Helping Individuals with Learning Differences Implement Social Thinking Concepts and Vocabulary
Join The Janus School for a hands-on, all-day course, where you will learn how to help individuals with learning differences better navigate social interactions, foster relationships, work well with others, and learn the cause and effect of their behaviors. These social competencies can improve social experiences, as well as academic and career performance. Click here to register now.
Event Details and Registration
When: Thursday, August 18
8:30 AM – 3:45 PM
Where: The Janus School, 205 Lefever Road, Mount Joy, PA
Tickets: $25 Per Person*, Free for Janus Parents (tickets must be purchased by August 16)
*Lunch is not provided, but a lunch break will occur and there are many take-out and eat-in restaurants within minutes of the school.
Who Should Attend: The Social Thinking Conference is open to the public and a valuable event for teachers (general and special education), school administrators, speech-language pathologists, social workers, counselors, occupational therapists, behavior specialists, and families of children with learning differences.
REGISTER HERE
The conference will provide an opportunity to learn more than 20 Social Thinking strategies and three core treatment frameworks to guide individuals to better attend, interpret, problem solve, and respond to social information:
- Observe and respond to situations based on the context and determine the “expected” behaviors of each situation.
- Learn core Social Thinking vocabulary and concepts to encourage social-communicative competence.
- Discover strategies for teaching self-regulation, executive functioning, emotional understanding, and theory of mind/perspective taking.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to work in teams during the conference to develop lesson plans, including Social Thinking strategies, that can be implemented in the home, clinic, or classroom.
Featuring Debbie Meringolo
The Social Thinking Conference will feature Debbie Meringolo, a Social Thinking speaker, special educator, clinician, developmental specialist, and Director of Early Childhood Programming at a school for twice exceptional children in grades K-12. She also runs a part-time private practice for children ages 14 months through adulthood, has a 27-year history as Associate Director of the Infant/Toddler Team and RELATE program at Rose F. Kennedy Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center of Montefiore, and has served as a reading specialist, supervisor, and program developer in the New York City Department of Education.
Click here to register today and get tickets now! Registration closes August 16. If you have questions about the Social Thinking Conference, please email Tim Steffen, Director of Development at The Janus School: tsteffen@thejanusschool.org.
Why The Janus School’s Education Takes a Social Thinking Approach
At Janus, the work of Michelle Garcia Winner, Founder and CEO of Social Thinking, guides our approach to incorporating Social Thinking strategies throughout our teaching and curriculum. Our students often need help with social interactions, from the start of forming stable relationships to all the details and nuances of simply being around others. This includes: using manners, acknowledging others constructively in the classroom, using small talk to form relationships, asking questions and showing curiosity in others,’ etc.
Throughout The Janus School’s 30 years, we have found that teaching students social cognition skills, or how to think about others, adds depth to the behavioral process. Specific methods like Michelle Garcia Winner’s, add the “why” to our social actions. We are committed to helping students learn the cause and effect of their behaviors and encourage them to be more attuned to how others might be thinking. These skills are typically not intuitive for students with learning differences, especially those on the Autism Spectrum. However, we understand the incredible impact that mastering these skills has on each student’s education experience and overall personal and professional life.
SAVE YOUR SEAT FOR THE SOCIAL THINKING CONFERENCEWhat if I suspect my child is struggling with a learning difference or disability?
The Janus School is the only K-12 school in Central PA dedicated to the needs of students with learning differences (including ASD, dyslexia, ADHD, a language or math-based learning disability, executive function disorder, and auditory processing disorder). Our teachers and staff are dedicated to helping students with learning differences learn how to learn and overcome education obstacles, so that they can become lifelong learners with the skills, strategies, and confidence to achieve both academic and personal success. If you believe your child may be struggling with a learning disability or difference, get in touch. Our team can help connect you with the resources and support to take the next positive step for your child and family.