This is a great lesson for both him and for me to teach – since I have a propensity for struggling with any kind of change, or when I have to compromise!! I have been teaching this concept by using the descriptors of a “flexible thinker”, and a “rock brain” (which comes from the SuperFlex curriculm-I don’t have really any experience with it, but I love the various characters!) – I think it’s a pretty important concept for most of us Type A’s – I will admit there have been occasions when I’ve admonished myself for being a “rock brain!” So, I thought that I’d share some of the lesson with you all!!!
#Rock brain and superflex how to#
I would love to hear how you work on this with your clients or if you try any of these tips and tricks.One of my counseling students is currently working on/learning how to be a flexible thinker, and to not always be so rigid, as he struggles when he is faced with any sort of change and/or he doesn’t get his own way. Working on the concept of being a flexible thinker can be so helpful for our clients. For example, “You ate your yogurt today when you didn’t want it in your lunch! That was so flexible of you to try it anyway!” I also ensure that parents praise their children when they are being flexible thinkers so that they can become more aware of their successes, even when they may be quite small. For example, saying to children, “When it was raining and we could not go to the park, do you think you were being a flexible thinker or a stuck thinker? How do you think that made mommy/daddy feel? What could we do differently next time?” is a great way to encourage a child to think about their behaviour. Instead, I have parents talk to their children after the stuck thinking has occurred to help them reflect. That does not necessarily mean saying, “are you being a flexible thinker?” when the child is, in fact, being quite stuck. We then write a flexible reaction and a stuck reaction and discuss them.įinally, I talk to parents about using this vocabulary at home. Together with the client, we come up with an example and find a visual for it on Google. Once my clients have a solid understanding of this concept, I like to bring in real life examples that they have told me or that have been shared by parents or teachers. I ask my clients “Is the boy a flexible or stuck thinker? How do you know?”
This video demonstrates flexible thinking. I also try to focus on how other people feel around the “stuck thinker.” What are peoples’ thoughts and feelings when someone is not being very flexible? Do people feel happy or sad or mad? Do they feel uncomfortable or comfortable? Do they want to be around this person or avoid them? Is it fun or not fun to play with someone who is always a stuck thinker? I like to use kid-friendly videos that demonstrate what it looks like to not be a flexible thinker and then brainstorm with my clients what the person in the video could do differently next time. However, if we are flexible and try new things, we might end up even liking it. I Just Don’t Like the Sound of No by Julia CookĪ concept that many of these books have in common is that sometimes, we don’t want to try new things if they don’t follow our original plan.Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban.Marigold Bakes A Cake by Mike Malbrough.My Day is Ruined!: A Story For Teaching Flexible Thinking by Bryan Smith.Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin.If you don’t have access to Social Thinking materials, here are some other fantastic books that help to teach the concept of flexible thinking: Superflex Takes on Rock Brain And the Team of Unthinkables, another book from the Social Thinking series, teaches children all about using their “superflex skills” to defeat their “team of unthinkables” that sometimes take over their brain and reduce their flexible thinking skills. For example, when the students can’t agree on which direction to drive, all of their brains appear to be physically stuck and then their car gets stuck too. flexible thinkers by comparing stuck thoughts to actually being physically stuck. This story book teaches children about being stuck vs. Book #3 in We Thinkers Volume 2 (which should be read after We Thinkers Volume 1 and Books #1 and #2 of Volume 2) is called Flexible and Stuck Thinking.
If you are an SLP or other educator that is lucky to have access to the Social Thinking curriculum, there are some incredible books on this topic. For a lesson plan on teaching flexible thinking, check out my guest post on The Dabbling Speechie’s website.
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