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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
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A social skills curriculum intended to increase the employment success of secondary transition aged students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities
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A social skills curriculum intended to increase the employment success of secondary transition aged students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities
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Content
Running head: SOCIAL SKILLS 1
A Social Skills Curriculum Intended to Increase the Employment Success
of Secondary Transition Aged Students with Moderate to Severe Intellectual Disabilities
by
Ian Vankirk Sayer
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
December 2017
Copyright 2017 Ian Vankirk Sayer
SOCIAL SKILLS 2
SOCIAL SKILLS 3
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my family for supporting me as I have worked through this process.
Their caring and love has allowed me to focus on this work. Without them, this dream of mine
would have never come true. Emily, Felix, and Riker, without you none of this would have
happened. I am doing it all for you guys.
SOCIAL SKILLS 4
Table of Contents
Abstract 6
Chapter One: Literature Review 7
Statement of the Problem of Practice 7
Learner Characteristics Related to the Problem of Practice 10
Moderate to Severe Intellectual Disabilities 10
Transition Aged Students 12
Social Skills Ability 13
Employment Ability 14
Causes of the Problem of Practice 17
Lack of Social Skills Ability 17
Gaps in Employment Success 19
A Continuing Problem 21
Solutions to the Problem of Practice 24
Solutions for the Lack in Social Skills Ability 24
Solutions for the Gaps in Employment Success 28
Other Curricula 31
Skills to Pay the Bills 32
The PEERS Curriculum 34
LifeFacts 35
Life Centered Career Education 36
Summary 39
Chapter Two: Curriculum Overview 42
Curriculum Description 43
Learner Description and Context 44
Theoretical Framework and Research Based Practices 47
Design Justification and Acknowledgment of Designer Bias 49
Curriculum Outcomes 52
Description of Curriculum Assessments 53
Chapter Three: The Skills to Get the Job Curriculum 55
Unit 1: Introduction 58
Unit 2: Self-Assessment of Social Skills and Goal Setting 66
Unit 3: Communication Skills 119
Unit 4: How to Decide on the Best Workplace for You 192
and Appling for the Job
Unit 5: Interviewing for the Job 239
Unit 6: Orienting to Your New Job 286
Unit 7: Reflection on Social Skills Success, Self-Assessment 344
and Corrections if Needed
Chapter Four: Recommendations for Implementation 382
Different Age Groups 383
Varied Levels of Ability and Age 383
Individual Use and Group Use 385
Whole Use and Part Use of the Curriculum 386
SOCIAL SKILLS 5
Implementation for Different Groups Including Parents 386
Supplementation of Other Curriculums 387
Conclusion 388
References 389
Appendix A Definitions 401
SOCIAL SKILLS 6
Abstract
Individuals with intellectual disabilities are underemployed when compared to their non-disabled
peers. This employment gap has major implications for teachers working with students with
moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. The federal government has mandated that educators
work to increase beneficial post-school outcomes, including employment, for students with
moderate to severe intellectual disabilities through a series of laws. Social skills ability has been
linked to employment success. The appropriate use of social skills has been shown to increase
employment success and opportunities for students with moderate to severe intellectual
disabilities. A curriculum focused on social skills education, including but not limited to
vocational social skills, will increase the ability to gain and keep employment for students with
moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. This dissertation articulates the reasons for the
creation of a social skills curriculum with the intention of increasing the employability of
students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. It also puts forth a curriculum intended
to increase social skills and vocational skills for that population as well as anyone looking to
increase those skill competencies. The curriculum presented uses video direct instruction,
modeling, and role-playing to increase social and vocational skills competences, enhance
communication skills, and ensure the use of reflective practices for continual success.
Recommendations for the use of the curriculum presented range from parents, teachers,
programs, vocational services, and other interested individuals.
SOCIAL SKILLS 7
CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW
This literature review is intended to show the need for a social skills curriculum intended
to increase the employment success of secondary transition aged students with moderate to
severe intellectual disabilities. The review will begin with a statement of the problem which this
curriculum will seek to correct. That will be followed by an account of the learner
characteristics of the intended recipients of this curriculum. The causes of the need for this
curriculum will then be discussed. Following that section will be a discussion of the possible
solutions that may help these individuals with their employment success and social skills
aptitude. The last section will be a look at other curricula intended to either increase the social
skills of individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities, their employment success,
or both. After reading this review, the reader should have an understanding that individuals with
moderate to severe intellectual disabilities need a curriculum that will increase their social skills
ability which will then increase their employment success.
Statement of the Problem of Practice
Individuals with intellectual disabilities are underemployed when compared to their non-
disabled peers. A Federal Bureau of Labor and Statistics report from 2015 informs us that the
employment rate of individuals with disabilities is at 22% while the employment rate of
individuals without disabilities is at 71%. This report shows that there is a 49% gap in the
employment rate for individuals with disabilities in comparison to their non-disabled peers. This
gap is further exemplified in publications by the Department of Rehabilitation. The Department
of Rehabilitation is a state by state agency that works to find employment opportunities for
people with many different disabilities, including those designated as having moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities. The 2015 California Department of Rehabilitation Fact Sheet shows that
SOCIAL SKILLS 8
out of the 100,000 individuals with disabilities that they serviced in California, only 13,000, or
13%, of them were able to find employment.
The employment gap seen above has major implications for teachers working with
students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. The federal government has mandated
that educators work to increase the post-school outcomes, including employment, for students
with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities through a series of laws. The law governing this
policy is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, Public Law 108-
446 of the 108 Congress of the United States of America in 2004 , which is an amendment of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Public Law 101-476 of the 101 Congress of the
United States of America in 1990 which was an amendment to the Education for All
Handicapped Children Act, Public Law 94-142 of the 94
th
Congress of the United State of
America in 1975. In these laws we see the federally mandated legal requirement that all students
with disabilities receive individual education services. These include services that will act as a
guide to help transition these students out of the school setting and into post school activities by
assessing and giving instruction in several areas, once of which is employment (idea.ed.gov,
Yell, Shriner, & Katsiyannis, 2006).
Researchers have also stated that one of the most important aspects of the education of
students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities is related to employment. These
individuals need to be educated in order to have the skills necessary to gain meaningful and
gainful employment once they age out of, or graduate from, the public education system (Colly
& Jamison, 1998; Harvey, 2001; Kamens, 2004; Eaves et al., 2012; Shaw & Dukes, 2013).
Eaves, Rabren, and Hal (2012) present that there are federal guidelines being put forth which
guide the focus of education for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities to
SOCIAL SKILLS 9
employment and employment related skills. Eaves, Rabren, and Hal (2012) go on to tell us that
the skills that individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities need to successfully
gain employment are integrated and multi-dimensional tasks which include the broad range of
tasks that people without disabilities navigate on a daily basis such as social skills.
Social skills ability has been linked to employment success. The appropriate use of
social skills has been shown to increase employment success and opportunities for students with
moderate to severe intellectual disabilities (Webb et al., 2004; Colly & Jamison, 1998;
Greenspan & Shoultz, 1981). Social skills instruction has been shown to increase social skills
abilities and aptitude for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities (Michelson,
Sugai, Wood, & Kazdin, 2013; Nussle, 2014; Seevers & Jones-Blank, 2008; Warger, 1990).
