The Social Compass Curriculum: A Story-Based Intervention Package for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Children with autism learn social skills best in group settings where they can practice everyday interactions with peers. Now there's a highly effective, ready-to-use curriculum educators can use to explicitly teach social skills right in the classroom! Ideal for Grades 4-8 but easily adaptable for use with older children, this social skills intervention curriculum gives educators 24 lessons that help students with autism make progress in areas critical to social success. Each step-by-step lesson gives students a social story that models a key skill; worksheets that reinforce takeaway points; a simple, memorable icon that helps them remember what to do; opportunities to role-play and rehearse the skill; and take-home worksheets to ensure generalization in settings outside of school.

Why Use The Social Compass Curriculum?

• Helps students make progress in 4 key areas: nonverbal communication; emotion; social problem solving, and "we" skills for effective conversation
• Field-tested over 10 years with more than 300 students, with significant positive results
• Teaches and reinforces social skills with clear directions and visual supports
• Gives students repeated opportunities to role-play and rehearse social skills with their peers
• Flexible—lets the teacher go back and review areas where students are struggling
• Lessons take just 20-40 minutes
• Based on evidence-based practices such as ABA, visual and peer supports, and Social Stories™
• Ensures generalization of new skills with activity worksheets to use at home

PRACTICAL MATERIALS: In-class and take-home worksheets, flashcards and handouts that reinforce skills, and a full-color quick-reference poster of the social compass icons.
Helps students develop key social skills like

• Interpreting body language
• Dealing with teasing
• Building empathy
• Using self-control
• Accepting change
• Paying attention
• Initiating a conversation
• Sharing information
• Negotiating needs
• Avoiding being left out
• Expanding personal interests
• and more

LouAnne Boyd, BCBA, is a therapist and consultant in private practice at ABAcus: Behavioral Tools for Social Engagement and is Autism Coordinator for the North Orange County SELPA, Orange County, CA. LouAnne conducts social skills groups for students with autism as well as neurotypical children in her community.  She conducts staff and parent trainings for social, communication, and behavioral interventions for home and school. She teaches graduate level courses for in-service special educators focused on evidence-based interventions in the classroom at California State University at Fullerton.   Over the past 20 years, she has served in clinic, community and school settings.  Her current interests include assessment, intervention, and generalization of social skills training.

Christina L. McReynolds, Ed.S., M.S., BCBA, is Autism Coordinator for the North Orange County Special Education Local Planning Area in Orange County, California, and Instructor at the California State University Fullerton, Extended Education and Orange County Department of Education Intern Program.

Karen Chanin, M.S., is Autism Consultant for the North Orange County Special Education Local Planning Area in Orange County, California.