Social thinking

Social thinking or thinking socially refers to a methodology created by Michelle Garcia Winner; it is described as a piece we all go through in our minds as we try to make sense of our others’ thoughts, feelings, and intentions in a situation, whether we are merely present, actively interacting, or observing (noticing) what is happening from a distance (e.g., which also includes interpreting media, literature, etc.). Our ability to think socially is part of social learning that begins at birth and evolves across our lifetime. Social thinking in this context is also referred to as social cognition.

The social thinking is a developmental, language-based and thinking-based (metacognitive) methodology that gives visual frameworks, unique vocabulary, strategies, and activities to build social competencies, flexible thinking, and social problem solving. The methodology has assessment and teaching components suitable for educators, interventionists, psychologists, social workers, and caregivers. The methodology shares ideals with components of other well-known and evidence based interventions such as Social Stories,^[1] Hidden Curriculum,^[2] 5-point scale,^[3] central coherence theory, and others,^[4] etc. Social Thinking resources support individuals' social, emotional, and academic learning, and fosters the development of self-regulation, executive functioning, central coherence issues, and perspective-taking.

The social thinking methodology was originally developed by Michelle Garcia Winner as an intervention and assessment framework dedicated to tackling the complex social emotional learning needs of individuals with social learning differences, difficulties, or disabilities.^[5] At its inception 20+ years ago, there were relatively few treatment-based research studies available to guide interventionists in how to teach individuals about their own social learning process. This relative lack of treatment research, while not as stark today, continues to be limited. The underlying motivation for the creation of the Social Thinking Methodology was, and is, that of, for to, individuals with social learning needs access to interventions and strategies that support both their individual learning abilities and participation in their school, home, and community environments. While the tools and strategies within the methodology were developed while working with mainstream students in a high school district, Michelle Garcia Winner‘s practical approach to teaching social competencies was quickly adopted by parents and teachers working with those in the ADHD community and autism spectrum community.

The social thinking methodology teaches social learners to consider the points of view, emotions, and intentions of others. In this methodology, social thinking and social skills are dynamic and situational. So, the decision to use discrete social skills (e.g. smiling versus “looking cool”, standing casually versus formally, speaking informally versus speaking politely) are not based on memorizing specific social rules (as often taught in our social skills groups), but on a cognitively based social decision-making process that includes social attention, social interpretation, problem solving, and consideration of one’s own personal goals.

The social thinking methodology embraces what literature says about working directly with neurotypical and neurodivergent children, teens and adults who have social learning differences, difficulties, or disabilities (e.g., Autism Spectrum levels 1 and 2, ADHD, social communication differences or anxiety, etc. or no diagnoses) and promotes the use of a variety of curricula, visual supports, modeling, naturalistic teaching, and self-regulation. Also, the methodology anchors to the research in fields that study how social learners evolve and develop to function in society: anthropology, cultural linguistics, social psychology, child development, and others. Many of the components of Social Thinking fit well into the multi-tiered research-based implementation framework of Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS). And while PBIS is not an approach, it is a framework that encourages schools to consider the uptake of a variety of practices where the "mutually beneficial relationship between academic and social behavior student success is highlighted (Chard, Harn, Sugai, & Horner, 2008; Sugai, Horner, & Gresham, 2002). In the same vein, CASEL's five Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Core Competencies (http://www.casel.org/social-­‐and-­‐emotional-­‐learning/core-­‐competencies) are reflected within and throughout the social thinking methodology.

Social thinking theorizes that successful social thinkers are able to consider the points of view, emotions, thoughts, beliefs, prior knowledge and intentions of others (this is often called perspective-taking). Social Thinking™ also demonstrates the link between one’s social learning abilities and his or her related ability (or disability) when processing and responding to school curriculum based in the use of the social mind (e.g., reading comprehension of literature, some aspects of written expression, etc.). Winner and colleagues argue that individuals who share a diagnostic label (e.g., Autism Spectrum, ADHD, etc.) nonetheless may have different social learning needs and characteristics, and should have unique teaching trajectories, such as those based in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).

The social thinking methodology is not a single entity. It is not a set of behaviors that one can teach. It is not a step-by-step “cookbook”, nor is it one single program or approach. Social thinking is a language- and cognitive-based methodology that focuses on the dynamic and synergistic nature of social interpretation and social communication skills, both of which require social problem solving. The methodology is developmental, utilizing aspects of behavioral and cognitive behavioral principles, as well as input from supporting adults as a way to translate evidence-based concepts into conceptual frameworks, strategy-based frameworks, curricula, activities, and motivational tools. The components of the methodology continue to evolve based on the latest research and feedback from clients and the community. Many Social Thinking resources have been co-developed by Michelle Garcia Winner and her longtime professional collaborator and partner, Pamela Crooke, PhD, CCC-SLP.

