Fostering Social Competencies in Deaf Children

1. Fostering Social Competencies in Deaf Children Cindi Sternfeld, Ed.S. March 16, 2013

2. Researchers and Teachers of deaf students across the country are using standardized and home-grown programs to work with Deaf students & they are getting results. Who’s on the case? Who’s looking at the work? • Asiah Mason, Ph.D. , Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, Gallaudet • Diane Morton, Ph.D., Gallaudet University • Dorie Noll, Washington University School of Medicine • Maria Suarez, University of La Laguna, Spain C.Sternfeld

3. Helping Children to survive and thrive in today’s social landscape • Survive – To not die or disappear, to live through something vs • Thrive – to grow vigorously and healthily, to do well C.Sternfeld

4. Alphabet Soup CASEL – Collaborative for Academic and Social Emotional Learning SEL = Social Emotional Learning EI – Emotional Intelligence EF – Executive Function

5. Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning, CASEL • CASEL works to advance the science of social and emotional learning, expand integrated evidence-based SEL practice and to advance the field of Social Emotional Learning. • Founded by Daniel Goleman & Eileen Rockefeller-Gorwald in 1994 • Researches SEL curricula • Develops list of evidence based SEL programs • Evidence Based SEL Practice…….what does this mean for our population? C.Sternfeld

6. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process of developing social and emotional skills in the context of safe, caring, well managed and engaging learning environments. CASEL, 2006

7. From MindUp: Creating the optimistic classroom – • Remind students not to talk over you or each other and to give everyone a chance to be heard. • Always….Pause for a moment before calling on students to answer questions. • Give students the option of answering with “I need to think about that some more” and then schedule a time to return to the discussion. • Encourage students to take a moment to write notes before group discussions. • Allow students to formulate follow-up questions after they have had time to digest learning. C.Sternfeld

8. Social Emotional Learning CASEL “So, what’s this got to do with Math?” C.Sternfeld

9. Instruction in SEL has been found to improve: • Promote positive youth development • Attitudes – Motivation & Commitment • Behavior - Participation and Study Habits • Performance – Grades and Subject Mastery • Learning-to-learn skills • Adaptability • Develops skills employers want Zins, J., Weissberg, R., Wang, M., and Walberg, H. (Eds.) (2004). Building Academic Success on Social and Emotional Learning: What Does the Research Say? New York: teachers College Press C.Sternfeld

10. CASEL’s SEL 5 Core Areas • Self-Awareness • Self-Management • Social Awareness • Relationship Skills • Responsible Decision Making • As we examine the components of each, make notes of the specific skills that your children…. • …would be really good at • …would really struggle with • Why? C.Sternfeld

11. Emotional Intelligence • Being able to motivate oneself • Being able to persist in the face of frustrations • To control impulse • To delay gratification • To regulate one’s moods • To keep distress from swamping the ability to think to empathize to hope C.Sternfeld

12. E.I. Skills SEL Core Areas • Self-Awareness • Self-Management • Social Awareness • Relationship Skills • Responsible Decision Making Ability to: • Self motivate • Persist - even when frustrated • Control impulses • Delay gratification • Regulate mood • Keep distress from swamping • the ability to think • to empathize • to hope C.Sternfeld

13. Suarez and others have observed social learning delays among Deaf children in: • Empathy • Social Perception • Social Problem Solving • Social Attribution • Communication • Role-taking ability • Moral Development • Impulse Control C.Sternfeld

14. Suarez found that Deaf children, given SEL instruction showed gains in several areas: • Emotional adjustment • Social adjustment • Self image • Problem solving • More effective social behavior • Assertiveness • Increased control over behavior • Ability to stop and think in order to avoid impulsive behavior Maria Suarez, Promoting Social Competence in Deaf Students; The Effect of an Intervention Program. University of La Laguna, Spain. 2000 C.Sternfeld

15. Asiah Mason, Ph.D.Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center Early (language-based) skills that support EI development: • Self Regulation • Attachment • Emotional Expression • Social Pragmatics • Feelings of Belonging C.Sternfeld

16. Language Competence enables us to: Diane Morton, Ph.D., Gallaudet University • Interact with others • Acquire information • Question information • Form own opinions • Be a thinker • Be independent C.Sternfeld

17. Being competent in a language is the key to social and emotional success and well being. Diane Morton, Ph.D., Gallaudet University

18. What the research shows: • Deafness does not preclude one’s ability to develop Social Emotional Competence. • Deaf children from Deaf families consistently score on par with hearing children from hearing families. • Children who lack ongoing access to experiences mediated through language, and lack expressive and receptive skills to be a full participant in their worlds will have significant social difficulty. • In the brain, social difficulty begets social difficulty. C.Sternfeld