Students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities often lack appropriate social skills,
particularly those needed to gain and succeed in a vocational setting (Cobb et al., 2013; Quieng
et al. 2015; Lang, 2011; Sabbatino & Macrine, 2007; Skoulos & Gergiana, 2007; Westling &
Fox, 2004; Yeo & Teng, 2015). Researchers have found that in as little as eight weeks, with no
previous exposure, students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities will begin learning
social skills and the skills necessary to be competent in social interactions (Vaughn, Hogan,
Kouzekanani, & Shapiro, 1990). Social skills instruction for students with moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities should improve their ability to gain and keep employment (Brooke,
Revell, & Wehman, 2009; Easterly-Klaas, 2005; Greenspan & Shoultz, 1981; Warger, 1990;
Webb, Millar, Pierce, Strawser, & Jones, 2004).
The research above shows that a curriculum focused on social skills education, including
but not limited to vocational social skills, will increase the ability to gain and keep employment
for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. This will help guide the creation of
SOCIAL SKILLS 10
a social skills curriculum with the intention of increasing the employability of students with
moderate to severe intellectual disabilities.
Learner Characteristics Related to the Problem of Practice
This section of the literature review will discuss the learner characteristics of secondary
transition aged students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. This is more than just a
definition of the terms, but will be an in-depth look at how the field of education classifies these
learners and how they learn best. This review will be broken up into several sections. The first
two sections are moderate to severe intellectual disabilities and transition aged students. The last
two sections will be on social skills of transition aged students with moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities and employment abilities of transition aged students with moderate to
severe intellectual disabilities.
Moderate to Severe Intellectual Disabilities
The American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (DSM-5) defines an intellectual disability as a disorder with an onset during the
developmental period that includes both intellectual and adaptive functioning deficits in
conceptual, social, and practical domains. Intellectual functioning is related to academic
learning such as reading, writing, and access to the general education curriculum. Adaptive
functioning is related to living skills used by people in their everyday lives. Students with a
moderate intellectual disability generally have an IQ between 35 and 49 with noticeable
developmental delays (i.e. speech, motor skills, mobility, social skills), may have physical signs
of impairment, can communicate in basic, simple ways, are able to learn basic health and safety
skills, can complete self-care activities, and can travel alone to nearby, familiar places (DSM-5).
SOCIAL SKILLS 11
Students with severe intellectual disabilities generally have an IQ between 20 and 34, have
considerable delays in development, can understand speech but with limited ability to
communicate, are able to learn daily routines, may learn very simple self-care, and needs direct
supervision in most social situations (DSM-5). Some of the causes of intellectual disabilities are
genetic, such as Down syndrome, Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), Fragile X syndrome
and Phenylketonuria (PKU). Intellectual disabilities can also be caused during pregnancy
because of malnutrition, environmental toxins like mercury and lead, infections that the mother
may have or get such as toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus, rubella, or syphilis.
Students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities learn best in context to where
their will use the skills being taught and by practicing in real life situations (Browder, 2011,
Snell & Brown, 2014, Westling & Fox, 2004). These individuals need frequent practice, daily if
able, weekly if not, to retain and maintain their learned skills (Browder, 2011, Snell & Brown,
2014, Westling & Fox, 2004). By giving these students different activities that use the same
skills in different contexts and situations they are better able to generalize their learning across
various aspects of their lives (Browder, 2011, Snell & Brown, 2014, Westling & Fox, 2004).
Snell and Brown (2014) say that the skills sets and learning abilities of all students with
disabilities will vary on an individual by individual basis and to make sure to expose students to
large amount of lessons related to the same subjects to increase generalizability of the
knowledge. Bouck (2012) discusses that individuals with moderate to severe intellectual
disabilities do not learn better either way in a traditional setting or a setting where they are
learning the skills listed above. Since Bouch (2012) makes the argument that academic learning
does teach these students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities any better than a non-
academic curriculum, then social skills or vocation skills curriculum is just as valuable as an
SOCIAL SKILLS 12
academic curriculum. Alwell and Cobb (2009) agree that a non-academic curriculum is
appropriate for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. Alwell and Cobb
(2009) found that by directly teaching a life skills curriculum, as opposed to an academic
curriculum, to individuals with moderate to severe intellectually disabilities, that their overall
functioning skills including employability, increased. They found that direct instruction of the
needed skills was best practice for these individuals.
Transition Aged Students
The 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (I.D.E.A., 2004) gives guidelines
for the required learning for transition aged students with disabilities. By the age of 16 at the
latest, these students need to learn academic and functional skills that will facilitate their
movement from school to post school activities. These post school activities include vocational
education and training in life skills, social skills, communication skills, and independent living
skills (IDEA 2004, Blackmon & Falls, 2007, Browder, 2011, Pierangelo & Giuliani, 2008, Snell
& Brown, 2014, Westling & Fox, 2004). These activities need to be based on the student’s
needs, and take into account their strengths, interests, and preferences (IDEA 2004, Blackmon &
Falls, 2007, Browder, 2011, Pierangelo & Giuliani, 2008, Snell & Brown, 2014, Westling &
Fox, 2004).
Browder (2011), along with Westling and Fox (2004), discuss that transition aged
students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities learn transition skills in a variety of
ways. They say that these students can learn the transition skills that they need with direct
instruction, small group instruction, role playing, and in context learning. These students can
also learn skills by being verbally reminded to engage in them and by being prompted by devices
SOCIAL SKILLS 13
that would remind them to stay on task or of the skills they need to use (Horner & Carr,1997,
Kraijer, 2000). Teaching transition aged students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities
in a variety of ways, better ensures that they will get exposure to the content in a way that works
best for them (Browder, 2011, Snell & Brown, 2014, Westling & Fox, 2004).
Social Skills Ability
Teaching social skills can be difficult based on the lack of a clear definition of what
social skills is (Michelson, Sugai, Wood, & Kazdin, 2013, Pierangelo & Giuliani, 2008). In
order to better understand how individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities will
best learn social skills, a definition of those social skills has to be established. One working
definition of social skills comes from Michelson, Sugai, Wood, & Kazdin (2013). They inform
us that social skills are primarily acquired through learning (e.g., observation, modeling,
rehearsal, and feedback). Michelson, Sugai, Wood, & Kazdin (2013) comprise specific and
discrete verbal and nonverbal behaviors as social skills. Entailed in their research Michelson,
Sugai, Wood, & Kazdin (2013) find that both the effective and appropriate initiations and
responses are tied in with social skills. Social Skills maximize social reinforcement (e.g.,
positive responses from one’s social environment). They are interactive by nature and entail both
effective and appropriate responsiveness (e.g., reciprocity and timing of specific behaviors). The
performance of social skills is influenced by the characteristics of the environment (i,e,,
situational specificity), such facets as age, sex, and status of the recipient which may affect one’s
social performance. Also within social skills, deficits and excesses in social performance can be
specified and targeted for intervention and instruction.
SOCIAL SKILLS 14
With social skills now defined, the way in which students with moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities best will learn those skills needs to be discussed. Horner and Carr (1997)
discuss social skills learning and advise that individuals with moderate to severe intellectual
disabilities need to be directly taught a social skills curriculum. Browder (2011) wrote about
eight research based strategies that can be used to directly teach social skills to students with
moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. The eight strategies are joint attention interventions,
modeling, naturalistic teaching strategies, peer training packages, pivotal response treatment,
schedules, self-management, and story-based interventions (Browder, 2011). Joint attention
interventions are basic ways to regulate the behaviors of others by engaging in some sort of
communication to change the behavior of another individual. Modeling is showing the student a
demonstration of how to use a target behavior, in this case, social skills. Naturalistic teaching
strategies is the use of stimulating environments to encourage social interactions in a natural
environment and providing instruction on how to engage in social interactions and rewarding
attempts. Peer training packages is a model of instruction where non-disabled peers are taught
how to facilitating social interactions with their peers with disabilities. In pivotal response
treatment, targeted important behavior areas are taught to students with disabilities with the
belief that once these important skill areas are taught, that there will be widespread overall
improvements. The use of schedules is a way of creating a list of steps need to complete a social
activity. By using a combination of these eight strategies, the social skills ability of these
students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities can be improved (Browder, 2011).
