1st Edition

Adventures in Social Skills The ‘Finding Kite’ Teacher Resource

By Rachel Holmes Copyright 2021
    70 Pages 57 B/W Illustrations
    by Speechmark

    This teacher resource is filled with worksheets, tasks and activities focused on developing the social skills of children on the autistic spectrum aged 8–12. It has been created to be used alongside the story Finding Kite: A Social Skills Adventure Story, although activities can stand alone as a programme of intervention.

    Each task encourages young people to think about their own experiences, challenges and goals, building self-esteem and confidence along the way. Suitable for use in small groupsor 1:1, the worksheets are flexible in design, allowing the facilitator to respond to the needs of each child.

    Key features of this resource include:

    • engaging activities divided into sections focused on ‘making sense of my world’ and ‘connecting with others’;

    • photocopiable and downloadable worksheets, filled with opportunities for reflection and discussion;

    • the option to use it alongside the engaging, choose your own adventure story, Finding Kite, which immerses the reader in a sensory adventure.

    Designed for students aged 8–12, this resource provides an invaluable opportunity to build an understanding of the complexities of social dynamics. Although created with girls on the autistic spectrum in mind, it can be used with students of different genders and adapted for their needs.

     

     Introduction  Section A: Making Sense of My World  1. Making Sense of My Feelings (anger, anxiety, worry, fear)  - Mission Control ….. or Out of Control  - My Control Barometer  - Avoiding the Panic Button  - Controlling my Superpower  - Treasure Chest  2. Making Sense of My Environment (stressful/relaxing places, sensory information)  - A Sense of Place  - Super Senses!  3. Making Sense of What I Hear (verbal processing, communication skills, idioms)  - Mumble Jumble?  - More Than Words Can Say ….  - Conversations…Now You’re Talking  - Talking in Riddles  4. Making Sense of What I See (facial expressions, body language)  - Emotions: Spotting the Clues  - Emotions: Putting the Clues Together  - Lights, Camera, Action!  Section B: Connecting With Others  1. Me (promoting positive sense of self)  - Marvellous Me  - A Mind Of My Own  -Being Me  2. Making Connections (interactions with others, friendship)  - Interactions and Connections  - Talking My Language  - Making Friends: A Balancing Act ….  3. Managing Difference and Disagreement  - Two Heads are Better than One?  - Agree to disagree?  - Are You Having a Laugh?  - When Friends Get It Wrong  - Thinking Positively

    Biography

    Rachel Holmes works as special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) within a specialist campus for secondary students with autism and associated mental health diffi culties. She has previously set up a specialist unit for secondary students with autism within a mainstream setting and has led on primary curriculum development within an all-age special educational needs (SEN) school. Rachel has significant experience of providing in-service training (INSET) in both specialist and mainstream settings on a range of topics such as social communication, access to learning and sensory difficulties.