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Positive Self Talk can also be an effective way to increase autonomy and encourage their ability to solve problems.By taking a breath, the body is able to calm down and allow for new ways of thinking. Taking Deep Breaths and thinking of another way to solve the problem.Mean Jean- the villain that makes your body be bossy to others and may insult other people.īy bringing awareness to Unthinkable “invasions” in our brains, we can then use our Superflex strategies to defeat them! Some of these strategies include:.Energy Hare-y- the villain that makes your body constantly move around without thinking of the other friends around them.Glass Man- the villain that makes your body have large upset reactions, often towards a small problem.Space Invader- the villain that makes your body move into other people’s spaces, even if it makes others uncomfortable.He may also try one solution over and over again- even if it is not working Rock Brain- the villain that will make your body only do things the way he wants to do things.Some common Unthinkables- or common social responses that we may encounter when we are being inflexible include: These stories claim that Superflex is in everyone’s head and that they can find strategies to defeat the Unthinkables that “invade” their brain. This resulted in the superhero story of Superflex- a superhero that finds solutions to common social problems and defeats the evil Unthinkables. They created their stories to encourage flexible thinking - the ability to adapt their plans around the plans of others. One of the most popular Social Thinking Curriculums was formed by Speech Language Pathologists, but they are also used in Occupational Therapy due to their ability to help children regulate their emotions during social situations. This can bring your child more success in social situations, which can lead to improved relationships at home and school. These strategies can then be more easily translated into everyday challenges that your child faces. This can allow them to think more clearly and determine ways the character can resolve the situation appropriately. Learning about emotions and common social situations in story format gives children the opportunity to discuss difficult emotions (such as frustration and jealousy) at a time when they are in a calm state. Recently, as a means to help children identify moments when the "Unthinkables" are threatening to derail a social interaction, I have begun taking videos of myself and kids play-acting different Unthinkables on video.Social thinking is a way to help your child learn about the thoughts and feelings within themselves and the people around them. Here is a picture of Superflex and the "bad guys":
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For example, one villain is "Rock Brain," who makes people become rigid and inflexible regarding their ideas, and another villain is Glassman, who makes people have huge emotional reactions to tiny problems. Then there are a gang of villains, called the "Unthinkables," who represent reasons for breakdowns in social interactions. There is a fun curriculum called Superflex®: A Superhero Social Thinking Curriculum which teaches children (and adults!) about factors and behaviors which can interfere with positive social interactions, and thereby reduce social awkwardness Basically, there is a superhero named Superflex, who exemplifies flexible, adaptive, and positive thinking in a social context.
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All of us have experienced a time in which they did something which could be construed as "socially awkward" - I average about 150 of these moments in one day.
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