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Why we have to sell SEL?

Why We Need to Support Social-Emotional Learning for All Our Students!

At a recent parent teacher conference a passionate teacher found herself explaining why she dedicates daily instructional time for activities to address topics of social and emotional learning (SEL), with the goal of strengthening her students’ overall emotional health and ability to interact socially in positive ways. Surprisingly, her presentation was met by a stark remark from one of the parents who said, “I never had SEL lessons in school and I came out alright!”

Somewhere over the past 50+ years we have finally figured out that education is not all ABCs and 123s. We have learned that separating the learning from the learner just creates angst, it doesn’t create lifelong learners. The new wave of interest in SEL is promising, and provides options for educators. How do we as educators who believe in teaching the whole child (including social and emotional skills) help others to understand why this is important – that is, how do we “sell” SEL instruction to all stakeholders including administrators, teachers, students and parents?

 What is SEL? Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions (CASEL). In order for students to develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills described in SEL, students need to be competent, or have abilities, in five areas: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision making.

 

The Importance of Social Learning

Our world is a social place, and we spend most of our time as members of social groups. We all use our social skills everywhere we go. Social skills are about sharing space with others and being able to get along with people in a variety of settings. An individual’s social success is based upon the quality of his or her social interactions. In order to have positive social interactions, an individual needs to be socially competent and have strong social learning skills.

Education in the United States has matured since the passing of Title I in 1965, we now look for research-based instructional practices and data based decision making. Accountability is not a foreign concept, in fact it is right up front and center stage. When we look at building a case for justifying SEL instruction, we can include some amazing data. In fact, research shows that SEL not only improves achievement by an average of 11 percentile points, but it also increases prosocial behaviors (such as kindness, sharing, and empathy), improves student attitudes toward school, and reduces depression and stress among students (Durlak et al., 2011).

The role of technology in reaching students who are socially ‘challenged’

In today’s world technology is a natural medium for just about any student to help them learn and engage in new concepts. Technology offers an opportunity to experiment in real life scenarios without any dangerous consequences. Simulated personal interactions afford students a safe haven to learn more about those non-intuitive things – like learning body language, picking up on sarcasm or other verbal nuances which are not very clear.

Introducing The Social Express

In a safe and familiar learning environment, The Social Express animated interactive program provides students an opportunity to learn and practice skills needed to help them develop meaningful relationships and successfully navigate our social world. The Social Express was designed for students to use at school or home, and provides educators and parents with insightful data about students’ growth in key areas of social emotional learning.

In over 80 animated interactive lessons, The Social Express aligns with basic tenets of Universal Design of Learning (UDL)  by offering different types of learning methods including online and offline activities.  In addition, The Social Express is both research-based and research-backed! A research study with over 350 students concluded there were statistically significant improvements for students when the implementation was part of a schoolwide initiative.

Each “webisode” teaches foundational skills for social and emotional learning such as:

  • Attentive Listening
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Conversations
  • Critical Thinking
  • Group Participation
  • Non-Verbal Communication
  • Relationship & Self Management

The best part about The Social Express is that even though you might have to “sell SEL” to other adults, you never have to sell it to the students themselves. The interactive lessons are engaging and fun. Countless testimonials concur that the application is awesome! Thousands of teachers worldwide are using The Social Express to help students feel less socially isolated, and learn how to interact in our very social world.

By Joyce Whitby

@jwhitby1 joyce@innovations4education.com

References:

 

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Learning Social-Emotional Skills in the 21st Century

By Heather Lowe on Thu, 21 Apr 2016

It was the winter of 1997, and as my grandmother hung up the phone, tears gradually began to stream down her face. Another one of her friends, a close one, had died. I wrapped my arms around her waist and hugged her as she cried. It was the first time in my life that I can remember not just feeling sad for someone, but feeling sad with that person. It was a powerful memory of empathy for me.

Psychologists refer to empathy as a social-emotional skill, a term for the cognitive skills that guide our social and emotional behaviors. Social-emotional learning has recently become a popular topic in education reform, among both education researchers and educators interested in its pedagogical applications. A large body of research has shown that socio-emotional skills support learning, by enabling students to do everything from sit still during a lesson to understand the feelings of their peers. Other studies go beyond outcomes in the classroom and show that self-control at 3 years old predicts health, wealth, and crime from adolescence through early adulthood. One of the most popular social-emotional topics is grit, which psychologist Angela Duckworth has argued is more predictive of success than IQ or personality traits. So how will the social-emotional learning domain transform as educators continue to teach this moving target of skills? Digital technology seems to have some insights.