Employment Ability
Holmes and Fillary (2000) found that employment ability and social skills were
connected when looking at the employment ability of individuals with moderate to severe
SOCIAL SKILLS 15
intellectual disabilities. They found that even when these individuals were able to do a job well,
that if they could not have very basic social interactions they were more likely to lose their job.
Holmes and Fillary (2000) found that the individuals in their study were able to increase their
ability to keep employment by increasing their social skills ability. Martin, Lagomarcino, and
Chadsey-Rusch (1986) found that productivity at work was affected by the disability level of an
individual. They found that people with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities needed help
in learning how to be more productive while at the work site. This was exacerbated by social
skills challenges which would cause these individuals to not know how to ask for help with their
productivity challenges. Martin, Lagomarcino, and Chadsey-Rusch (1986), found that the lack
of social skills ability directly related to the work productivity of individuals with disabilities.
Joshi, Bouck, and Maeda (2012) found that a specific targeted curriculum about employment
success affected employment ability and long term employment success of these students.
Research has found that in order to succeed in an employment situation, individuals with
intellectual disabilities work well in supported employment setting (Denny-Brown, O’Day, &
McLeod, 2015, Hughes & Kingsford, 1997). Successful supported employment needs several
systems in place to help these individuals. These systems are a recognition of adult status of the
individual, support for the individual and employer, use of "natural" workplace support, use of
job and task analysis, regular review of support, individual understanding of the needs of the
individual, high expectations, positive marketing of individuals skills; good job match,
partnerships with parents and caregivers, and recognition of service by stakeholders (Denny-
Brown, O’Day, & McLeod, 2015, Hughes & Kingsford, 1997). Along with these supports
Kraijer, D. (2000) found that prompting, specifically hand held prompting devices increased the
SOCIAL SKILLS 16
time on task for individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities in vocational
settings.
In summary some of the best practices that can be used to increase the learning of
students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities have been presented. The first key to
understanding these students is to understand that directly teaching them a curriculum about the
skills that they need does increase their ability in those skills. A targeted curriculum on
employment skills and the skills needed to increase employment success has been shown to
increase success for these individuals. Four of the best practices are direct instruction of specific
skills, small group instruction to increase mastery, role playing to try out different situations, and
learning in the context in which they will use the skill being taught. These practices, along with
a lot of practice is also key to the learning of these individuals. Daily practice of the skills being
taught is needed to increase retention and mastery. Many of these individuals with moderate to
severe intellectual disabilities will need verbal or and non-verbal prompting to use these skills.
The non-verbal prompting can be from assistive technology or it can come in other forms like
gestures and looks. Support systems and groups in place at home and at work sites have shown
to help these individuals have been shown to do better in employment situations. A support
system is an individual or group of people that are there to remind, prompt, and support the
needs of the person with the moderate to severe intellectual disability. This support group,
system, or person is there to help the individual with the disability when they need it, not all the
time. Modeling of the skills, naturalistic teaching strategies, peer teaching where the peers help
support the individuals, visual and verbal schedules, and teaching self-management skills have
also been shown to be effective with these individuals. Along with those practices the use of
many different scripts and scenarios has been shown to help these individuals learn. By using
SOCIAL SKILLS 17
the different approaches laid out above, individuals with moderate to severe intellectual
disabilities can learn the social skills they need to be successful in their employment goals.
Causes of the Problem of Practice
This section of the literature review will address the causes and problems which
necessitate the need for a social skills curriculum intended to increase the employment success of
secondary transition aged students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. This section
will be broken into three sub sections. The first sub section will look at why students with
moderate to severe intellectual disabilities are lacking in social skills ability when compared to
their non-disabled peers. The second sub section will look at the causes for the gap in
employment success between individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities and
their non-disabled peers. The third section will give some of the causes for why this problem has
been discussed for decades and why it continues to be a problems for students with moderate to
severe intellectual disabilities.
Lack of Social Skills Ability
Social skills are often thought of as something that we acquire through our daily
interactions with our environment and people (Seevers & Jones-Blank, 2008). Pierangelo and
Crane (1997) say that there is probably no greater need in people’s lives than to attach, connect,
or build gratifying human relationships, in which social skills are paramount. The problem
occurs when we realize that many of students in special education do not acquire skills just
through exposure (Strain & Schwartz, 2001). Many students with moderate to severe intellectual
disabilities require some sort of direct instruction, with hands on experience in order to achieve
mastery of a given skill. In many education programs direct social skills instruction is often
SOCIAL SKILLS 18
lacking or is not as stressed as other components of the curriculum (Kamens, Dolyniuk, Dinardo,
Rockoff, Forsythe, & Corman, 2004). This lack of direct instruction is troubling because
students with moderate to severe disabilities need direct instruction in order to learn new skills
(Baker, 2003; Bellini 2008, Frea, 2006; Michelson, Sugai, Wood, & Kazdin, 1983). One of the
main problems with social skills training is an assumption that many students will learn the skills
through observation, whereas the research has shown us that a direct teaching curriculum is
needed to help many students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities learn social skills
(Baker, 2003; Bellini 2008, Frea, 2006; Michelson, Sugai, Wood, & Kazdin,1983). These
students will not learn how to interact with their disabled and non-disabled peers without having
been shown the skill sets needed to participate in these various social interactions using a
systematic social skills program (Bellini, 2008)
One cause for the lack of social skills ability for individuals with moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities is due to motivation (Carr, 2007). Carr (2007) found that some students
with moderate to severe disabilities are not motivated to learn social skills or to use them so that
they can be maintained and generalized in various settings. Carr (2007) points out that not all of
these individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities want to interact socially
because they do not see it as an important part of their day to day functions, or they believe that
they have no reason to want to interact socially.
Walton and Ingersoll (2013) discuss the lack of reliable evidence that a single type of
social skills instruction is what is needed, but instead argue for a broader approach to social skills
instruction coupled with long term studying. Analyzing seventeen research papers on social
skills instruction for individuals with disabilities, Walton and Ingersoll (2013) found that there is
little evidence about what instructional practices work best over time when teaching social skills.
SOCIAL SKILLS 19
They found that no single approach works best. They also found that little development and
testing went into the different models of instruction they reviewed.
Gaps in Employment Success
A 2015 Federal Bureau of Labor and Statistics report shows that there is a 49% gap in the
employment rate for individuals with disabilities in comparison to their non-disabled peers
(www.bls.gov/news.release/disabl. nr0.htm). The 2015 California Department of Rehabilitation
Fact Sheet shows that out of the 100,000 individuals with disabilities that they serviced in
California, including individuals with moderate to severe disabilities, only 13,000, or 13%, of
them were able to find employment (www.rehab.cahwnet.gov/Public/DOR-Fact-Sheets.html).
The causes for the achievement gap in employment success between students with moderate to
severe intellectual disabilities and their non-disabled peers must be discussed.
