What is Social Thinking?

After 27+ years, we now know that Social Thinking is still in its infancy (or early childhood) because there are so many current pathways to nurture and new ones to blaze. We hope you’ll walk away with the idea that Social Thinking concepts are relevant across all neurotypes. In the early years, the autism and special education communities were the only populations to embrace our work. Now, as we move past the pandemic, reflect on the neurodiversity movement, and heed the research related to the academic, social, and organizational needs of all children, we find our work is found more often in Tier 1 classrooms, homeschools, private schools, or in smaller groups of students, whether considered neurotypical or neurodivergent. In other words, all students need tools to think socially for both academic and social worlds.

So, at our core we still remain committed to supporting people who seek tools and strategies to make gains toward their social goals, regardless of whether they have a diagnosis or not. We have new ways of talking and writing about what we do, so if you are looking for a way to explain the core of the Social Thinking® Methodology, here is an infographic that might help.

Social Thinking 2.0 emphasizes:

• Learner led: Teaching begins with the individual and their goals. The lessons are based on the perspective and goals of the individual. It is never about fixing a person but rather giving individuals tools to meet their goals. We also need to educate others about learning systems and differences. Always be a learner first—understand the individual and their perspective before launching into the role as educator or therapist. Also, empower your students to be leaders, peer supporters, includers, advocators, and mentors to promote a community of belonging.

• Social thinking is different from social skills. Our work always has and always will focus on the thinking, or “why” we might want to use our social skills or build new ones. The emphasis is on thinking about thinking (i.e., metacognition) and not about producing rote social skills.

• Embrace assumption-free learning. Not everyone learns in the same way, has the same neurology, or finds the same strategies a match for who they are and their social goals. We believe that people need choices and autonomy too. That means it’s our role to provide plenty of tools for their personal toolkit, because knowledge is power. Our tools may seem simple for some and difficult for others, but they are foundational for all.

• Inside-out teaching is critical. This means starting from the perspective of the individual. We continue to emphasize this because it is so crucial to learning. We ask individuals to notice what’s happening inside their own thoughts and bodies (checking in), while also taking note of what’s going on around them (checking out the situation), because each impacts how a person interprets and responds to the social and academic worlds.

• Academic standards require us to think socially. Our methodology helps to build a foundation for reading comprehension, written expression, executive functioning, and self-regulation.

So, keep checking in and join our newsletter if you aren’t already part of our community. We will continue to talk about what’s new, and you’ll have access to free lessons and articles, or just learn about Social Thinking 2.0.