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A passionate clinician, executive director, and entrepreneur with keen strategic and intellectual ability evidenced in professional accomplishments, clinical staff mentoring, and advising and teaching students, professionals, and parents across the country. Landria has the opportunity every day to work and live in her purpose by working and training people with special needs and their families. Landria is described as a dynamic, informative, energetic, and captivating speaker. She is a certified and licensed speech-language pathologist with specialties in autism, assistive technology, behavior, and communication. As the granddaughter of a woman who’s communication abilities were cut short by a massive stroke, she understands first hand the impact of impairment on the family. Landria is currently the owner and Executive Director of SLC Therapy, a private therapy firm located in Connecticut and Michigan focused on Empowering Families and Expanding Independence. Through her leadership at SLC Therapy, Landria has created dynamic and innovative programs for families that include Flourish!, a center based educational program for learners with autism, and the use of videoconferencing (Teletherapy) technology to provide families access to therapy service. In addition, Landria is focused on empowerment through partnerships with organizations to enhance community services. Landria is the creator of The Empowered Parent, a parent e-magazine focused on support for families of people with special needs. Landria was recently selected as a professional expert on a documentary focused on Autism in the African-American Community. Landria is the author of the social curriculum Keep the Conversation Going, which focuses on social cognition, conversation fluency, and social skills. Education B.S. Speech and Hearing Science University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign M.A. Speech Language Pathology Northwestern University Certified Speech Language Pathologist American Speech Language Hearing Association DIR Level 1 Practitioner Certification: Compton P-ESL Certificate: ADOS Training, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor PROMPT-Introduction Verbal Behavior, Dr. Vincent Carbone Achievements 40 Under 40 Business Professionals in Fairfield County 2009 Someone You Should Know Award, Bridgeport Black Pride 2007 People’s Bank Community Award 2006
Blog » Using patterning to teach Social Skills
I read an article today posted on the web about teaching social skills. The authors of these articles are correct: We cannot leave the teaching of social communication to the teacher.
I'd like to add some other lessons as we enter the school year
1. Magic is magic and only left to the magicians. With this, we cannot put our kids in social situations and expect them to just get it...it's like putting me in a football field and expecting me to make a tackle, touchdown, and win the game. Sure I would run..but have no idea about the purpose, whose team I'm on, and what I should be getting from this game of football. So yes, teaching the why, the how, and giving practice (scrimmage..for you football fans), and then getting in the game makes much more sense.
2. Tolerance must be taught to the typicals. Therapy and social groups are always for the people with social language deficits. May I suggest that those without social language challenges need some support too! Not support to be fake friends, allowing our kids not to get the real social experience they need...but support to be real people...not hand holders with gentle voices, with a bombardment of questions. Tolerance is teaching the difference, what to expect, and how special doesn't mean treat so differently that real relationships cannot be cultivated. But tolerance teaching emphasizes how this experience is a win win for everyone.
3. Some things happen because its what kids do...not because he's autistic. One of my therapists had this fabulous conversation with a mother. The mother was saying that her son was not telling her everything that happened at camp. She wanted details. Instead she was getting one word responses. The therapist gently reminded the mom that her 13 year old son may be like most 13 year olds...they don't have much to say about their day and an increase in questions may result in a decrease in the length of the response.
4. Let's focus on talking and not the Q&A. One of my greatest pet peeves when observing a social group (not the Keep the Conversation Going groups run by our staff) is the barage of questions and the responses by our kids versus teaching them to have statement to statement communication. If you listen to the typicals talk, watch Nick or Disney..you will see there is more social commenting and opinions rather than the questions. Questions are only asked if the statements are not informative enough.
5. Motor patterning or Role Playing. Excuse my small yell of encouragement...GET UP FROM THE TABLE! If we want our kids to be social...we have to get up from the therapy table. We need to have social postures: sitting, walking, playing, sports, hanging out and all those physical postures in between. Role playing is crucial as embedding social thinking does not mean thinking in solitude and the quiet...true social thinkers do this on the fly. They are walking and talking. They are dribbling the basketball and thinking and talking. They are gesturing and talking. We have to teach our kids to read and understand social information (using static pictures and short snipets of movies) as well as inhabit the motor pattern of what it means to participate socially.
6. Social therapy is just not for those with high functioning or Aspergers. Everyone needs to understand social information and be social. Social interaction is at least 60% nonverbal...40% talk. So those who are nonverbal or use AAC systems should be participating in social groups and social therapy too! There was a study by Kuehn and Weiner that discussed how those even with low IQs had the ability to be more social despite the IQ number. BUT their social IQ was dependent upon opportunities. This means, that going to the one time a week social group or lunch bunch is not enough opportunity. And being included without appropriate and faded support is not opportunity. Systmatic teaching, systematic coaching is opportunity.
Let's get in this school year and BE SOCIAL!
~Enjoy and Be Empowered
Landria Seals Green, M.A. CCC-SLP
Good points!
Posted by Steve, 20/08/2010 5:02pm (1 year ago)
Great post! I will share this information with parents in my workshops that I facilitate throughout the year. I especially like how you talk about truly understanding that the lack of social behavior may just clearly be an adolescent stage of development. I think more educators and parents must understand that kids will be kids but we have to teach them social behaviors. I'm learning how to do it with my three year old. Thank you for the awesome insight.
Posted by Alisha Smith, 10/08/2010 7:26am (1 year ago)
Ditto Dionnea! Awesome job Landria!
Posted by Chelsey Pettway , 10/08/2010 4:09am (1 year ago)
Wow! You definitely provide a breath of fresh air. The depth and ease of this topic is one that is vital and goes beyond those who are in need of speech and language therapy. Everyone can benefit with what you've said. I would also classify this as Parenting 101 :) Thanks!
Posted by Dionnea Seals, 09/08/2010 8:28pm (1 year ago)
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