Parent Perspective
Rico’s parents are pleased with his academic progress, but they are concerned that Rico doesn’t advocate for himself in certain situations and sometimes overreacts to small problems. For example, Rico purchased a soda from a corner store with a ten-dollar bill his parents gave him. The cashier gave Rico change for a five-dollar bill, and Rico did not correct the cashier. When he returned home, his parents asked him why he did not ask for the correct change. Rico became hysterical, apologized, and ran to his room to cry. Rico’s parents report that Rico often feels uncomfortable advocating for himself and asks his parents to advocate on his behalf. Although his parents are happy to advocate for him, they are worried that Rico’s lack of advocacy skills will hinder him in the future.
Ms. Rao’s Perspective
Rico’s teacher, Ms. Rao, has observed similar overreactions to small problems at school. Rico is typically an A student, and becomes visibly upset when he receives Bs on assignments. Rico will cry, tear up assignments, and leave the classroom. He’s told Ms. Rao he does not think he will get into a good college if he gets Bs on any assignments.
Relatedly, Ms. Rao has noticed that Rico has trouble recognizing his emotions and the impact of his emotions / behavior on others. When Rico exhibits behavior that suggests he is angry or sad, Ms. Rao has tried to label Rico’s emotions and validate how he is feeling. For example, when Rico receives a grade he is not happy with, Ms. Rao might say, “You seem angry about the grade you received. That’s okay. We need to figure out ways to show your anger appropriately.” However, Rico will vehemently disagree with Ms. Rao and insist that he “doesn’t care” about his grades at all.
Hear Ms. Rao share more about Rico:
Supporting Skills
Identifying how behavior affects others
Just as Rico struggles to identify his emotions, he does not always understand the impact of his behavior on others. Rico’s peers have reported that they are scared of Rico when he has meltdowns. Although Rico has never been aggressive with a peer, his classmates are concerned that Rico’s behavior might escalate. Once, Rico accidentally knocked over a chair when he stormed out of the classroom, and this startled many of his classmates. Rico also occasionally punches walls when he is upset. Some peers have said they are hesitant to hang out with Rico because they don’t know what to do when Rico has temper tantrums. Ms. Rao wants Rico to understand the impact of his behavior on others and find socially appropriate ways to meet his needs.
Discerning strengths and weaknesses
Despite his academic achievements, Rico’s teachers describe him as insecure. Rico takes any criticism personally. He thinks any performance feedback is a direct insult, even when he receives feedback in classes in which he excels. Rico believes any grade below an A constitutes “bad work.” He often tells Ms. Rao that he is bad at everything. Although Rico understands there are some activities he is not good at (e.g., sports), he doesn’t understand his strengths. Rico has even said he doesn’t think he will be able to get a job when he grows up because he “isn’t really good at anything.”
Rico participated in a virtual reality social skills program to learn self-awareness and advocacy skills. Instruction addressed a variety of skills, but Ms. Jones prioritized five skills for instruction. Click the links below for detailed lessons and instructional planning for each skill.
Rico’s Lesson Plans
Knows Personal Strengths and Weaknesses
During VOISS lessons, Rico learned that personal strengths are tasks or actions an individual performs well. Weaknesses are tasks or actions an individual struggles with. Rico knew that responding emotionally to situations was one of his weaknesses. Rico learned to...
Identifies How Behavior Impacts Others
Rico learned to identify the impact of his behavior on others and himself during VOISS lessons. He learned the way he behaves has an emotional impact on others, and in certain situations, may make others want to avoid him in the future. He also learned that when he...
Advocates for Self
VOISS lessons provided Rico with examples of self-advocacy skills. He learned that self-advocacy involves speaking up for yourself, asking for information to understand things that are important or interesting, and reaching out to others for help. Rico was...
Can Identify the Size of a Problem
During VOISS lessons, Rico learned to describe different problems as small, medium, or large. For example, getting a bad grade on a single assignment was a small problem, losing his backpack was a medium problem, and an active tornado was a big problem. Ms. Rao...
Recognizes Emotion
Rico learned to label different emotions during VOISS lessons. He learned how specific situations can elicit different emotions. Ms. Rao wanted to make sure Rico could label his emotions during real situations throughout the day. Ms. Rao created a lesson to help...