a 3 year old. She has a 1:1 paraeducator in
a general education classroom. She sits in the
back at a large desk that she shares with her
para. They work together on a separate
curriculum for most of the day, and she has
very little interaction with peers except at P.E.
At lunch, she sits at the end of a table next to
her para. She wanders alone on the
playground and occasionally plays with
students from the special education class.
17. Problem Solving
Vignette #2: Joseph is a high school
student with autism. His behavior is good
overall in that he follows the rules and
doesn’t get into trouble. However, he
keeps to himself and sort of falls “under
the radar” because he’s so quiet. He is in
a special education setting most of the
day, but has two electives, P.E., and
lunch/break with non-disabled peers.
Editor's Notes
Provide examples of this and refer to research examples.
Interactive technology: computer with 2 input devices or 2 headsets or share earpieces (one per student)What’s cool is that one adult facilitation can snowball into several student interactions.
Example of fictional task: You notice a peer watching the student and looking like she might want to help him. You say, “I’ll be right back, I need to grab something out of my bag.” Go and pretend to grab something out of your bag. This allows an opportunity for the peer to interact.Seat student next to non-disabled peers, introduce them, then walk away. Prepare student ahead of time “Hey today during science I’m going to introduce you to Max and Shane. I’m going to hang back for a bit so try to hang out with them as much as you can.”If student speaks to peers too quietly, discreetly say, “say it louder” to prompt more successful engagementPurposeful error – forgetting a pencil or paper or leaving a book in the library can result in students lending materials or walking together to retrieve something.
Plan to leave the room for 2 minutes, then reinforce for still working or staying in seat or whatever, then 5 minutes, then 10 minutes. Or similarly work with other students for 2 minutes, 5 minutes, etc.
Think of specific ways to increase social interactions and independence. Work with others and share with whole group.
How could you encourage & increase social interactions?