With the rise of personalized learning and digital education tools for math, history, science and other core content areas, there has also been the development of social-emotional digital games. My initial query revealed approximately two dozen social-emotional apps available for download on the App Store. Some apps focus on emotional intelligence; while others focus cognitive brain breaks or empathy. Most of the apps focused on identifying emotions target younger children, while the games geared at understanding the perspectives and experiences of different people could be used by teenagers or adults. However, the presence of these games on mobile platforms makes them accessible to a much wider group of people.

Over the past two years, low-income families’ access to smartphones has increased from 27% to 51%, closing the “app gap” slightly faster than the disparity between high and low-income home internet access. Mobile platforms appear to have more potential to level the playing field of access to digital educational tools. Simultaneously, the time children ages 8 and under spend on mobile devices has tripled since 2011. But according to researchers at the University of California, the more time children spend in front of the screen could be inhibiting their ability to read social cues. So, if you are like me, it can be difficult to fathom learning empathy or other social-emotional skills from technology instead of human interaction, like I did with my grandmother.

While some may be skeptical of social-emotional apps, there are certain scenarios in which they can be quite powerful. Speech-language pathologists often use these games to help children on the autism spectrum learn nonverbal cues to benefit social interactions. One program, The Social Express, is a series of interactive webisodes and apps that can be used by the learner independently, or with a teacher in a group. The Social Express allows learners to engage in a variety of social situations and adds a level of comfort that would be inaccessible without the game’s removal from reality. The app places a user in different social scenarios, often focusing on social skills that those with autism may struggle with, such as eye contact. Even though the app can improve a child’s behavior in social settings, parents and educators should employ the app as a supplemental, not primary, solution.
The Social Express challenges players to take the perspectives of others.

Not only are apps being used to teach social-emotional skills, but so are beloved children’s television characters. A few years ago, WGBH and Tufts University transformed the children’s television show Arthur into an interactive, digital comic book. Teachers paired 1st and 4th graders together to complete lessons that focused on prosocial behavior, positive decision-making, and character development. The computer game focused on these facets of social-emotional learning in an effort to proactively prevent bullying. In addition to the engagement of a game, it was effective because Arthur prompted children to have discussions with their peers about the dilemmas in the story. Thus, the verbal reflection with peers and a teacher about situations in Arthur improved social-emotional literacy. Results from a study evaluating the game’s efficacy revealed that children demonstrated increased awareness, understanding, and vocabulary about bullying.

However, there are cases where social-emotional games and programs can be used to manage students in ways that may not be beneficial to child development. The game Zoo U recreates common social scenarios at school, and children pick which dialogue option for their character to express in a tough social situation. The program provides educators with an assessment of a student’s competency in different social-emotional areas: emotion management and identification, impulse control, empathy, cooperation, communication, social initiation, and problem solving. The assessment provides concrete examples for teachers to target and improve specific weaknesses that the assessment identified. But assessments often become a student’s label for a teacher, especially when a teacher lacks the time and resources to spend quality time with a student. A seminal study by Robert Rosenthal at Harvard found that giving a teacher a label of a student’s intellectual capacity affects how that teacher instructs them; teachers gave students with a label of intellectual growth more positive feedback, overtly and subtlety, throughout the learning process. Providing an assessment about a student’s level of empathy, for example, could provide a teacher with a label that could be misinterpreted as a character flaw.

While social-emotional apps may present a way for those with autism to learn social cues in a safe environment, the apps could also encourage a quick-fix solution to a behavioral problem in cases when medical professionals should be consulted. Though social-emotional apps can proactively address bullying and promote awareness on how to address it, other games may provide a social-emotional assessment of a child that runs the risk of misinterpretation. So, should social-emotional apps solve children’s behavioral problems or should we be finding more holistic solutions? The current body of research suggests that methods to improve social-emotional outcomes must be comprehensive and use technology as a tool, not a solution.

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These Parents of Autistic Twins Are Helping Kids All Over the World with Social Skills

When Marc Zimmerman’s twins were given an autism diagnosis, he decided to create something to make their lives better.

