How to make social skills intervention evidence-based and neurodiversity-affirming

What’s evidence-based and neurodiversity-affirming shouldn’t be in opposition. Effective interventions that build resilience and help kids build healthy relationships should be “affirming” by definition. Yet many clinicians remain confused about how to apply this to practice; especially when it comes to things like “social skills” or “pragmatic language”. One of the most common complaints I hear across disciplines when it comes to social skills support is that students don’t generalize skills. I’ve heard this from psychologists, SLPs, social workers, counselors, among others.  The solution to the generalization problem is ALSO the answer to making intervention    ND-affirming and EBP.  In order to do this, we need to teach the right skills with the right service delivery model.  In episode 107 of the De Facto Leaders podcast, I share how to do this.  I cover: ✅Why adult-led social skills groups that teach social rules lead to poor carryover ✅The two skills that should be a part of every social skills intervention plan ✅The three components to and effective service delivery model (and why pull-out therapy alone doesn’t work). In this episode, I also mentioned my free online training where I share how to help students thrive socially, emotionally, and academically with executive functioning support. In the training, I share why some students still struggle with social skills, even though they’re going to social skills groups. You can sign up for the free training here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efleadership To get the information in written form, check out my Executive Functioning Implementation Guide here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efschools Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL and Renaissance:Learn more about Renaissance:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.