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Autism Teaching Strategies http://autismteachingstrategies.com/free-social-skills-downloads-2/Joel Shaul created many social skills teaching resources for various difficulty levels and can be used for students ages 6-18. The resources include worksheets, coloring sheets, games, and activities. There are resources for professions in mental health, social-based personnel, speech language pathologists, and families on a range of topics including communication, interactions, emotions, and more. Search free social skills downloads.
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Handy Handouts for Parents https://www.handyhandouts.com/search.aspx?searchstr=Social+SkillsThis resource includes free 1 page information sheets for educators, parents, and students. Some of the topics include sharing, good manners, personal space, giving a compliment, social distancing, internet safety, and many more. The resources are available in English and many in Spanish.
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Jill Kuzma’s SLP Social and Emotional Skills Sharing https://jillkuzma.wordpress.com/Jill is a SLP who works with elementary age students on the autism spectrum in Minnesota, with attention deficit challenges, receptive/expressive language needs, and executive function challenges. The materials shared are geared for kindergarten-8th grade. Many of the resources and tips on the website are related to helping children increase social perspective taking skills, emotional awareness and management, conversations skills, interpretation and use of non-verbal communication, and to develop friendship and interaction skills. Each lesson has a PDF file free to download.
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Pathway 2 Success https://www.thepathway2success.com/free-social-emotional-learning-resources/This website is developed by Kris, a special educator who is now a curriculum specialist with a passion for social learning and executive functioning. She has created this website to share her 100 plus free resources and ideas. Some of the topics include self-awareness, positive affirmation, gratitude, calming posters, kindness activities, perspective taking, decision making and more.
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PBIS World https://www.pbisworld.com/tier-1/teach-social-skills/PBIS World was created by a school social worker from Detroit, Michigan. The intent is to provide resources and supports utilizing a three-tier system. Lack of social skills is a behavior listed on the home page. In addition, each of the other behaviors include social skill ideas to teach to support the student from elementary to middle school age.
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Scholastic for Parents: Social Skills Grade by Grade https://www.scholastic.com/parents/family-life/parent-child/social-skills-grade-grade.htmlThe belief is that social skills are the keys to school success as much as academics are. The website is written for parents to help guide them to know what skills teachers look for in each grade in school. As a result, parents can teach and practice the listed social skills provided by each grade.
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Silas: Improve Life Outcomes https://curriculum.silassolutions.com/elearning_resources/The team at Silas has put together several free social animation movies on topics related to teaching social skills (e.g., dealing with stress, how big is your worry, coping skills). In addition, there are 5-day lessons (e.g., what makes me angry, integrity, patience, and personal space) which are available to download for free. Silas is also a company that is aligned with federal mandates for ESSA and is research based. For a cost the company provides ready to use pre-made lessons and assessment tools to teach using engaging simulation software. For more information go to:
https://www.silassolutions.com/.
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Social Skills: Advancing Social Learning and Emotional Growth https://www.tdsocialskills.com/This is a company that utilizing the evidence-based practice of video modeling to increase and generalize social skills. Some of the videos are free under the tab “Life Lessons Hub” to enhance well-being during the COVID-19 home quarantine. Under the “File Factor Lessons” tab there are lessons to support student’s emotions. In addition, there are many other resources on the website for a charge.
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TeachTown Social Skills https://web.teachtown.com/solutions/teachtown-social-skills/TeachTown is designed for students with moderate and severe disabilities who often need extra support mastering social skills. On the “Resource” tab there are free short video clips to watch on respecting body language, and personal space. Plus, how to wash your hands, operate a music player, and make a bowl of cereal. These are just a few videos that TeachTown has to offer. More are available. The comprehensive curriculum is available for a charge.
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The Character Tree https://charactertree.comThis curriculum is specific for grades kindergarten–second grade. The materials include character trait video episodes, printable activities, teacher guides, and posters to emphasize the lessons. Some of the lessons include teaching about perseverance, curiosity, and kindness. There is a cost for each episode or packages available.
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Zoo U: An Evidence Based, Online Social Skills Games https://www.centervention.com/social-skills-game/Zoo U® was developed by the US Department of Education. It is an online game developed to teach six key social and emotional skills: communication, cooperation, emotional regulation, empathy, impulse control, and social initiation. It is geared towards grade 2-4. Scroll to the bottom of the homepage to look for the list of resources. Click “Free SEL Activities”. Sign up and you will receive access to over 90 lesson plans. If you want to create accounts for data tracking for each of the students, there is a fee.