By Jamie Pacton

Zimmerman family Courtesy Marc Zimmerman

Marc Zimmerman has been a rockstar, composer, real estate broker, and software startup entrepreneur. But his latest project—founding and running the company responsible for the incredible social situation simulator The Social Express—is the one closest to his heart and home.Marc and his wife Tina are the parents of 14-year-old autistic twins Jared and Jason. When the boys were younger, Zimmerman wanted to create something that would help them navigate tricky social situations, reinforce what the boys were learning in therapy, and be something they could watch and learn from together. With this seed of an idea, Marc invested his life savings, made concrete plans, and now, with the help of Tina and many others, The Social Express is a reality.

So, what exactly does The Social Express do? According to its website, it, “provides an opportunity for the user to become more socially competent and have successful social interactions.” Or, put in simpler terms: It helps kids practice a variety of social situations in a low-stakes setting. Through colorful, expertly-animated videos and thoughtful storylines, kids can learn more about self-management, group participation, conversations, attentive listening, conflict management, relationships, non-verbal communication, and more. Kids watch the videos, then make choices that move them further along in the storyline. There are webisodes, e-books, music, and a “clubhouse” for social networking. It’s available for the computer or as an app, and Zimmerman notes that his sons and many other autistic kids really appreciate using technology as a vehicle for practicing social rules and conventions.

Social Express Social Express

Although I was skeptical about how much my children—a neurotypical 5-year-old and a non-verbal autistic 7-year-old—would take to the videos, I’m happy to report they were both enthralled by them. Together, we watched several in which kids tried to figure out which social choice was the most productive—and all of us appreciated the interactive aspect of The Social Express. We were also able to have a bit of conversation about the scenarios and why one way of acting was more positive than another in that social situation. I appreciated the conversation starters and the fact that this was low stakes, since social interactions in the real world cause both my children a lot of anxiety.

And my kids aren’t alone in appreciating The Social Express. Zimmerman reports that it is being used in homes and classrooms in more than 70 countries around the world, and it’s won quite a few awards, including being a part of the U.S. Department of Education’s National Education Technology Plan. Some schools are even using it with entire populations of students—not just autistic ones or those with special needs—and they’re seeing tremendous positive gains in social engagement. In fact, based on this success across student populations, Zimmerman is working on an anti-bullying program, similar to The Social Express, that will help kids figure out how to stop bullying in a variety of situations. He’s also planning on rolling out simulation programs to help with life skills and job training for older kids who are transitioning out of school.

The Social Express is a great program, and I love that it was inspired by the Zimmermans’ desire to help thier sons move more easily through the world. I’m hoping that with time, patience, and through practicing in many social situations both simualted and in the real world, my kids can see similar benefits to the Zimmerman twins, who are now artists, play in a band together, attend school, are good friends, and who are beginning to think about what the future might hold.

You can buy The Social Express here, and use this discount code at checkout to take 30% off the annual subscription: COOLTOOL. The code expires April 30, 2016.

Jamie Pacton lives in the Pacific Northwest where she drinks loads of coffee, dreams of sailing, and enjoys each day with her husband and two sons. Find her at www.jamiepacton.com and Twitter @jamiepacton.

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Study: Behavior in kindergarten linked to adult success By Kelly Wallace, CNN

Recently a colleague sent me this CNN post. Finally, there is empirical data that shows the correlation between life success and social and emotional skills.

Kelly Wallace is CNN’s digital correspondent and editor-at-large covering family, career and life. Read her other columns and follow her reports atCNN Parents and on Twitter.

(CNN)In our household, we’re still talking about the critically acclaimed box office smash “Inside Out,” Pixar’s animated look at the emotions inside a child’s brain. It came up most recently when we watched Serena Williams cruise to another victory at this year’s Wimbledon, and my youngest daughter, age 7, remarked that her “Joy” (the character who controls happiness in the movie) must be going wild. During the match, Serena’s “Angry” must have been at her brain’s control panel, we all agreed.

I thought of the movie recently as I learned about a new study that showcases just how critical it can be for a child to be able to understand emotions and relate to the world.

Every parent intuitively knows it’s a good thing to teach their child how to share and play well with others, and how to deal with emotions like anger and sadness, but do most of us have any sense of just how important these so-called social and emotional skills can be to our child’s long-term success?

