Social Thinking May Not Be What You Expected

Social Thinking is a social skills curriculum developed by Michelle Garcia Winner. A few teachers here at ISB have taken the training and are helping to spread its ideas across the school.  

Lori Boll and Beth Sauers help us to understand what Social Thinking is and how it can be used in our classrooms to help improve student social skills, communication and behaviors.

Beth Sauers, M.A., CCC- SLP is a New York State licensed and American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) certified speech-language pathologist (SLP). She has had over 11 years of experience practicing as a school-based SLP, working with students in grades PreK-12. Beth began her career in her hometown of Rochester, New York, U.S.A., and then made the exciting transition to international teaching in 2016. She has experience working collaboratively to evaluate and provide services for a variety of speech and language needs, such as: receptive/expressive language, vocabulary, phonological awareness, written language, social communication, speech sound production, fluency (stuttering and cluttering), auditory processing, executive functioning, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), and voice. Beth has provided professional learning to university students, families, and community members, with topics including: the role of the school-based speech-language pathologist, supporting language skills, stuttering, vocal health, and social thinking skills. 

Lori Boll is an experienced Special Education leader with a personal connection to individuals with disabilities.

In 2003, Lori’s son Braden was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. This milestone event changed her focus from teaching elementary students to advocating for all children and their education.

In Shanghai, China Lori worked as a program director for a school focused on students with special needs and went on to co-found the first inclusive school in the city. Currently, Lori is running the new Intensive Needs Program which opened up at International School Bangkok in August, 2017.

Lori has two graduate degrees; one in Reading Education and the other in Special Education and has been teaching for over twenty years in international schools, including American International School Riyadh, Jakarta International School, and Concordia International School, as well as in the United States in California and Colorado.