Parent Perspective
Arturo’s parents have indicated that their primary concern is Arturo’s social skills. During family gatherings, they report that Arturo attempts to socialize and interact with his cousins, but is often unsuccessful. His parents worry that Arturo does not understand when others don’t want to talk to him and notice that he often interrupts others.
Ms. Jones’ Perspective
Ms. Jones has observed similar behaviors at school. She’s noticed that although Arturo joins conversations, he has trouble staying on topic. Arturo enjoys checking the weather radar online and talking about car engines, and he interjects these topics into irrelevant conversations. For example, Ms. Jones recently noticed that Arturo joined a group of peers talking about Minecraft and interrupted the peers to tell them that a cold front was coming in that evening. Most students are nice to Arturo, and he is rarely teased about his idiosyncratic interests. However, peers often leave the area or end the conversation when Arturo begins to ramble. Ms. Jones is concerned because she’s noticed some students have begun avoiding Arturo in general.
Hear Ms. Jones share more about Arturo:
Supporting Skills
Conversational Skills
In social situations and during class, Arturo has trouble maintaining conversations on most topics. He often asks questions, but his questions usually relate directly to his idiosyncratic interests. He does not ask questions that pertain to the conversational or instructional topic. For example, Arturo will ask peers if they are familiar with a specific car engine and then detail the history of the car engine, regardless of the peer’s response. Following a lesson on photosynthesis, Arturo asked the teacher if she knew what the temperature would be that day. Arturo’s teachers have reported that they are unsure how to respond to these questions and don’t know how to redirect Arturo.
Expressive Communication Skills
Beyond conversational skills, Ms. Jones is also concerned with some of Arturo’s more foundational skills. Arturo consistently responds to greetings, but does not consistently greet his peers in socially-appropriate ways. Arturo seems to want to greet his peers, but hesitates when opportunities arise. Instead, he sometimes stares at peers as they pass in the hallway. In other instances, he attempts to greet peers at inappropriate times. He might say, “Hi [peer name]!” loudly while a peer is in the middle of a conversation. Arturo understands the conclusions of social interactions, but says goodbye in socially inappropriate ways. For example, at the end of a conversation, Arturo will say “Bye!” in a very loud voice and then abruptly turn and briskly walk away from the peer.
Arturo’s Lesson Plans
Displays Manners – Apologizes, Requests Respectfully
During VOISS lessons, Arturo practiced apologizing after mistakes and making requests politely. He learned to say “I’m sorry” to peers when he accidentally upset them. He also learned to make requests politely during class. Instead of saying, “I want [item/action],”...
Uses Appropriate Voice Level and Tone
During VOISS lessons, Arturo learned to use different voice levels in different settings. He learned that loud voices are appropriate when communicating from longer distances or when competing with background noise. He also discovered that most of the time,...
Asking a Question About a Topic
During VOISS lessons, Arturo learned to listen to others without interrupting. He also learned to look toward the speaker, wait until the speaker finished speaking, and ask a question about the topic. Ms. Jones decided that listening without interrupting was...
Listens Without Interrupting
During VOISS lessons, Arturo learned to listen to others without interrupting. He also learned to look toward the speaker, wait until the speaker finished speaking, and ask a question about the topic. Ms. Jones decided that listening without interrupting was...
Greets Others
During VOISS lessons, Arturo learned to greet others by waving or saying hello to the peer by name. He also learned to say goodbye appropriately. Ms. Jones created a lesson to help Arturo to practice the skill of greeting others (Expressive Communication...