One of the main factors contributing to work success is the ability to appropriately
navigate social situations (Bremer & Smith, 2004; McNair, 1993; Pierangelo & Crane, 1997;
Pierangelo & Giuliani, 2004; Storey, 1997). Nearly 90% of employees with moderate to severe
intellectual disabiltities lose their jobs because of poor attitude and inappropriate behavior, rather
than due to a lack of sufficient job skills (Pierangelo and Giuliani, 2004). Data strongly suggests
that the ability to support oneself in employment and in independent living is directly related to
appropriate social skills (Pierangelo and Giuliani, 2004). Social skills are important not only for
work success, but also in all aspects of life (Pierangelo and Giuliani, 2004). Social skills are
pervasive in every quadrant of a person’s life (Pierangelo and Giuliani, 2004). They affect every
day to day interaction that one has (Pierangelo and Giuliani, 2004). Johnson, Mellard, and
SOCIAL SKILLS 20
Lancaster (2007) found that behavioral issues, more so than any other aspect that an individual
with a disability might have, was the most salient factor in not being able to find employment.
Riches and Green (2003) point out the same facts as Pierangelo and Giuliani (2004). In
their article discussing social integration of people with developmental disabilities, Riches and
Green (2003) report that recently, attention has shifted to include social integration and social
inclusion, friendship and quality of life issues as additional measures of employment success.
This shift is partly attributable to the fact that the need for appropriate social interactions in the
workplace has grown rather than diminished in recent years, with the steady increase in jobs in
retail, health and community services, and hospitality services, in addition to the more traditional
manufacturing sector. Riches and Green’s (2003) research has also demonstrated that social
relationships are critical to employment success, with social relationships affecting both the
personal and work adjustment of employees with and without disabilities. By understanding the
total needs of students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities, Riches and Green (2004),
believe that educators can equip them with the social skills necessary to carry them onto
successful post school lives including employment.
Not only is employment a need that should be addressed, it is a need that educators are
now legally mandated to address. The Rehabilitation Act Amendments from 1998
(www.section508.gov) states that a primary component of its recent amendments was a
reemphasis on increasing opportunities for persons with disabilities to prepare for, secure,
maintain, and regain employment. With this federal mandate the employment needs for
individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities must be taken into account by
educators.
SOCIAL SKILLS 21
Another cause in the gap of employment success is the lack of vocational training for
individuals with moderate to severe disabilities as shown by Joshi, Bouck, and Maeda (2012).
They point out that those individuals with disabilities who did not receive vocation training in
school which led them to be less likely to gain and keep employment. There were deficits in the
social skills and applicable soft skills in the students that did receive training about vocational
need and skills. Joshi, Bouck, and Maeda (2012) also note that individuals with disabilities do
not receive specific vocational skills training which has been shown to lead to a lack in
vocational success.
Research has also shown that there is a link between social skills and all learning,
including employment skills for all students including those with moderate to severe disabilities.
Zins, Bloodworth, Weissberg, and Walberg (2007) state that there is a direct link between social
skills and learning and that there is not much time given to the instruction on social skills
(Womach, Marchant, & Borders, 2011). Teachers are often expected to teach academic skills
before any thought is given to social skills, which will leave a deficit for students already at risk
of having low social skills abilities like students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities
(Womach, Marchant, & Borders, 2011). Addressing a student’s needs for social skills is an
integral and necessary part of the education process which will help student in school and
throughout the rest of their lives (Zins, Bloodworth, Weissberg, & Walberg, 2007).
A Continuing Problem
Abernathy and Taylor (2009) tell us that perceiving one’s needs is not an easy task and
this is even more problematic with discussing individuals with moderate to severe intellectual
disabilities. The majority of these individuals have never had someone sit down with them and
SOCIAL SKILLS 22
explain how their disability affects them, what deficits they may experience because of it, or
even what it is called (Abernathy & Taylor, 2009). Parents and teachers are all hesitant to
discuss the ability level and disability with the individuals because the teacher puts it off to the
parents and the parents do not want to hurt their son or daughter’s feelings (Abernathy & Taylor,
2009). Subsequently many individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities do not
understand that they have deficits in abilities like social skills or employment skills (Abernathy
& Taylor, 2009.)
Nota, Ferrari, Soresi, and Wehmeyer (2007) conducted a casual comparative study
investigating self-determination and its effect on social skills and ability. The participants of their
study showed that the group with the more severe level of developmental disability had the
lowest level of self-determination, and subsequently showed the lowest amount of appropriate
social skills usage. Their study also found that people with lower self-determination had greater
maladjustment problems, and showed higher rates of isolation, mood swings and more
interpersonal communication problems, and were less likely to gain and keep employment.
Nota, Ferrari, Soresi, and Wehmeyer (2007) also found that the individuals with the most
profound disabilities were actually receiving the least amount of educational help in regards to
social skills because they were the ones least likely to show self-determination in their choices.
The problem has continued today in spite of educators trying to fix it. Bouck (2012)
looked at 58,167 high school students with moderate to severe disabilities and found out that
most have some sort of curriculum that works on post education goals for individuals with
moderate to severe intellectual disabilities, including employment. All different kinds of
curriculums were used, with no one curriculum standing out. What Bouck (2012) found was
that even though many schools had a curriculum in place, these proved ineffective in helping
SOCIAL SKILLS 23
students gain the skills necessary to gain and keep employment in a post-secondary education
setting with 69.2% of the individuals reporting that they could not get or keep employment.
Over the past twenty years research has shown that many different curriculum and methods have
been used to try and improve the post-secondary outcomes of individuals with moderate to
severe disabilities, including employment outcomes, but that these methods have failed (Cobb,
Lipscomb, Wolgemuth, & Schulte, 2013). There is no one set curriculum that is being used
today to help individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities become prepared for
employment once they transition out of the education system (Cobb, Lipscomb, Wolgemuth, &
Schulte, 2013).
In summary individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities lack social skills
and this affects their employment ability. This problem has been going on for at least twenty
years and research indicates that it continues today. One cause of this lack is that these
individuals do not learn social skills without it being directly taught to them. They need a direct
curriculum that focuses on social skills. This is compounded by the fact that there is no reliable
evidence of a social skills curriculum that works for individuals with moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities. The research has also shown that the individuals with moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities lack the motivation to learn social skills due to a lack of understanding of
its importance. One cause for gap in employment ability of these individuals is their inability to
navigate challenging and non-challenging social situations while on the job and when
interviewing for a job. Along with not having a social skills curriculum, there is no standard
vocation skills curriculum that it widely used and accepted for these individuals. Social skills
ability has been linked to all different manner of learning, including vocational skills. These
problems are ongoing. These individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities rarely
SOCIAL SKILLS 24
understand their own needs. This lack of understanding leaves these individuals without a
direction to follow when trying to understand what help they need. This group of individuals
also shows low self-determination. This low self-determination has been shown to directly link
to low social skills, which in turn links to low employment skills and ability.
Solutions to the Problem of Practice
Discussed in this section are possible solutions for the causes and problems which
necessitate the need for a social skills curriculum intended to increase the employment success of
secondary transition aged students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. This review
will be broken into three sections. The first section will look for possible solutions to the
questions of why students with moderate to severe disabilities lack social skills. The second
section will look at possible solutions for the gap in employment success between individuals
with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities and their non-disabled peers. The third section
will try to find any connections between the solutions for the lack in social skills ability and the
solutions for the gap of employment of individuals with moderate to severe intellectual
disabilities.
