Before I learned to drive, I had to take a few lessons about the rules of the road. I had to learn the different parts of the car, how to read stop lights at a 4 way intersection, how to yield the right of way to other drivers. I had to learn how to parallel park, how to switch lanes, and how to drive defensively.
At first, I had so many things to keep track of, that I thought I’d never be able to learn it all! But, over time, I learned to think about driving so much that I was ready to start practicing. With the rules of the road in my head, I had a context to practice the doing of driving.
It’s the same the with communication and Aspergers in adults. People on the autism spectrum need to learn the rules of social relating, which give the framework and rationale for the doing of social skills.
This week’s social thinking tip comes from Michelle Garcia Winner and Pamela Crooke’s book, Socially Curious and Curiously Social: A Social Thinking Guidebook for Bright Teens and Young Adults.
This weeks communication tip is that:
Social thinking refers to the process of thinking your own thoughts and about the thoughts of others. This involves both your body and words. Social skills are the doing part of social thinking.
Here are some extra resources to help you in your social thinking quest:
Social Thinking at http:/www.socialthinking.com This is Michelle Garcia Winner’s official site.
Another helpful book to help you understand the “hidden rules” of social communication is The Hidden Curriculum. This book talks about the unstated rules that neurotypicals often operate by. Learning these rules is like me learning the rules of the road as I was learning to drive. It made driving a lot easier. And it may make social communication a lot easier for you.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s tip! How are you going to apply this today?
photo credit: Customer Think Tank Dell
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About Stephen Borgman
