Fun with Comics

Here are a few ideas for you on working on social communication/peer awareness and/or social anxiety (decreasing). I implement these types of things within my sessions when applicable. This is always a big hit with my clients!

Create Your Own Comic Strip

Here is a template that you can either use or replicate.

1) First develop a theme, characters, and idea for story/story segment. If you are working toward peer awareness, social communication, and/or decreasing social anxiety, be sure that the subject matter reflects this (i.e. develop a story line which involves some sort of peer social interaction).

2) Apply the story line to a comic strip such as this one. This is a fun (and non intimidating) way to facilitate peer awareness and/or teach or reinforce social communication skill. Also, for those who have high social anxiety, it is much easier to initially 'get your toes wet' with this type of activity. I have found that many of my clients who have social anxiety are much more willing to start out with an activity such as this where they feel they can view things from afar. Also, providing work in an area of need within the context of a fun and/or non intimidating activity is invaluable. This provides a starting point where the person is willing. When this context is mastered, I will then apply the same thing within another context.

Fun with Speech Bubbles

Another fun method I implement when working on increasing peer awareness/social communication/social skill and decreasing social anxiety in children is the use of speech bubbles. Often times I find that my clients are much more willing and interested in animals than they are in people. So, I start with animals.

1) Take photos or gather photos of animals, being sure to get at least two animals in a photo since social skill is our focus here.

2) Either cut out speech bubbles OR use speech bubble stickers made for use on photos.

3) Take a little bit of time to just look at the photo and imagine what is going on in the photo.

4) Discuss possible things the animals may want to say to each other, and write this in the speech bubbles.

5) Optional (depending on child's level of skill and/or anxiety): Role play - assign an animal to you and an animal to the child, and act out what you see in the picture (as well as what you've written in the speech bubbles). Puppets may be fun here.

After I've introduced this concept with animals (and gotten the attention and interest of my client with this sort of activity), we will then implement the activity except this time we use pictures of people. I would suggest doing the animal activity a couple times (separate times) before moving on to people pictures.

I obviously love doing this activity within a musical environment as the music (when used correctly) goes a long way in decreasing the anxiety, building excitement, reinforcing call and response, and providing parameters for the activity.

Also, the beauty of this is that you are also touching on related goals such as increasing cognitive skill (building story line/sequence events), fine motor skill (drawing pictures, writing words), and attention to task.

Have fun!

Jessica