Show Notes
My book, "Social Skills is Canceled", is here! The chapter book tells the story of three students: Circle, Triangle, and Square. Each faces unique social challenges based on their social type. Understanding the different social types can help us all better support the students in our lives!
Introduction to Social Skills is Canceled 01:01 Welcome to "Social Skills is Canceled"!
The book aims to provide information and education regarding different types of students, helping parents, educators, and therapists.
Overview of the Book and Website 2:56 The book and website (socialskillsiscanceled.org or .com) provide resources, including a quiz to identify a child's social type (circle, triangle, or square).
The podcast will explore each social type in detail, starting with an introduction to the concept and the book.
Characteristics of Circle Students 3:57 Steph introduces the first social type, "Circle," and its characteristics, such as being friendly and well-liked by others.
Being friendly is not the same thing as having friends.
Circle students are often overlooked because they are seen as friendly and well-liked by adults, but they struggle to make friends with peers.
They tend to think everyone is their friend.
Circle students are typically parallel conversationalists, meaning they listen to conversations but do not actively participate.
They often enjoy talking to adults more than peers and may prefer the company of younger children.
Challenges and Overlooked Needs of Circle Students 8:07 Circle students are often overlooked for social support because they do not exhibit socially inappropriate behavior.
As adults, they may rely on family for social interaction because they never developed peer relationships.
Introduction to Triangle Students 10:56 Triangle students are known for being annoying, rude, intense, or too much, and are often in trouble for things they did not do.
They are socially rejected by their peers, who may outwardly or covertly reject them.
Triangle students try hard to make friends but may overcompensate, leading to a reputation for being annoying.
They often have hyperactive personalities and great leadership potential but struggle to use these skills effectively.
Challenges and Mental Health Issues of Triangle Students 13:52 Triangle students are at risk for mental health challenges, including depression and anxiety, due to their struggles with making friends.
They are typically aware of their reputation and often do not know why people find them annoying.
Triangle students have big hearts and care about others but often feel isolated and lonely.
They may have negative relationships with adults and are often dismissed from services and programs due to their behavior.
Introduction to Square Students 17:44 Square students exhibit social anxiety and are the hardest to identify because social anxiety does not always look typical.
Square students tend to withdraw and isolate, making it difficult for them to make social connections.
Square students are often unknown and fly under the radar.
Characteristics and Challenges of Square Students 21:17 Square students are typically intelligent and do well academically but struggle with social connections.
They tend to be reserved and may have selective mutism, where they do not speak in certain situations.
They often have close relationships with their families but struggle to make friends outside of that.
The Importance of Mixed Social Groups 25:08 The book and the podcast emphasize the importance of mixed social groups for students to learn from each other.
Mixed groups allow students to provide feedback, see how others navigate social situations, and serve as practice partners.
Conclusion and Next Episode Preview 30:20 The podcast aims to help students and adults understand different social types and how they can support each other.
Each upcoming episode will feature a lesson from Steph's year-round curriculum, with the next episode fo
More from Social Skills is Canceled
Once upon a time, there were autistic, ADHD, and anxious students who struggled with thinking about others during conversations. Sometimes they would say things that hurt other people's feelings or were perceived as rude or disrespectful, or even things that other people didn't really want to talk about or hear about. Sometimes these students would stop listening when people talked about things that they didn't care about. Sometimes they would even tell people they weren't interested in what the group or the person was talking about. I created the lesson I'm sharing today for all of these students. In this lesson, our students learn what a social filter is, how it's different than lying, and when and why using a social fake is a good idea. We also practice taking some of our common complaints that we might have and turning them into problem-solving opportunities.
Once upon a time, there were autistic, ADHD, and anxious students who didn't know how to initiate a social conversation with someone that they knew. Some students weren't able to think of something that the person they were talking to liked or liked to talk about, so they ended up using generic conversation starters like, "Hey, what's up?" Or, "How's it going?" Some students were able to think of things they knew about the other person, but they didn't know how to use that information to start a conversation, so they didn't say anything. I created the lesson I'm sharing this week for all of these students. In this lesson, students learn the difference between an informational and a social conversation, and how to initiate a conversation with someone they know based on things they know about them.
Once upon a time, there were autistic, ADHD, and anxious students who didn’t recognize that there were some things that should be ‘alone behaviors’, or things we do whenwe are by ourselves. Some students had developed habits around ‘picking’, likepicking their nose, picking their skin, and/or picking at their pants or underwear. Other students didn’t realize that most people don’t want tohear someone burp or fart, so they didn’t know how to respond when they did it accidentally, OR they didn’t put any effort into trying to not do these things in front of others. And then there were students who often complained to others, even about situations and experiences that those around them were also going through at the same time.
Once upon a time, there were autistic, ADHD, and anxious kids and teens who struggled with staying on topic during a conversation. Some of the kids in this group continued talking about something, even when it was clear to everyone else that no one was interested in continuing to talk about that topic. Some students changed the topic every time they asked a question, unaware that others in the group had a hard time keeping up with all the changes and randomness, and that it really wasn't a conversation, it was more like an interview. And some of the kids had a hard time recognizing when others changed the topic, so they continued making comments about topics that the group had moved on from. There were also students in this group who got frustrated when the topic changed, because they still wanted to keep talking about that topic, and so they weren't able to change and shift with the group when the topic changed, as it always does. I created the lesson I'm sharing this week for all of these students. In this lesson, students learn how and when to change the topic appropriately, why they or others may choose to change the topic, and how to handle topic changes that they weren't wanting or expecting.
Once upon a time, there were autistic, ADHD, and anxious students who didn't know that there are stages or levels between strangers and friends. Sometimes these students treat people they kind of knew like they were strangers, not acknowledging them when they saw them. Sometimes they didn't know how to engage in small talk with people they kind of knew, so interactions were pretty awkward. And some students thought everyone they knew was their friend, which meant they were often too friendly or too personal with people they only kind of knew. And the reality is that most people in our lives are people we only kind of know. I created the lesson I'm sharing on this week's podcast for all of these students. In this lesson, I teach students that an acquaintance is someone we recognize from somewhere or something. We usually know their name, but not always. This can include students in our class or our group, neighbors, teachers, and friends of our parents. We also talk about what the social expectations are when we are around acquaintances, like small talk and introductions to other people.