19. Self Awareness • Accurately assessing one’s feelings, interests, values and strengths; maintaining a well grounded sense of self confidence. CASEL, 2006 C.Sternfeld

20. Self-Management • Regulating one’s emotions to handle stress, control impulses, and persevere in overcoming obstacles; • Setting and monitoring progress toward personal and academic goals • Expressing emotions appropriately CASEL, 2006 C.Sternfeld

21. From MindUp: Creating the optimistic classroom – • Remind students not to talk over you or each other and to give everyone a chance to be heard. • Always….Pause for a moment before calling on students to answer questions. • Give students the option of answering with “I need to think about that some more” and then schedule a time to return to the discussion. • Encourage students to take a moment to write notes before group discussions. • Allow students to formulate follow-up questions after they have had time to digest learning. C.Sternfeld

22. Prefrontal Cortex Amygdala Hippocampus C.Sternfeld

23. Social Awareness • Being able to take the perspective and empathize with others; recognizing and appreciating individual and group similarities and differences; recognizing and using family, school and community resources CASEL, 2006 C.Sternfeld

24. Relationship Skills • Establishing and maintaining healthy and rewarding relationships based on cooperation; resisting inappropriate social pressure; preventing, managing, and resolving interpersonal conflict; seeking help when needed. CASEL, 2006 C.Sternfeld

25. Responsible Decision Making • Making decisions based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, appropriate social norms, respect for others, and likely consequences of various actions; applying decision-making skills to academic and social situations; contributing to the well-being of one’s school and community. CASEL, 2006 C.Sternfeld

26. And then there’s Executive Function… C.Sternfeld

27. Executive Functioning Refers to our ability to be able to: • make and carry out plans • direct our attention • focus & control our internal states • our impulses & emotions • switch from one task to another It is involved in processes such as planning, cognitive flexibility, abstract thinking, rule acquisition, initiating appropriate actions & inhibiting actions, and selecting relevant information. C.Sternfeld

28. Ross Greene “Lost At School” Behind every challenging behavior is an unsolved problem or lagging skill. Challenging behavior often occurs when the demands being placed on a kid exceed his capacity to respond adaptively. One needs to determine what thinking skill the child is lacking so that the thinking skill can be taught. One needs to determine the triggers/antecedents: the what, who, when, and where. The goal is to develop a plan with the child that resolves the problem in a realistic and mutually satisfactory manner. Slide by: Dr. Caren Baruch-Feldman

29. New Information = New PossibilitiesTechnology is teaching us how to strengthen social function C.Sternfeld

30. What is a Neural Network and how can it support improved social function? Neurons that fire together, wire together. • Every time you repeat a behavior, you strengthen the neural structure of that behavior, creating more potential for more of the behavior. • Using Neurology, Psychology and Contemplative Practice to increase happiness. • The importance of a “happy” brain… C.Sternfeld

31. Recognizing “The Brain on Emotions” • Limbic System • Amygdala • Hippocampus • Prefrontal Cortex • Sympathetic Nervous System Response • Parasympathetic Nervous System Response • Potentiating Neural Networks • Positive Experiences • Negative Experiences C.Sternfeld

32. SEL Programs to check out… • MindUp (Hawn Foundation) • Nurtured Hearts • PATHS – Promoting Alternative Thinking Skills • The Responsive Classroom • PeaceWorks • Social Decision Making, Social Problem Solving C.Sternfeld

33. SEL Programs • MindUp • http://thehawnfoundation.org/mindup/ • The Nurtured Heart • http://www.childrenssuccessfoundation.com/ • PATHS: Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies • http://www.channing-bete.com/prevention-programs/paths/paths.html • The Responsive Classroom • http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/ • Peachmaking Skills for Little Kids by Peaceworks • http://www.peaceeducation.org C.Sternfeld

34. Information from works of: • Asiah Mason, Ph.D. , Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, Gallaudet Emotional Intelligence: The Implications for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students  • Diane Morton, Ph,D, Professor, Department of Counseling. Gallaudet University SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF DEAF CHILDREN SAME OR DIFFERENT? • Dorie Noll, Washington University School of Medicine Activities for social skills development in deaf children preparing to enter the mainstream, 2007 • Maria Suarez, University of La Laguna, Spain Promoting Social Competence in Deaf Students: The Effect of an Intervention Program, 2000 • Zins, J., Weissberg, R., Wang, M., and Walberg, H. (Eds.) (2004). Building Academic Success on Social and Emotional Learning: What Does the Research Say? , New York: teachers College Press • Dan Goleman, 1996: Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, Bantam Books • Ross Greene1998: The Explosive Child. Harper 2009: Lost At School, Scribner C.Sternfeld

35. Please feel free to contact me at: Cindi.sternfeld@gmail.com CindiSternfeld 4 South Union Street, Suite D Lambertville, NJ 078530 (609) 510-6092