MMS SCORESParent NightFebruary 18, 2014

Agenda for the Night “Rome wasn’t built in a day” Celebrating our kids’ uniqueness Accountability Social thinking in situations Q & A

“Rome wasn’t built in a day”

•Progress for SCORES students takes time and that’s okay

Tip: Use “First __, then ___”

“Rome wasn’t built in a day”•Your child is going through adolescence

& there are some struggles that come with that that have nothing to do with their disability

Tip: Give

specific praise

“Rome wasn’t built in a day”Tip:

Reward making others

feel good

……what that means is – don’t give up on them & be consistent with your expectations!

Celebrating our kids’ uniqueness• Over the years, we have noticed that your children have beautiful minds that are extraordinary and maybe at times quite unconventional.

• This is what we love about your children and we embrace those talents and eccentricities.

Celebrating our kids’ uniqueness• They can have wonderful gifts such as thoughts, ideas, facts, imaginations, and dreams that are unique and often associated with their exceptionality.

•We encourage our SCORES students to identify those talents and strengths, and use them to their advantage in both academic and social environments.

Celebrating our kids’ uniqueness• What may seem “quirky,” “different,” or even “weird,” and what might have set them apart from others in the past, is actually a wonderfulness that has been given to them and all they need are the necessary tools so they can put it to work.

• The SCORES teachers encourage student’s individuality and uniqueness and work with them so that they can build on their strengths

Holding kids accountable…•High expectations with needed supports

•Teach self-advocacy…..this is hard for us as adults when we see kids struggle – we want to jump in & advocate for them but then they miss out on gaining independence & self-confidence!

•Be kind, but firm

Holding kids accountable…• Make them tell you their plan & help

guide it, if needed

• If they don’t follow through with their plan, let them feel the natural consequences……this is the hardest part for us as adults!!!

• After some recovery time, reflect with them by asking open-ended questions

• Come up with a different plan for next time

How did it go? What do you

want? What can you do

different next time to get what

you want?Will you let me

know how it goes?

What is “social thinking” again?• A way to train your brain to help

you figure out the people around you▫1st – you think about the people

around you▫Then – you show expected

behaviors in a social situation▫So that – others feel good or

okay▫So that - you feel good too Concept from Michelle Garcia

Winner, www.socialthinking.com

It’s all about the context…• Social thinkers show expected behaviors in a given situation.

BUT REMEMBER…………what is expected changes depending on the context or

situation you are in!

VS.

This is the hardest part for our kids to get! They want to just remember social rules, but it doesn’t work like that. They have to use context clues to figure out the situation first!

Also, a reminder…

Q & A

Talk to your kids directly about the sticky stuff like: - dating- what’s ok to say to girls/guys - “your breath is stinky because you don’t brush your teeth, just like mine

would be if I didn’t” - to shampoo their hair when they take a shower