Solutions for the Lack in Social Skills Ability
Social skills ability can be taught to individuals with moderate to severe intellectual
disabilities. Schoenfeld, Rutherford, Gable, and Rock (2008) tell us that success in social
situations depends on social skills training. They go on to say that a social skills curriculum is
needed to ensure proper training of social skills and that it should be embedded in the academic
curriculum. This social skills curriculum should include ways of teaching school expectations,
accepting negatives, learning interpersonal skills, and self-awareness and control of one’s self
SOCIAL SKILLS 25
(Schoenfeld, Rutherford, Gable, & Rock, 2008). This interplays well with the plan for the
effective teaching of social emotional learning given to us by Weissberg, Goren, Domitrovich,
and Dusenbury (2013). They give us four domains that they say are the most important for
teaching social skills competency and they are, self-management, social awareness, relationship
skills, and responsible decision making. Caldarella and Merrell (1997) found five common
dimensions that they say a social skills curriculum needs to address. They are interpersonal peer
relations, self-management of emotions, academic attentiveness, compliance with regulations,
and assertion skills. Gresham, Sugai and Horner (2001) also used those same five social skills
dimensions when interpreting the social skills training outcomes for students with disabilities and
added the caveat that social skills are behaviors that must be taught learned and performed.
Gresham, Sugai and Horner (2001) further emphasized the individual’s social skills needs by
stating that any given social skills intervention needs to be directly linked to the individual’s
social skills deficits. Gresham, Sugai and Horner (2001) go on to also say that if social skills
deficits are not directly corrected that they will persist, independent of any new intervention.
Bellini (2008) tried to give parents, teachers, and other caregivers a road map to use in
order to teach social skills directly instead of just letting social skills be learned indirectly and
incidentally through other lessons. Through clinical trials, studies, and observations, Michelson,
Sugai, Wood, and Kazdin (1983), have pinpointed that only through directly teaching the needed
skills will students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities internalize new skills. Three
other facts is social skills learning are opportunities, proficiency, and the want to have peer-to-
peer social interactions which are key factors in social success with other people (Bellini, 2008;
Michelson, Sugai, Wood, Kazdin, 1983; Pierangelo & Crane, 1997; Westling & Fox, 2004).
SOCIAL SKILLS 26
Much research has been done about the need for social skills yet there is very little
research that has been devoted to finding effective interventions to teach those social skills
(Alerll & Cobb, 2009, Walton & Ingersoll, 2013). Plavnick, Kaid, and MacFarland (2015) give
us a way to teach social skills to individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities.
They propose the use of video based group instruction. In this model, target social skills are
taught to the individuals using a direct instruction video followed by peer interaction time.
Plavnick, Kaid, and MacFarland (2015) found that the use of positive social skill increased with
the use of a video based instruction model, but they admitted that their sample size was too small
to generalize. Shukla-Mehta, Miller, and Callahan (2010) discuss video modeling as being a
possible solution to working with students that have problem behaviors in transitioning from one
activity to another. Mechling and Cronin (2006) found that video based instruction helped
students with moderate to severe intellectually disabilities increase their ability to communicate
their wants as well as bridge the gap in contextual learning between classroom instruction and
community based instruction. Walton and Ingersoll (2013) also found that video modeling
works to teach social skills. They were looking at ways to improve social skills for individuals
with severe intellectual disabilities and Autism. They found that many interventions for directly
teaching social skills improve social skills ability, include video modeling, direct instruction, and
a wide range of teaching interventions. What they found to be the most important aspect was to
start early, teach to the student’s ability and needs, and be consistent (Walton & Ingersoll, 2013).
Gresham, Sugai and Horner (2001) also found that social skills training must be frequent and
intense. They tell us that thirty hours over ten weeks is not enough to effect meaningful change.
They also found that the social skills being taught needed to be targeted to the individual’s needs.
SOCIAL SKILLS 27
Not all the research says that a social skills curriculum will meet all the needs of every
student. Bouck (2012) looked at a functional curriculum, including social skills instruction,
against an academic curriculum. He found that there was no discernable differences in the post
school outcomes for individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities either if they
participated in a functional curriculum or an academic curriculum. Bouck (2012) found that the
majority of the individuals in his study were living dependently, were not employed, and had not
gone on to post-secondary education once they transitioned out of the school setting. Along
similar lines, Alwell and Cobb (2009) discuss a functional life skills curriculum and its
usefulness for this same population of students. They found that the effectiveness of a functional
life skills curriculum, many of which include social skills lessons can increase positive transition
related outcomes, is highly contingent on the individual student’s beliefs. Alwell and Cobb
(2009) made a point to say that the educational outcomes of students with moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities were largely contingent on the individuals wants. These wants affected
the quality of life for the individual, which may or may not fit in with what the community
deems as appropriate and might cause other academic skills to regress due to a lack of use.
Social skills need to be taught in context, be taught consistently, use real world
experience, and use differentiated instructional methods to best meet the individual needs of the
students (Walton & Ingersoll, 2013). They must also be intense and frequent, meaning over thirty
hours and for more than ten weeks (Gresham, Sugai, & Horner, 2001). They must be done in
conjunction with other lessons to stop regression of other skills. They must directly teach to the
individual’s social skills deficits (Walton & Ingersoll, 2013). The common themes that arise from
the research say that that a social skills curriculum should address, interpersonal relationships,
SOCIAL SKILLS 28
verbal and non-verbal communication, self-regulation of emotions, and understanding the needs
of the self and others.
Solutions for the Gaps in Employment Success
Carter, Owens, Swedeen, Trainor, Thompson, Ditchman, and Cole (2009) tell us that an
effective way for helping individuals with disabilities gain employment is to have what they call
community conversations. These community conversations bring an awareness to the community
of people with disabilities and their strengths and needs. By doing this, Carter et.al (2009) tell us
that the communities will become more receptive of these individuals and their employment
opportunities will increase. A major component of this is that the individuals with disabilities be
able to discuss their own strengths and needs. In conjunction with this type of community
integration is the work of Sabbatino and Macrine (2007). They describe a community based
approach to employment training for high school aged students with moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities. Sabbatino and Macrine (2007) describe an educational program that
partners with the local community to allow students to work in supervised community settings.
This allows these students to make connections with their community, learn on the job
employment skills, and learn appropriate social skills used in a real world setting. Joshi, Bouck,
and Maeda (2012) point out that individuals with disabilities who received vocational training
while in school, including social skills and applicable soft skills, were 1.2 times more likely to
gain and keep employment once they left the school setting. Joshi, Bouck, and Maeda (2012)
make note that in order to secure more positive employment outcomes, individuals with
disabilities need to have specific vocational skills training. This specific training on vocational
skills has been discussed before.
SOCIAL SKILLS 29
Social skills also play a part employment success. In the work of Ofoegbu and Azarmsa
(2010), a school based vocational training program has been set up to help high school aged
students in special education find employment once they transition out the high school setting.
This program supports the students in the acquisition of vocations skills, including social skills.
It uses direct instruction, roleplay, and interest surveys. Ofoegbu and Azarmsa (2010) show that
this model improves the employment outcomes of the individuals with disabilities that
participate compared to those that do not. Mitchell, Gerver, and Smith (2002) found that the
three most salient aspects that employers wanted if they were to hire an individuals with a
disability was honesty, a positive attitude, and being a team player. They found that these three
factors, all falling under social skills, could be taught as a part of an education program for
individuals with disabilities. This relates to Brolin (1997) discussing the three most important
aspects of what he calls a Life Centered Career Education. This approach to the education of
individuals with disabilities is centered on three primary categories. The three categories are
daily living skills, personal-social skills, and occupational guidance and preparation. Brolin
(1997) believed that all education for individuals with disabilities should be permeated with
carrier education so that the students would be exposed to it across many different settings and
contexts in order to make independent adults and competent employees. For almost forty years
researching have been point out the need for social skills to improve vocation skills. Rusch
(1979) pointed to social skills aptitude as being the key to help individuals with disabilities gain
employment and stay employed over a long period of time.