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Related: How to teach girls to be confident #LikeAGirl

The new study, a comprehensive 20-year examination of 800 children from kindergarten through their mid-20s published Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health, found a link between a child’s social skills in kindergarten and how well they were doing in early adulthood.

Children who were helpful and shared in kindergarten were more likely to have graduated college and have a full-time job at age 25. The children who had problems resolving conflicts, sharing, cooperating and listening as kindergartners were less likely to have finished high school and college, and were more likely to have substance abuse problems and run-ins with the law.

The findings are “huge” when it comes to the thinking about how brain health impacts a person’s overall health, said Kristin Schubert, program director for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which funded the research.

“It’s like a paradigm shift around what it means to be mentally well at an early age and how that dictates how life goes for you later on,” she said.

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Related: Is the ‘be a man’ stereotype hurting boys?

Emotional skills can be taught

To conduct the study, researchers from Penn State University and Duke University looked at teacher evaluations of kindergartners’ social competency skills, which were conducted in 1991.

Teachers evaluated the kids based on factors such as whether they listened to others, shared materials, resolved problems with their peers and were helpful. Each student was then given an overall score to rate their positive skills and behavior, with zero representing the lowest level and four for students who demonstrated the highest level of social skills and behavior.

Researchers then analyzed what happened to the children in young adulthood, taking a look at whether they completed high school and college and held a full-time job, and whether they had any criminal justice, substance abuse or mental problems.

For every one-point increase in a child’s social competency score in kindergarten, they were twice as likely to obtain a college degree, and 46% more likely to have a full-time job by age 25.

For every one-point decrease in a child’s social skill score in kindergarten, he or she had a 67% higher chance of having been arrested in early adulthood, a 52% higher rate of binge drinking and an 82% higher chance of being in or on a waiting list for public housing.

“We were surprised but not completely surprised” by the findings, saidDamon Jones of Penn State University, the lead researcher for the study.

Related: Emotional intelligence: The benefits of singing the blues

Jones said he and his fellow researchers knew the importance of social and emotional competency in a child’s development, but didn’t quite expect to find as strong a correlation between those skills and a child’s long-term well-being, even with other variables factored out, such as a family’s socioeconomic status and the child’s academic ability.

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What’s heartening from the findings, Jones said, is how social skills can be taught and learned throughout a child’s development.

“Some people might look at this and say, ‘Well, if my child measures low on a scale like this, does this mean my child is doomed or … they are sentenced to all these terrible outcomes?’ ” said Jones, who is a research assistant professor of health and human development at Penn State.

The answer is no, he said, pointing to all the effective ways to address and help children develop good social and emotional skills, whether through schooling or parenting.

“The research greatly shows that these are the type of skills that are malleable, in fact much more malleable than say something like IQ or other things that are more likely traits that are more ingrained.”

‘Far-reaching’ implications

The implications of the study’s findings are far-reaching, said Schubert of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

First, there’s a message to educators that social and emotional learning can be just as important as cognitive skills.

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“Traditionally, we’re focused much more on academic achievement and more and more we’re realizing through many studies that academic achievement is only one part of making somebody successful,” said Penn State’s Jones.

“If we’re sticking with the schools analogy, it takes the discipline, it takes the motivation, the attitude, the ability to work with others and work with adults to be able to succeed in schools and attain degrees.”

Related: Why we pick bad leaders and how to spot the good ones

Business leaders understand the importance of emotional intelligence, Schubert said. In some ways, they grasped this before many who study early childhood, she said.

“They know they want to hire people who can play well with others because they know it actually impacts the bottom line,” she said.

How to teach emotional learning

Parents, there’s a message here for all of us, too, Schubert said: “This stuff matters.”

“If you talk about sharing and learning how to manage emotions and things, I think most parents say, ‘Yeah, I do that,’ ” but they often concede that they don’t exactly know what to do, Schubert said.

“No one really talks about how you do this, so wouldn’t it be great if we started a dialogue about how there are actually a lot of resources out there to help you do it.”

Related: SOS for stressed out teens

Enter Sofia Dickens, who became so convinced of the importance of emotional intelligence on life success that she founded a company,EQtainment, which creates board games and toys to help children flex their social and emotional muscles.

