Parent Perspective
Dylan’s parents are pleased with Dylan’s overall progress, but worry that changes Dylan has experienced in puberty may impact her socially. They are concerned because Dylan inconsistently wears deodorant and refuses to wear a bra. They have tried working on these skills at home, but have been unsuccessful. Dylan’s parents are eager for support and specially-designed instruction to address Dylan’s needs.
Ms. Jones’ Perspective
Ms. Jones has similar concerns regarding Dylan’s social skills. She knows that Dylan identifies herself as a tomboy and she wants to respect Dylan’s preferences and identity, but she also wants to teach Dylan basic hygiene and self-care skills that will help her be successful at school and in the community. Additionally, Ms. Jones is concerned that Dylan lacks basic safety skills and knowledge and may be at risk in emergency situations.
Hear Ms. Jones share more about Dylan:
Supporting Skills
Managing hygiene and appearance
Recently, Ms. Jones has noticed Dylan has gone through some physical changes that have complicated managing her appearance. Dylan has been characterized as a tomboy and prefers loose, comfortable clothing. Dylan’s mother has purchased several bras for Dylan, but Dylan refuses to wear them. This makes Dylan’s peers uncomfortable and causes Dylan mild discomfort during physical activities.
Dylan also does not seem to understand the importance of some aspects of personal hygiene. Although her parents report that Dylan showers every evening, she does not always wear deodorant. Ms. Jones is concerned that Dylan’s body odor may make peers less likely to include Dylan.
Understanding etiquette
Additionally, Dylan is very casual with staff members in the building and engages in behavior that is sometimes perceived as rude. She audibly burps and does not use polite words like “excuse me” or “thank you” appropriately. She also struggles to comply with emergency drills at school. During fire or tornado drills, Dylan will continue talking to peers, and she’s often the last to follow the teacher’s directions. She seems to think the drills are silly and unimportant and uses them as opportunities to socialize with friends. Dylan’s parents are concerned that Dylan’s carefree attitude will put her at risk in a real emergency situation.
Conveying important information
Relatedly, Dylan’s knowledge of important information about herself is limited. Although Dylan can relay her first and last name and her parents’ names, she does not remember either of her parent’s phone numbers or her own number when requested by trustworthy adults. Dylan’s parents and Ms. Jones agree that these are important pieces of information for Dylan to be able to share in an emergency situation.
Dylan participated in virtual reality social skills instruction to practice her self-care and safety skills. Ms. Jones worked to help Dylan generalize the skills she learned in real-life settings. Click on the links below to see how Ms. Jones developed a lesson for each skill.
Dylan’s Lesson Plans
Knows What to Do in Emergency Drills and Real Emergencies
During VOISS lessons, Dylan learned what to do during emergency drills. She learned to listen to adults, stay quiet, and follow directions. As Dylan demonstrated her competence with emergency drills at school, Ms. Jones was satisfied that response generalization had...
Can Relay Important Information
During VOISS lessons, Dylan learned to give her address to authority figures (e.g., police officers, 911 operators) upon request. She also learned to identify authority figures and situations when she may need to provide personal information. Ms. Jones was...
Understands Rules of Etiquette and When Needed
During VOISS lessons, Dylan learned to say “excuse me” after burping and to say “thank you” when someone did something for her (e.g., serving her food at lunchtime). Ms. Jones created a lesson to help Dylan practice understanding the rules of etiquette and when needed...
Understands Need for Appropriate Hygiene
Through VOISS lessons, Dylan learned that it is important to wear deodorant every day as part of personal hygiene. Specifically, VOISS lessons taught Dylan to put on deodorant every morning after brushing her teeth. Ms. Jones created a lesson to help Dylan...
Plans Actions to Manage Appearance
During VOISS lessons, Dylan learned that it’s okay not to wear a bra at home, but it’s important to wear bras in public. Data from VOISS lessons indicated Dylan understood when wearing a bra was appropriate, but Ms. Jones wanted to make sure Dylan knew how to wear a...