Lindstrom, Doren, and Miesch (2011) found that employment outcomes for transition
aged individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities was positively affected by three
pertinent aspects during their time at school. The three aspects were work experiences, transition
SOCIAL SKILLS 30
service and supports including direct social skills training, and family support and expectations.
Two other aspects of social skills, self-efficacy and persistence, were also noted to be keys to
longevity in the work place. Lindstrom, Doren, and Miesch (2011) defined work experience as
being structured activities that allowed students with disabilities to experience employment and
directly teaches them the skills that they need within the context of their work experience.
McConnell, Martin, and Hennessey (2015) found that the ability to correctly and appropriately
interact with others had a positive effect on employment outcomes.
In summary the research shows that to close the gap in the employment success between
individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities and their non-disabled peers several
things need to happen. The first is to get the individuals involved in their community either
through structured community work or volunteering experiences or by facilitating community
connections. The individuals also had to be able to articulate their own vocational needs and
strengths. Social skills aptitude played an important role in employment success, and the direct
instruction of those skills was shown to lead to better employment outcomes for individuals with
disabilities once they transitioned out of a school setting. The ability to interact in a positive
manner with other people was a factor in achieving employment opportunities. Some of the
research showed that high or low grade point averages and the amount of time spent in the
general education classroom did not affect the employment ability of individuals with moderate
to severe intellectual disabilities.
In summary, the solutions discussed above have shown how to create a social skills
curriculum which can be used to increase employment out comes for individuals with moderate
to severe intellectual disabilities. The first is that direct social skills instruction is needed for
these individuals. The second is that direct social skills instruction can effectively increase
SOCIAL SKILLS 31
social skills ability if it is done correctly for these individuals. The next factor is that the gap in
employment between individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities and their non-
disabled peers is due, in part to a lack of social skills ability. Finally, the research shows that by
increasing the social skills ability of individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities,
the opportunities for employment success should increase. In total, a social skills curriculum that
helps students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities increase their employment success
is possible and will help with post-secondary employment outcomes.
Other Curricula
Discussed in this section of the literature review will be other curriculum that are in use
to teach social skills to individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. Each
curriculum will be presented in its own section, along with a discussion of its merits. The
curricula will also be compared to one another. The first point of comparison will be on who the
curriculum is target to. The second point will be ease of use and layout. The last point will look
to see if the curricula discusses social skills that may led to employment success. These
curricula have been compiled through researching various websites and looking at the
curriculums that transition aged schools use when working with students with moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities.
Skills to Pay the Bills
The California Department of Education has a link to the United States Department of
Labor’s curriculum that is intended help students leaving high school, including transition aged
students with disabilities, with their employment needs. The name of this curriculum is Skills to
Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success. It was developed to teach soft skills
SOCIAL SKILLS 32
to youths, including those with disabilities. Soft skills are skills that help prompt workforce
readiness. Many of the soft skills presented in this curriculum are related to various social skills
attributes that would help with getting and keeping a job. The soft skills that are directly related
to social skills are communication, team work, attitude, networking, and professionalism. These
skills are seen repeated in all three of the other curricula.
Skills to Pay the Bills was created for people who work with students who need direct
help as an introduction to workplace interpersonal and professional skills. It is targeted for
students aged 14 to 21 for use in both in-school and out-of-school context. The basic structure of
the curriculum is comprised of hands on modules that help the students engage in activities that
focus on six key skill areas that the curriculum targets as the most important. This curriculum is
meant to teach social skills that are otherwise not being learned through day to day activities.
These skill areas addressed are communication, enthusiasm and attitude, teamwork, networking,
problem solving and critical thinking, and professionalism. The lessons are meant to be easy to
use and can be done in any order. They are meant to be minimalistic with materials and take
small amounts of time to set up and complete. This curriculum is designed to help all students in
need of social skills training, but does mention that it can be used for individuals with
disabilities. This material is meant to teach skills that will help individuals with their
employment success. It was created with employment and career education and success in mind.
It fails to give a very clear definition of who it is meant for, outside of saying, people who need
help with social skills.
This curriculum uses the Universal Design for Learning theory which the California
Department of Education says is the key to teaching these soft skills. The Universal Design for
Learning (http://www.udlcenter.org/) is said to be a set of guiding principles that should be used
SOCIAL SKILLS 33
to design a curriculum to make sure that all the people exposed to the curriculum have equal
opportunities to learn from it. The Universal Design for Learning gives curriculum developers a
structure to create goals, methods, assessments, and materials that are flexible and customizable
so that they work for the needs of the individual. This is of particular importance to the
professionals in the field of Special Education because of the individualized nature of the
education of students in that field. The authors mention using the lessons in any order to fit the
needs of the learners. They can be taken out and used to supplement other curricula or teaching.
The authors also mention supplementing the content with extra material that should be specific to
the needs of the learner. They suggest adding specific in context content to ensure that the
learners gain the skills in context to how they may use them.
The PEERS Curriculum
The PEERS Curriculum for School-Based Professionals: Social Skills Training for
Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder written by Elizabeth Laugerson is a 16-week
program that is used to improve social skills and social interactions for teens. It is designed for
teenagers with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It has been designed to be used in the school setting
by phycologists, teachers, administrators, counselors, and speech pathologists. It has lesson
plans that have been created with homework assignments for the various plans. This curriculum
is meant to teach social skills that are otherwise not being learned through day to day activities.
It is a consecutive 16 week program that is meant to be used Monday to Friday for 30 to 60
minutes a day in the order presented in the book. This curriculum is meant to be used in the order
presented with each lesson building on previously taught content. It specifically say that the
lessons need to be presented in the order specified or the overall learning of the participants will
be compromised. It is intended to be used for high functioning adolescents without significant
SOCIAL SKILLS 34
intellectual disabilities. This curriculum fails to give a very clear definition of what it means by
high functioning adolescents.
Each week has a different topic and they are introduction and trading information, two
way conversations, electronic communication, choosing appropriate friends, appropriate use of
humor, starting and joining conversations, exiting conversations, good sportsmanship, get
togethers, handling arguments, changing reputations, handling teasing and embarrassing
feedback, handling physical bullying, handling cyber bullying, minimizing rumors and gossip,
and a final review and assessment. The lessons are highly scripted and are intended to be
presented in the order found in the book. The author gives an assessment that can be used to test
for learning. Here the authors inform the readers to uses the Test of Adolescent Social Skills
Knowledge and the Adolescent Quality of Socialization Questionnaire for assessment. The
author, Elizabeth Laugerson, is the director of the Help Group, which is a Los Angeles based
group that runs ten special education campuses which focus on educating to the special needs of
children, adolescents, and young adults with disabilities. This curriculum is one of the
curriculum that the Help Group uses in educating the individuals that enroll at their schools.