“These skills are very simple and it’s something that any parent can work on at home, in their living room, in the car, in the grocery store line, while cooking dinner, while eating dinner,” said Dickens, a mom of three and former television host.

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Dickens said parents can play games like “Red light, green light” and “Freeze tag,” which help kids learn how to control their bodies, and can help them learn how to control their thoughts and emotions.

Another way to practice building “grit and resilience and empathy” in kids is spending time reading with them, she said.

“The only way to accelerate the life experience process, since they’re just kids and don’t have a lot of life experiences, is to go on a journey learning from other people’s life experiences,” she said.

“So when you read a book with your children, ask them questions about how the main character might be feeling or what motivates the main character or what you would do if you were in their shoes.”

Dickens was not involved in the new kindergarten study, but said she wanted to shout the findings “from the rooftop.”

“This study (is) replicating what we already know to be true, which is that (emotional intelligence) has possibly the greatest correlation to school readiness and life success and that’s why it’s something that we really want to invest in when it comes to raising and growing our kids.”

What do you think is the best way to teach children strong social and emotional skills? Share your thoughts with Kelly Wallace on Twitter @kellywallacetv or CNN Parents on Facebook.

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Bullying, Students with Disabilities, and Social Emotional Skills

Bullying, Students with Disabilities, and Social Emotional Skills

Students with disabilities face an increased risk of being bullied. Some also engage in bullying behavior. To ensure the emotional well-being of its most vulnerable students, schools must take essential steps to reduce the bullying of students with disabilities and remedy the harmful effects.

This document will address the federal laws associated with bullying of and by students with disabilities, research insight related to such bullying, as well as how The Social Express® and Cool School™ can support a multi-tiered approach to assist all students in gaining more effective social relationship skills.

Federal Laws Associated with Bullying and Students with Disabilities:

Three federal laws govern situations related to bullying of or by students with disabilities: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Title II) and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).[i]

The importance of addressing the risks associated with bullying and students with disabilities was recently reinforced by the U.S. Department of Education (Department) in two Dear Colleague Letters. In 2013, the Department’s Office for Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) issued a Letter that called upon schools to address bullying of or by students with disabilities who are receiving services under the IDEA.[ii] In 2014, the Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Dear Colleague Letter reminding schools of their obligations to address the harassment of students with disabilities under Section 504 and Title II.[iii]

Under Section 504 and Title II, a school’s inappropriate response to harassment of a student based on disability constitutes disability-based harassment. It is the responsibility of schools under Section 504 and IDEA to ensure that students receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Bullying of student with a disability on any basis (whether based on the student‘s disability or not) can result in a denial of FAPE that must be remedied. Discriminatory harassment and denial of FAPE are two different, but related, issues.

In determining whether disability-based harassment has occurred, OCR will consider the following:

  • Was a student with a disability bullied by one or more students based on the student’s disability?
  • Was the bullying conduct sufficiently serious to create a hostile environment?
  • Did the school know or should it have known of the conduct?
  • Did the school fail to take prompt and effective steps reasonably calculated to end the conduct, eliminate the hostile environment, prevent it from recurring, and, as appropriate, remedy its effects?

Schools also face the potential of financial liability if sued by a student based on discriminatory harassment. In 2012, the Second Circuit upheld a 1 Million Dollar verdict against a New York school by a student who had endured over three years of harassment.[iv] It appeared the school was doing everything required in most anti-bullying statutes. It had a policy against bullying, held trainings, had a reporting system, and responded every time the student reported. The Court noted that the school ignored many signals that more action was needed and only engaged in “half-hearted efforts” to correct the “culture of bias” that was fueling the harassment.

When addressing discriminatory harassment, the focus is on the overall school climate, the behavior of other students towards students with disabilities, and the effectiveness of interventions in hurtful situations. If students with disabilities are regularly treated badly by their peers, a school must be engaging in diligent efforts to increase the level of respect demonstrated by all students towards those with special needs and intervene effectively.

In determining whether a student receiving IDEA FAPE or Section 504 FAPE services who was bullied or engaged in bullying was denied FAPE, OSERS or OCR will consider:

  • Did the school know or should it have known that the effects of the bullying may have affected the student’s receipt of IDEA FAPE or Section 504 FAPE?
  • If the answer is “yes,” did the school meet its ongoing obligation to ensure FAPE by promptly determining whether the student’s educational needs were still being met, and if not, making changes, as necessary, to his or her IEP or Section 504 plan?