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Avokiddo Emotions https://www.avokiddo.com/avokiddo-emotions-app/ (Google Play and Apple)
Hilarious animals help kids identify emotions for preschool thru kindergarten ages.
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Daniel Tiger’s Grr-ific Feelings https://pbskids.org/apps/daniel-tigers-grr-ific-feelings.html (Android, iPad, and Kindle Fire)
Songs and activities help kids express, recognize, understand emotions for grades preschool thru kindergarten.
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KLOOG Social Skills Series (multi-age)
http://kloogsocialskills.com/ (Google Play and Apple) To find the apps, search “social skills for autism”.
Cartoon-based platform of fun animated aliens to assist students in understanding the social world of communication and interacting with others.
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Model Me Going Places 2 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/model-me-going-places-2/id375669988?ign-mpt=uo%3D8 (iPhone and iPad only)
Great visual teaching tool for helping children learn how to go to the hairdresser, mall, doctor, playground, grocery store, and restaurant.
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My Life https://my.life/ (Google Play and Apple)
Guides students in awareness of feelings and how to meditate to calm self. Cost: Free to educators.
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Social Adventures https://apps.apple.com/us/app/social-adventures/id468235375 (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, iOS 8.0 or later)
Daily activities and short lessons to explore social situations to solve.
• 5 Great Activities to Do with Your Social Skills Group (Adolescents/Teens) https://educationandbehavior.com/social-skills-activities-for-teens/
The team at Education and Behavior maintain a free online library of research-based strategies and information focused on the areas of learning, behavior, and social-emotional development. This article focuses on five social skills activities that can be implemented with adolescents and teens. Within the Education and Behavior site, you may also choose to access other articles and resources that may meet your needs when working with students across grade levels.
• 12 Ways to Improve Social Skills and Make You Sociable Anytime https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/12-ways-improve-social-skills-and-make-you-sociable-anytime.html
Starting and entering conversations can be difficult for many, but if anxiety is also present then it makes the act of socializing even more daunting. Amy Morin, author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do, offers strategies to help build confidence when confronting conversations and provides tips for anyone who feels “awkward” when it comes to social interactions. The tips can be restructured to address students across environments.
• 17 Social Skills Activities for Kids (multi-age) https://veryspecialtales.com/social-skills-activities-for-kids/
Developing and increasing social skills can be extremely difficult for students. For many, it is a barrier that seems way too high to climb over. One way to move students forward is to finding engaging ways to address their social skill needs. Clara Muriel’s article provides ideas for “boosting” socio-emotional development. Topics include verbal communication, nonverbal communication skills, nonverbal communication & emotions/feelings, listening, emotions, participating, and caring.
• ADDITUDE: Inside the ADHD mind https://www.additudemag.com/
This resource has useful information on ADHD, webinars and tools for parents and educators. For specific resources for social skills, type ‘social skills strategies’ into the search box. To narrow the search, click “free downloads” in the box on the left side of the page. The download, 14 Ways to Help Your Child with ADHD Make Friends may be geared towards parents, but it is also a resource for those in the school setting as well.
• Do2Learn https://do2learn.com/SocialSkills/overview.htm
Do2Learn is an online resource that brings the creativity and knowledge of teachers and clinicians from across the world and gives them a platform to share with others who work with children. For the topic of social skills, the Do2Learn team provides strategies, activities, songs, and games around communication skills, social behavior, emotions, and perspective taking.
• Edutopia https://www.edutopia.org/
Edutopia was founded by the award-winning filmmaker George Lucas, with the focus on sharing with others best practices in K-12 education. Edutopia provides on-going articles and resources for supporting students on a plethora of topics, including developing skills to manage their emotions, resolve conflicts, and make responsible decisions. Click on the “topics” tab to find the resource for you!
• Model Me Kids https://www.modelmekids.com/index.html
Model Me Kids is an evidence-based social skills training curriculum for individuals ages two to twenty-one living on the autism spectrum. The site provides video clip examples of what is included in the curriculum. Curriculum videos can be purchased in the form of a digital download or DVD. Student workbooks and teacher manuals are also available to order which complement the video instruction. The cost is dependent on the resource you are purchasing.