LifeFacts
The next curriculum is LifeFacts, Managing Emotions: Essential Information About Life
for Persons with Special Needs; 2008 Revised and Updated Edition. It is a meant to help
individuals manage their social interactions with others by helping them learn how to control and
understand their emotions. This curriculum fails to give a very clear definition of who it is meant
for, outside of saying, people who need help with social skills. It is currently in use by at least
one school district in the Los Angeles area. This curriculum is meant to teach social skills that
SOCIAL SKILLS 35
are otherwise not being learned through day to day activities. It was written by James and
Garilynn Stanfield and publishing by the James Stanfield Company. It is broken into eight
instructional units with accompanying pictures and instructions to the teacher on how to discuss
each picture, what questions to ask in regards to each picture, and instructions describing what
each picture should be teaching. It is meant to be used in the order presented and is intended for
use with all students but the authors say it is especially appropriate for students with learning
challenges. It is easy to understand, easy to teach, gives directions on how it should be taught,
and gives questions to help with assessing the students learning. Each lesson is supposed to take
five days and last for thirty to sixty minutes each day. During each lesson the instructor is
intended to hold up a picture and read the cue cards on the back of the pictures. On the back of
the picture cards there are prompting questions and some exercises that can be done to improve
the understanding and retention of the skills learned.
Week one’s lesson is called understanding emotions. Here the students discussed four
types of emotions, happiness, sadness, fear, and anxiety. Week two’s lesson is titled being sad.
Week three’s lesson is titled calm yourself. Week four’s lesson is titled the grief process. The
curriculum describes the four stages of grieving as denial, anger, sadness, and acceptance. The
fifth and sixth week of instruction are titled being angry. The curriculum discusses the three
main reasons for anger. They are being frustrated, being disrespected, and losing something
valuable. Week seven’s lesson focusing on being afraid. The eighth and last week of instruction
is on being happy.
SOCIAL SKILLS 36
Life Centered Career Education
The Life Centered Career Education: Modified Curriculum for Individuals with Moderate
to Severe Disabilities by Robert Loyd and Donn Browlin is published by the Council for
Exceptional Children (CEC). The CEC is an international organization that is dedicated to the
success of individuals with disabilities and those with gifts. The CEC has a policy about career
education which says that career readiness is the total experiences needed to live a satisfying and
meaningful work life. This curriculum is intended to promote the acquisition and use of the
critical skills needed in order succeed at work, in the community, and at home. This material is
meant to teach skills that will help individuals with their employment success. It was created
with employment and career education and success in mind. It is meant to be used in the order
presented with each lesson building on previously taught content. It specifically states that the
lessons need to be presented in the order specified or the overall learning of the participants will
be compromised. The authors give an assessment that can be used to test for learning. They
inform the readers to use the Competency Rating Scale-Modified to test the learners for content
knowledge mastery of the presented material.
It is intended for use by professionals hoping to improve the career opportunities and
quality of life for individuals with moderate disabilities. It is meant to teach social skills that are
otherwise not being learned through day to day activities. The authors of this curriculum say that
it is meant for everyone that needs help with social skills but that it is also appropriate for
students with learning challenges. The term learning challenges is not qualified by the authors.
This curriculum fails to give a very clear definition of who it is meant for, outside of saying,
people who need help with social skills. The content here is all centered on career education.
About one third of its content is on personal social skills. This curriculum dedicates a large
SOCIAL SKILLS 37
amount of its content on these specific personal social skills but it also has sections that deal with
skills similar to the soft skills found in some of the other curricula presented. This curriculum
has lessons throughout its content regarding career education that deal with training and using
social skills to be successful.
This curriculum has three sections, which break down into 22 sub sections, which are
further broken down into 94 competencies that the participants of this curriculum should be able
to demonstrate. The three main sections are daily living skills, personal social skills, and
occupational guidance and preparation. For each of the 22 competencies there are a list of
objectives and activities for training of that skill at school, at home and in the community. One
assessment of the students learning is given in the appendix of the curriculum. The authors
suggest using the Competency Rating Scale-Modified to assess the learning of the participants,
which they provide as a part of this curriculum. The different components can be taught out of
sequence and do not rely on previous lessons. The authors mention using the lessons in any
order to fit the needs of the learners. They can be taken out and used to supplement other
curricula or teaching. The authors also mention supplementing the content with extra material
that should be specific to the needs of the learner. They suggest adding specific in context
content to ensure that the learners gain the skills in context to how they may use them. An
emphasis of this curriculum is on the person administering the curriculum to make it
individualized and applicable to the participants engaging in the activities.
In summary, when looking at these four curricula several needs are seen. One need is
that there should be a curriculum that targets a specific population of students (Bellini, 2008;
Michelson, Sugai, Wood, Kazdin, 1983; Pierangelo & Crane, 1997; Westling & Fox, 2004).
There needs to be a curriculum created that targets a specific audience, qualifies what that
SOCIAL SKILLS 38
audience is, and how to best work with that population of learner. This curriculum should specify
who it is intended for and qualify that by describing characteristics of the learners.
Looking at the curricula usage and layout, two things standout. One is that the lesson
content should be able to stand alone or be used to supplement other learning. This would fit the
model of individual learning being seen as the key to educating individuals with disabilities. The
other idea is that these curriculum should have a way to assess the learning of the participants.
By doing this, it shows that the creators of the curricula want to see what is working for the
participants of the content. It also allows for the learning to be qualified and quantified. It
further allows for future content and learner needs to be adjusted for.
When analyzing these curricula to see which deal specifically with social skills related to
employment success, it is seen that all four touch on the same social skills areas. Two of the
curricula analyzed specifically mention these social skills and how they relate to employment
success. The other two curricula mention the same social skills, but fail to make the connection
with their importance in gaining and keeping employment. It is important to directly tell the
users of a curriculum what the content can be used for. With that in mind, a curriculum that
deals with social skills, should also discuss how these social skills help with other aspects of an
individual’s life, including employment.
All of the above taken together informs us that a social skills curriculum intended to
increase the ability of individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities in gaining and
keeping employment should follow the following guidelines. It should specifically say that the
purpose is to teach social skills that will improve vocations success. It should give some sort of
assessment that can be used to determine its effectiveness with its learners. It should have
lessons that can stand alone by themselves and also build on the teaching of its other lessons. It
SOCIAL SKILLS 39
should clearly define who the intended learners of the curriculum are. By following these
guidelines, a social skills curriculum can be created that will give individuals with moderate to
severe intellectual disabilities a chance to learn the social skills that they may need in order to
find and keep meaningful employment.
Summary
A Federal Bureau of Labor and Statistics report from 2015 informs us that the
employment rate of individuals with disabilities is at 22% while the employment rate of
individuals without disabilities is at 71%. The appropriate use of social skills has been shown to
increase employment success and opportunities for students with moderate to severe intellectual
disabilities (Webb et al., 2004; Colly & Jamison, 1998; Greenspan & Shoultz, 1981). Students
with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities often lack appropriate social skills, particularly
those needed to gain and succeed in a vocational setting (Cobb et al., 2013; Quieng et al. 2015;
Lang, 2011; Sabbatino & Macrine, 2007; Skoulos & Gergiana, 2007; Westling & Fox, 2004;
Yeo & Teng, 2015). Direct social skills instruction has been shown to increase social skills
abilities and aptitude for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities (Michelson,
Sugai, Wood, & Kazdin, 2013; Nussle, 2014; Seevers & Jones-Blank, 2008; Warger, 1990).