When addressing FAPE, the focus is on the educational needs of and services provided to the student. A school’s investigation should determine whether that student’s receipt of appropriate FAPE services has been affected by the bullying. If bullying of a student has created a hostile environment, there is reason to believe this has also interfered with FAPE. But even if the situation does not meet the level of a hostile environment, or if this is a situation where the student with disabilities has engaged in bullying, the school still has an obligation to address FAPE-related concerns.

As part of an appropriate response to a bullying situation, the school should convene the IEP or 504 team to determine whether the student’s needs have changed such that the IEP or 504 FAPE services plan is no longer providing a meaningful educational benefit. The team must determine the extent to which additional or different FAPE services are needed to address the student’s individualized needs and then revise and implement the IEP or 504 plan accordingly. However, efforts to address the bullying situation must also not result in a denial of FAPE. For example, schools must avoid the unilateral placement of a student in a more restrictive environment as a way to address the bullying concerns.

Under IDEA, schools must establish objectives for both academic and functional skills. A student who is being or engaging in bullying will likely require additional or different functional skills objectives, specifically those related to improving this student’s social relationship skills.

If a student with a disability is engaging in bullying, the situation must be investigated thoroughly to determine whether this student’s inappropriate behavior is associated with his or her disability. For example, the symptoms associated with trauma or conduct disorder include aggressive behavior that could be considered bullying.[v] It is also possible that this student’s aggressive behavior is in response to being disparaged by other students.[vi] Both of these kinds of situations, should result in an IEP or 504 meeting to determine whether additional or different FAPE services, including functional skills objectives, are required.

Increased Risk of Bullying Associated with Disabilities:

Students with disabilities are more likely to be involved in bullying situations than their peers.[vii] This includes being bullied or engaging in bullying–or both. These students may have physical characteristics or engage in behaviors that place them at greater risk of being targeted. They may be perceived to be “different” because they leave the general classroom environment to receive more specialized services. Their disability itself may play a role in limiting their ability to accurately interpret social cues and respond in an effective manner. Also their disability may make it more difficult for them to recognize the concerns and gain adult assistance.[viii]

The aggressive behavior of students with disabilities, especially those who are classified as having emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), may be a component of their disability. Alternatively, such aggressive behavior may be a reaction to the frustration of constantly being the target of aggressive behavior by others. It is important these situations are distinguished.

A consistent finding in the literature is that students with disabilities often lack the social relationship skills necessary to avoid involvement in bullying situations. One recent study found that students with disabilities engaged in fewer prosocial behaviors and were more socially isolated than students without disabilities.[ix] The authors outlined the necessary steps to address these concerns:

Effective interventions that target bullying behaviors in schools are designed to restructure the school climate so that it is positive and inclusive. These interventions underscore the complex ecology that foster and maintain a bullying climate suggested that by increasing awareness, understanding and acceptance among all students and teachers may decrease the risk of involvement in bullying for students in special education. Bullying prevention and intervention should be implemented for students, regardless of disability status and should emphasize the teaching of prosocial skills. Students in general education may participate in this process by serving as the prosocial role models for students with disabilities. Additionally, programming should be consistently implemented across general and special education, should occur in each grade, and should be part of the inclusive curriculum. Social and emotional learning initiatives can create a culture of inclusion for all individuals. A culture of respect, tolerance, and acceptance is our only hope for reducing bullying among all school-aged youth.

The Social Express® & Cool School™ Can Support Prosocial Behavior:

Addressing the challenges associated with bullying of and by students with disabilities will require a multi-tiered social-ecological approach. Schools must focus on increasing the tolerance and acceptance of students with disabilities by their peers and assisting those with disabilities in gaining the prosocial skills necessary to more effectively interact with peers. Social Express & Cool School™ can provide essential support for the necessary multi-tiered social-ecological approach.

Tier 1. Universal Instruction

The objective for universal instruction is focused on increasing the awareness, understanding, acceptance and compassion of all students, especially towards those who are “different,” including those who have disabilities. This instruction should also reinforce how students can reach out to be kind to others and step in to stop hurtful situations. The Social Express® and Cool School™ support effective universal instruction especially at the elementary school level.

