According to, “The Hidden Curriculum for Understanding Unstated Rules in Social Situations for Adolescents and Young Adults” (Myles, Trautman, Schelvan)
“An antecedent-based intervention is one that modifies events/knowledge/skills that typically precede the occurrence of a target behavior. These changes are made to increase success or minimize problems. …the hidden curriculum is taught to the individual with autism spectrum disorders prior to an activity to increase success or decrease the likelihood of challenges.”
What does this mean to SLP’s? It means we have to teach each nuance of social skills that may be a challenge for our students. This can feel like a huge task because each student is so varied in their needs. I have been an SLP for almost 26 years and I still research, read, and trial different methods to teach my students. I have found over the years that real photos work best for my students because the facial features and body language are easier to interpret-something we may take for granted!
One of my favorite products for this is my Theory of Mind Task Cards that you can grab for free for joining my email list. These cards are so easy to use. You can pull the PDF up on your computer and have a great group social skills lesson without even printing. Or, you can print and have them complete the included questions. It’s a ready to go lesson!
I also have a giant, ever-growing bundle in which I continually add new social skills products. These lessons are from your students who are severe to higher functioning levels. In my experience, it is so valuable to have a wide variety of resources to quickly grab and go!
Let me know what skills you are currently working on or need to work on in your speech room!
Amy 🙂