The methodology addresses the fact that first interventionists (both professionals and parents) need to build knowledge about the social learning process and what it means to engage “socially” before teaching individuals with social challenges. Understanding how people share space together and engage across context, culture and varying ideas and opinions, motives and intentions is absent from most social "skills‐based” approaches. The methodology ascribes to the notion that the key to understanding individual social learning needs requires that interventionists gain insight into the variables that contribute to their own “social self” as well as the related expectations of others. This unique view toward developing social competencies, combined with the many layers of the methodology, means that the components of social thinking do not fit neatly into any single traditionally defined social skill intervention. Nor is social thinking linked to a specific diagnosis. It can be helpful for neurotypical and neurodivergent children, teens and adults, including those with autism spectrum levels 1 and 2, ADHD, social communication differences, social anxiety, twice-exceptional, hyperlexia, etc. or no diagnoses.

• Tarshis, N., Winner, M. G., & Crooke, P. (2020). What Does It Mean to Be Social? Defining the Social Landscape for Children With Childhood Apraxia of Speech. "Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups", 1-10. .
• Baker-Ericzén, M.J., Fitch, M.A., Kinnear, M., Jenkins, M.M., Twamley, E.W., Smith, L., Montano, G., Feder, J., Crooke, P.J., Winner, M.G. and Leon, J. (2018). Development of the Supported Employment, Comprehensive Cognitive Enhancement, and Social Skills program for adults on the autism spectrum: Results of initial study. Autism, 22(1), pp. 6–19 .
• Crooke, P. J., Winner, M. G., & Olswang, L. B. (2016). Thinking socially: teaching social knowledge to foster social behavioral change. Topics in Language Disorders, 36(3), 284-298 .
• Crooke, P.J., Winner, M.G. (2016), Social Thinking Methodology: Evidence-Based or Empirically Supported? A Response to Leaf et al. (2016), Behavior Analysis in Practice, 9(4), 403-408 .
• Crooke, P. J., & Olswang, L. (2015). Practice-based Research: Another Pathway for Closing the Research-Practice Gap. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research .
• Lee, K. Y. S., Crooke, P. J., Lui, A.L.Y, Kan, P.P.K, Luke, K.L, Mak, Y.M, Cheung, P.M.P, Cheng, L., & Wong, I. (2015). The outcome of a social cognitive training for mainstream adolescents with social communication deficits in a Chinese community, International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, doi:10.1080/1034912X.2015.106596 0
• Winner, M.G. & Crooke, P. J. (2014). Executive functioning and social pragmatic communication skills: Exploring the threads in our social fabric. Perspectives on Language Learning and Education, Vol. 21 (2), pp. 42–50 .
• Winner, M. G. & Crooke P.J. (2013). Social Learning and Social Functioning: Social Thinking's  Cascade of Social Functioning. Attention Magazine .
• Crooke, P.J.; Hendrix, R.E.; Rachman, Y. (2008). "BRIEF REPORT: The effectiveness of teaching social thinking to adolescents with asperger syndrome and high functioning autism". Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 38 (3): 581–591. doi:10.1007/s10803-007-0466-1. PMID 18026829. S2CID 12654290.
• Lee, K.Y.S., Lui, A.L.Y., Kan, P.P.K., Luke, K.M., Mak, Y.M., Cheung, P.M.P., Cheng, L. & Wong, I. (2009). A case series on the social thinking training of mainstreamed secondary school students with high-functioning autism. Hong Kong Journal of Mental Health, 35(1), 10–17.[1]
• Winner, M. & Crooke, P. (2011) Thinking about Thinking: Social Communication for adolescents with Autism. ASHA Leader Magazine, MD.[2]
• Winner, M., Crooke, P, & Madrigal (2010) It’s a Girl Thing or Is it?: Social Thinking and Social Skills in Girls, Teens, and Women with Social Learning Issues, Autism Asperger Digest[3]
• Winner, M. & Crooke, P. (2009) Social Thinking: A Training Paradigm for Professionals and Treatment Approach for Individuals with Social Learning/Social Pragmatic Challenges. Perspectives on Language Learning and Education, 16 62–69. [4]