Tier II. Individualized Targeted Supports.

Because students who have disabilities face greater social relationship challenges, it is recommended that schools proactively address this concern by providing social skills instruction in the Learning Center.

Students with social learning challenges require direct instruction, with each facet of every skill broken down into small pieces. The Social Express® addresses these areas of need by providing a highly interactive and visual presentation which allows for the generalization of skills outside of the teaching environment. Cool School™ utilizes the same individualized approach to address the specific challenges associated with those who are hurtful. For both of these programs, additional face-to-face role-playing activities can provide the opportunity for students to practice essential social skills in a protected environment.

Intensive Interventions:

The Social Express® and Cool School™ can also be incorporated into the more comprehensive intensive interventions required by the minority of students who face even greater social relationship and behavioral challenges.

 

[i] Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 29 U.S.C § 79; The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. 42 U.S.C. §§ 12131-12134; and Individuals with Disabilities Act. 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq.

[ii] U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (August 20, 2013) Dear Colleague Letter Keeping Students with Disabilities Safe from Bullying.

[iii] U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, (2014) Dear Colleague Letter on bullying of students under Section 504.

[iv] Zeno v. Pine Plains Central School District, 702 F3d 655 (2d Cir. 2012).

[v] Rose, C. A., Swearer, S. M., & Espelage, D. L. (2012). Bullying and students with disabilities: The untold narrative. Focus on Exceptional Children, 45(2), 1–10.

[vi] Rose, C. A., Espelage, D. L., & Monda-Amaya, L. E. (2009). Bullying and victimization rates among students in general and special education: A comparative analysis. Educational Psychology, 29, 761–776,

[vii] Rose, C. A. (2011). Bullying among students with disabilities: Impact and implications. In D. L. Espelage, & S. M. Swearer (Eds.), Bullying in North American schools (pp. 34–44). (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

[viii] Rose, C. A., Espelage, D. L., & Monda-Amaya, L. E. (2009). Bullying and victimization rates among students in general and special education: A comparative analysis. Educational Psychology, 29, 761–776,

[ix] Swearer, S. M., Wang, C., Maag, J. W., Siebecker,A. B., & Frerichs, L. J. (2012). Understanding the bullying dynamic among students in special and general education. Journal of School Psychology, 50, 503–520.

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Social Express named in Common Sense Media Power Up Special

Common Sense Media has officially launched its updated Power UP Special Needs and Learning Difficulties Guide for Kids; and The Social Express II is included!

Being featured in this guide is a meaningful milestone for us. The Common Sense Media team spent months diving deep into research, interviewing experts and educators, and testing products with families and field leaders. Their goal? To identify high‑quality, thoughtfully designed tools that can genuinely support kids who benefit from learning in non‑traditional ways.

We’re proud that The Social Express II was selected as one of those standout resources. It reinforces our mission to help all learners build the social‑emotional skills they need to thrive through engaging, interactive experiences that make skill‑building feel natural and fun.

If you’d like to explore the full guide, it’s available for free on Common Sense Media’s website:
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/guide/special-needs

At Brighten Learning, we’re committed to creating tools that meet diverse learners where they are. Being recognized in this guide motivates us to continue innovating and supporting educators, parents, and,most importantly, kids.

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5 Play Date Tips: Help Your Autistic Child Learn to Play

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If you’re a mom of an autistic child who needs practice to better learn how to play with others, try arranging play dates. Here are five tips to help your autistic child learn to play.

Our tips range from inviting kids to play dates who are Read more

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3 Ideas to Help Your Special Needs Child to Fit In

 

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Are you a mom who struggles with helping your special needs child better fit in at school?

First, you’re not alone and you’re in Read more

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Fun Easter Ideas for Children with Special Needs

Here at The Social Express, we usually share ideas for helping your special needs child to improve his skills for making friends. You’ll find our recent posts with suggestions for basic ways to help your child control his emotions here, make eye contact here and do better at following the rules, here. Read more

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Social Skills Lessons: Helping Your Child Make Friends

The Social Express helps kids learn social skills with characters like Zack and Sam.

The Social Express helps kids learn social skills with characters like Zack and Sam.