• PBIS World https://www.pbisworld.com/tier-1/teach-social-skills/
PBIS World was created by a school social worker from Detroit, Michigan. The intent is to provide resources and supports utilizing a three-tier system. Lack of social skills is a behavior listed on the home page. In addition, each of the other behaviors include social skill ideas to teach to support the student from elementary to middle school age.
• PEERS® https://www.semel.ucla.edu/peers
The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) developed by Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson Director of the UCLA PEERS® Clinic. You will find role play videos under the resources tab.
• Positive Psychology https://positivepsychology.com/
This article, “13 Emotional Intelligence Activities and Exercises” is user-friendly. It contains tips, activities, worksheets in PDF form, PowerPoints and more geared towards teens ages 13-18 years old. Some of the materials may be more usable than others but are a good resource.
• The Social Express https://socialexpress.com/#http://thesocialexpress.com/
Animated and interactive lessons based in 3 programs…The Social Express, Cool School, & Teen Career Path.
• Scholastic https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/grades-6-8-social-emotional-skills/
This site offers podcasts, webinars, and a blog by Roy Petitfils around working with teenagers in general, not specific to those with varying abilities. A series of articles (e.g., Attitude Latitudes, Brain Freezers, Setting Boundaries, What Sets You Off? and Resolving Conflicts) provide lessons on attitude, boundaries, and more for grades 6-8.
• Social Skills Channel on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=social+skills+channel
Find a list of many videos to teach social skills. Here is one to get you started about taking turns speaking - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RjRZ9jMfs0
• Social Work Tools and Resources http://www.socialworkerstoolbox.com/
This site has free tools and resources that cover a variety of topics. View first to decide what may work for staff and students.
• TeachTown Middle School Social Skills https://web.teachtown.com/solutions/teachtown-social-skills/targeted-middle-school-social-skills/
TeachTown uses a video modeling curriculum, teacher-delivered lesson plans and student activities in the instruction of social skills for students with moderate to severe disabilities. Target skills include building relationships, problem solving, safety and community participation and more.
• ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/
Provides guides, tips, and resources (e.g., games, lessons, worksheets, and lessons) for educators. In the search box, type “social skills” to find helpful resources. Here are two links to start.
o Social Skill Resource for Special Education. Focus article titles: Teaching Social Skills, Proxemics: Understanding Personal Space, Teaching Personal Space to Children with Disabilities, The Sandlot: Making friends, a Social Skills Lesson, Games to Support Social Goals, and Building Social Relationships.
o https://www.thoughtco.com/social-skills-worksheets-3111032 This link provides practice social skills with worksheets for students. Some of the titles are: Recipe for Making Friends, Pyramid of Friends, Responsibility Poem, Help Wanted: A Friend,My Qualities, Trust Me, Kinder and Friendlier, Nice Words Brainstorm, and Nice Words Word Search.
• Top 25 Social Skills Activities for Teens and Young Children https://www.momjunction.com/articles/social-skills-activities-for-teens_00352014/#Socialskills1
This site includes some great ways to practice social skill development. Because of the current restrictions, view the activities and develop alternatives before sharing.
• UCLA Tarjan Center Lecture Series https://www.semel.ucla.edu/tarjan/lecture-series
• ADDITUDE: Inside the ADHD mind https://www.additudemag.com/slideshows/educational-apps-for-kids-with-adhd-social-skills/
A list of 8 educational apps to build social skills.
• KLOOG Social Skills Series http://kloogsocialskills.com/ (Google Play and Apple app)
Uses a cartoon-based platform but is not overly “childish” for older users to teach social skills. Search “Social Skills for Autism” in app store.
• Middle School Confidential http://www.middleschoolconfidential.com/msc1/ (iTunes app only)
A collection of digitally rendered graphic novels designed for children aged 8-14. It aims to help tweens and teenagers tackle their lack of self-confidence with an easy-to-navigate story.
• SuperBetter https://learningworksforkids.com/apps/superbetter/ (Google Play and Apple)
Mobile app that turns everyday actions into video game objectives. It encourages its players to set reasonable goals for themselves and to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Teachers can suggest that their students use this app to help them plan homework, study, practice for an oral presentation to overcome anxiety, have healthy sleeping habits, maintain a positive attitude in class, or any other areas where they’re struggling or would like to develop better skills.
• Super Duper Publications https://superduperinc.com/Default.aspx (Android and Apple apps)
How Would You Feel If…Fun Deck app is a favorite. This is a colorful, educational social skills app that tracks responses and provides feedback to students. Search for apps on website by going to products at the bottom of the website.
