Using Scaffolding to Teach Social Communication

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What is the opposite of using scaffolding to teach social communication skills during your speech therapy sessions?

“Read this story about ____ (insert social communication skill), answer these questions and then show me how you mastered the skill.” Yikes! No structured learning, no vocabulary review, no self-assessment, no practice, no feedback, no safety net…and quite likely, no success.

Expecting students with disabilities to jump right in and master a skill is not a recipe for IEP goal mastery, especially for abstract concepts like social skills. Students with disabilities benefit from scaffolded learning. Scaffolding is breaking up learning into manageable chunks and providing a structure, within each chunk. In the context of social skills instruction, scaffolding is employed to support individuals within their ZPD, (zone of proximal development), fostering the development of new social skills (Vygotsky, 1978).

Scaffolding is a common approach in special education and in teaching autistic students. Within speech therapy, collaborative learning environments that incorporate scaffolding techniques have been found to be effective in improving social communication skills. This involves therapists and educators working collaboratively to support students in acquiring and practicing social skills (Owens, Farinella, & Cannon, 2007). The teacher or therapist breaks down the learning process and provides feedback and support at each stage. Instructional scaffolding is used in a variety of subjects, from reading and writing to mathematics and science. It is especially effective for students who struggle with more abstract concepts. Social communication is definitely an abstract concept and scaffolded learning is my instructional approach of choice.

I’ll admit it. Scaffolding a social communication lesson often means that it takes longer to teach, but the end product is of far greater quality. When SLPs build on the students’ understanding of a social skill, rather than jumping straight into social problem-solving, we help students create a strong foundation for the skill!

Another reason for SLPs to use scaffolding? Groups. Scaffolding works for groups because one of the purposes of using scaffolds is to make sure that every student in the group learns something.

Why is scaffolding important?

Scaffolding is important because it:

Reduces uncertainty and anxiety,
Reduces reliance on memorization and facilitates processing,
Encourages comfort and engagement,
Helps us identify learning gaps,
Builds confidence in students,
Enhances personal connections, and
Is suitable for different learning styles.

How do we know a product or curriculum uses scaffolded learning? Look for these components of scaffolding in social communication products to ensure the product uses scaffolding to teach a social skill. This can also be used as a reference for designing your scaffolded social communication sessions.

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There is some type of learning assessment to identify students’ level of knowledge about the topic.
There is activation of prior knowledge. Students have opportunities to share past experiences, ideas, and feelings about the skill to connect it to their lives.
Scaffolding builds confidence gradually, often starting with t/f responses, moving on to multiple choice, and then to more open-ended or complex questions.
There are suggestions and hints, leading students to make connections.
A sequence is provided that breaks down the skill into steps or chunks.
There is a color or image used to represent each step or chunk.
Vocabulary is specifically taught, often up front.
Modeling of the skill is provided with images, videos, peer interactions or SLP-student interactions.
Time to talk about the skill is provided.
Learning supports are built in (auditory directions, visual models and supports, graphic organizers).
Metaphors or analogies are used to help with understanding of the concepts.
There are periodic checks for understanding.
Questions are asked strategically.
There is the most support at the start of the scaffolding process. Support is lessened in later stages. This process gives confidence and ability to learn a new skill.
There are opportunities to review what was taught earlier.
A series of mini-lessons provides students with a safety net that moves them progressively toward deeper understanding.

I’ve provided this list for you to download below.

using-scaffolding-to-teach-social-skills-1 Download

Why BOOM Cards for Scaffolded Learning?

One of the reasons I love making BOOM cards to teach social communication skills is the technology and tools provided by the BOOM platform allow me to build in all the necessary components and supports of scaffolding to teach nuanced social skills. Bonus: technology-based platforms have shown promise in improving social skills, providing a controlled environment for practice (Parsons & Cobb, 2011).

As SLPs and special educators, we know from experience. If something is above your head, it’s immediately overwhelming. But if you break it into manageable chunks and take your time, you process and understand it better!

Click below to check out my scaffolded social learning products on the BOOM learning platform!