As a parent, it is heart wrenching if your child struggles socially and having difficulty making friends at school or on the playground. You want to immediately solve the problem. You may want to rush to talk to the school, the other children and anyone else who can help.

You instinctually want to help your child to be included and not feel left out.

You wish you knew the exact reasons for your child’s inability to form social relationships. After all, making friends with his classmates is a crucial life skill!

I’m a dad of twins who struggle socially and I’ve been in your shoes. You may feel helpless and not know where to start, once you realize your child is having difficulty making friends with his peers.

Based on my experiences, here are some steps you can take and begin to help your child to overcome his social skills struggles.

7 Steps to Help Your Child Make Friends

1. Uncover the specific barriers getting in the way of your child making friends. Paint a complete picture of exactly what’s causing your child to struggle socially.

The best way to help him is to first do your homework and identify his specific social deficits. Consider who else can give you firsthand observations about your child’s attempts to make friends.

Other adults who work with your child at school or in after school activities are often in a better position than you to pinpoint problems. They observe your child’s experiences in social situations with other kids.

When I asked my boys’ teacher about their ability to interact socially with the other children what I heard was “your boys typically play by themselves and not with the group”

2. Talk with your child about the problem. Ask easy questions to uncover exactly what’s bothering him. Find out how he feels. Ask him to tell you about the things taking place during recess and other peer group interaction activities, like sports or birthday parties. Gently get him to tell you the whole story. Allow several days, or longer, to get to the bottom of his feelings. Carefully pull out from him the details of his inability to interact socially with his peers. You may not be able to uncover your child’s social deficits overnight. Be patient with him and with yourself.

3. Develop and maintain a close working relationship with your child’s teacher. I always view my children’s teachers as members of “my team”. It’s in the best interest of your child if you work with his teacher as a partner in your child’s development. That way, when you’re in need of help, the door will be open for you.

Talk with your child’s teacher about his social challenges. Make sure she knows you’re open to hearing any kind of feedback that will help your child. Tell her that you’ve noticed that your child’s inability to make friends is impacting him outside of school.

4. Get input from other adults who interact with your child. Keep an open mind and have the same conversation with other adults who work with your child. Talk with coaches, family members, counselors, therapists and others who observe your child interacting in groups with other children. Obtain as much feedback as you can from the other adults who observe your child regularly.

Emma is an animated character who helps user learn social skills lessons.

Emma is an animated character who helps user learn social skills lessons.

5. Clarify your child’s social deficits. Then work on them one at a time. He might have difficulty making and keeping eye contact, comfortably joining a group of kids playing, starting a conversation with his peers or staying on topic. Other social skill deficits could be staying with the group or choosing appropriate coping strategies. Using effective eye contact and good conversation skills are common social deficits for kids.

6. Prepare a social skills lesson plan. Put together what you’ve learned from your conversations. Your child’s social skills lesson plan is similar to the IEP you may have for your child’s reading, math or science skills. (An IEP is an Individualized Education Plan.) List the type of social skills interactions you’d like him to improve or develop from scratch. For my wife and I, one of the ones we’re currently working on with the boys is to say, “hi” or “good morning” to their Safety Patrol peers.

Finding Effective Social Skills Lessons

I initially learned about the importance of social skills lessons when our twin sons began mainstream kindergarten. (You can read how we accomplished mainstreaming here.)

This was before apps and interactive learning programs were widely available. I searched everywhere for an online, interactive social skills learning program. There were none at the time. That’s what led me to develop The Social Express. (But that’s another story.)

7. Point out good social skills modeling behaviors to your child. Explain to your child good examples of social skills in action by other kids his age. Here’s one way to start the social skills conversation with him, “That was nice that Jennifer asked Billy about his trip to the zoo. What do you think about asking Billy which animals he liked best?” And, of course, PRAISE him in a big way for any good social skills action he takes!

I believe you should work with your child as much as possible when it comes to improving his social skills. We all know that having friends is huge! At any age, but it’s especially important for school age children to make friends. I wish you the best of luck in your project to help your child to improve his ability to make friends.

–Marc

If you’re looking to help your child learn social skills, our online engaging animated program may benefit your child. Parents tell us that kids love the Hollywood style animation and characters and actually ask to use The Social Express!

To see how The Social Express works, click here.
If you’d like to try our 10-day, no risk trial, click here.
 

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