These visual supports encourage the active use of 10 Social Thinking Vocabulary concepts that lay the foundation for social emotional learning, which are fundamental to the social experience and are relevant to all of us, neurotypical and Neurodivergent. Using Social Thinking Vocabulary helps to define abstract elements of the social world in a concrete manner.

As each of these 10 concepts are introduced, hang the related colorful visual support in your classroom, clinic, or home as a reminder to observe and use the concepts across environments. The 11”x14” images are beautifully rendered, but the artistry they bring to a room is secondary to their powerful primary function: to build social awareness, self-awareness, perspective taking, flexible thinking—and ultimately—stronger social competencies.

Dimensions: 11" width x 14" height

Important note: Teach the concepts first

The visual supports are intended to be introduced and used on an ongoing basis to remind adults (professionals and parents) and students (neurotypical and Neurodivergent) to keep these concepts in the forefront of their thoughts across settings. The product offers no teaching instruction but rather is intended as a visual tool and/or reminder. To learn how to teach each of the concepts, check out the free webinar series “10 Core Concepts.” Each webinar offers best practices and resources for teaching one of the 10 concepts to students in different age groups. We strongly encourage introducing one concept a month to give time for students and staff to understand the depth and embed the vocabulary into daily routine teaching. Students with social learning differences and/or challenges may need extra time and attention to learn and use these concepts. Additionally, members of our Social Thinking Training & Speakers’ Collaborative are available for in-person school trainings to guide teams in how to implement these 10 core Social Thinking concepts in 10 months for schoolwide or districtwide adoption. To learn more about our trainings, contact sttsc@socialthinking.com.

The 10 Social Thinking Vocabulary concepts:

1. Thoughts and Feelings
2. Thinking with Your Eyes
3. The Group Plan
4. Body in the Group
5. Whole Body Listening (Listening with Brain and Body)
6. Hidden Rules & Expected—Unexpected Behaviors
7. Smart Guess
8. Flexible and Stuck Thinking
9. Size of the Problem
10. Sharing an Imagination

Social Thinking Vocabulary – concepts at the heart of Social Thinking

At the heart of the Social Thinking Methodology is our vocabulary. It’s our way of translating complex social concepts into a simpler form that can be taught and used as a common language to talk about what it means to “be social” across people, cultures, and context. Social Thinking Vocabulary encourages individuals to actively notice what’s happening around them. The language can be used whenever and wherever there is a need to talk about social expectations and interpretations: working as a group during a math lesson, dinnertime at home, hanging out with friends on the playground, participating in teams during P.E., etc. The concepts are expressed in simple language to make these abstract ideas easier to understand and motivate individuals to integrate them into their daily experiences as they participate in the social world.