Researchers have found that in as little as eight weeks, with no previous exposure, students with
moderate to severe intellectual disabilities will begin learning social skills and the skills
necessary to be competent in social interactions through the use of a direct social skills
curriculum (Vaughn, Hogan, Kouzekanani, & Shapiro, 1990). Social skills instruction for
students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities will improve their ability to gain and
keep employment (Brooke, Revell, & Wehman, 2009; Easterly-Klaas, 2005; Greenspan &
Shoultz, 1981; Warger, 1990; Webb, Millar, Pierce, Strawser, & Jones, 2004). Taken together,
SOCIAL SKILLS 40
students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities need a direct social skills curriculum to
increase their chance of finding and keeping employment.
This curriculum is intended to increase the employment success of transition aged
students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities by increasing their social skills. The
2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (I.D.E.A., 2004) defines transition aged
students as students with disabilities 16 years and older. Students with moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities learn from a direct instruction. Targeted curricula on employment skills
and the skills needed to increase its success have been shown to increase success for these
individuals. Four of the best practices are direct instruction of specific skills, small group
instruction to increase mastery, role playing to try out different situations, and learning in the
context in which they will use the skill being taught. More of the best practices shown to help
these individuals learn the skills they need are video based learning, modeling of the skills,
naturalistic teaching strategies, peer teaching where the peers help support the individuals, visual
and verbal schedules, support groups, and teaching self-management skills. Along with those
practices the use of many different scripts and scenarios has been shown to help these individuals
learn. These practices, along weekly and daily practice of the skills being taught is needed to
increase retention and mastery. Many of these individuals will need verbal or and non-verbal
prompting to use these skills. The non-verbal prompting can be from assistive technology or it
can come in other forms like gestures and looks.
When looking at other social skills curriculum there is a lack of social skills curricula
intended to increase the employment ability and success of students with moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities. There needs to be a curriculum created that targets transition aged
students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities and uses best practices to improve their
SOCIAL SKILLS 41
social skills with the outcome of improving their ability to gain and keep employment. One of
the best practices for this curriculum is that the lesson content should be able to stand alone or be
used to supplement other learning. This would fit the model of individual learning being seen as
the key to educating individuals with disabilities. The other idea, is that these curricula should
have a way to assess the learning of the participants. By doing this, it shows that the creators of
the curricula want to see what is working for the participants of the content. It also allows for
the learning to be qualified and quantified. It further allows for future content and learner needs
to be adjusted for.
Taken all the above together, a social skills curriculum intended to increase the ability of
transition aged students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities in gaining and keeping
employment should follow the following guidelines. It should specifically say that the purpose
is to teach social skills that will improve vocations success. It should give some sort of
assessment that can be used to determine its effectiveness with its individual learners. It should
have lessons that can stand alone by themselves and also build on the teaching of its other
lessons. It should clearly define who the intended learners of the curriculum are. By following
these guidelines, a social skills curriculum can be created that will give individuals with
moderate to severe intellectual disabilities a chance to learn the social skills that they may need
in order to find and keep meaningful employment.
SOCIAL SKILLS 42
CHAPTER TWO: CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
The Federal Bureau of Labor and Statistics and the California Department of
Rehabilitation Fact Sheet show that individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities
are underemployed when compared to their non-disabled peers. The federal government has
mandated that educators work to increase the post-school outcomes, including employment, for
students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities (Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act of 2004). Researchers have stated that one of the most important aspects of
the education of students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities is the need to be
educated in order to have the skills necessary to gain meaningful and gainful employment once
they age out of, or graduate from, the public education system (Colly & Jamison, 1998; Harvey,
2001; Kamens, 2004; Eaves et al., 2012; Shaw & Dukes, 2013). The appropriate use of social
skills has been shown to increase employment success and opportunities for students with
moderate to severe intellectual disabilities (Webb et al., 2004; Colly & Jamison, 1998;
Greenspan & Shoultz, 1981). Direct social skills instruction has been shown to increase social
skills abilities and aptitude for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities
(Michelson, Sugai, Wood, & Kazdin, 2013; Nussle, 2014; Seevers & Jones-Blank, 2008;
Warger, 1990). Direct social skills instruction for students with moderate to severe intellectual
disabilities should improve their ability to gain and keep employment (Brooke, Revell, &
Wehman, 2009; Easterly-Klaas, 2005; Greenspan & Shoultz, 1981; Warger, 1990; Webb, Millar,
Pierce, Strawser, & Jones, 2004). The research above shows that a curriculum focused on social
skills education, including but not limited to vocational social skills, will increase the ability of
transition aged students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities to have the knowledge
and skills necessary to gain and maintain employment.
SOCIAL SKILLS 43
Curriculum Description
The purpose of this curriculum is the teach transition aged students with moderate to
severe intellectual disabilities the social skills that they may need to gain and maintain
employment. Social skills education may be needed in order to increase their chances of gaining
favorable employment outcomes once they age out of public school special education services at
the age of twenty two. The students will be taught using direct interactive instruction, in large
and small group settings, with the use of role playing and video modeling within different
contextual situations. They will use a video journal to keep track of the social skills they are
learning, which they may be able to use later on as a reminder of their social skills instruction.
The content of the curriculum is expected to be taught in a school setting, Monday
through Friday, for approximately 30 to 60 minutes depending on the needs of the students. The
content will be broken into a scaffold model where the content areas of social interaction and
integration will build on one another as the week’s progress. The content areas will be broken
into units, which will then be broken into weekly topics. Each week, a new topic will be
introduced.
The intended outcome of this curriculum is that the students participating in it will have a
better chance of gaining and keeping employment. The research seen in the review of the
literature shows that the appropriate use of social skills is a key factor in getting hired and in
keeping a job (Webb et al., 2004; Colly & Jamison, 1998; Greenspan & Shoultz, 1981). In fact,
some research shows that individuals with good social skills, but poor vocational skills, are more
likely to keep their jobs than peers who lack the ability to appropriately use social skills (Brooke,
Revell, & Wehman, 2009; Easterly-Klaas, 2005; Greenspan & Shoultz, 1981; Warger, 1990;
Webb, Millar, Pierce, Strawser, & Jones, 2004). This curriculum is intended to support students
SOCIAL SKILLS 44
who may need to gain the knowledge of how to use different social skills within different
vocational contexts. The participants in the curriculum will also gain use a video journal of the
social skills that they are learning so that they can look back and see how to use different social
skills.
Learner Description and Context
The students that this curriculum has been created for have moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities, are transition aged, may need assistance with learning social skills, and
may have difficulty in gaining and keeping employment. The American Psychiatric Association,
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) defines an intellectual disability
as a disorder with an onset during the developmental period that includes both intellectual and
adaptive functioning deficits in conceptual, social, and practical domains. Intellectual
functioning is related to academic learning such as reading, writing, and access to the general
education curriculum. Adaptive functioning is related to living skills used by people in their
everyday lives. Students with a moderate intellectual disability generally have an IQ between
35 and 49 with noticeable developmental delays (i.e. speech, motor skills, mobility, social skills),
may have physical signs of impairment, can communicate in basic, simple ways, are able to learn
basic health and safety skills, can complete self-care activities, and can travel alone to nearby,
familiar places (DSM-5) . Students with severe intellectual disabilities generally have an IQ
between 20 and 34, have considerable delays in development, can understand speech but with
limited ability to communicate, are able to learn daily routines, may learn very simple self-care,
and needs direct supervision in most social situations (DSM-5). Some of the causes of
intellectual disabilities are genetic, such as Down syndrome, Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
(FASD), Fragile X syndrome and Phenylketonuria (PKU). Intellectual disabilities can also be
SOCIAL SKILLS 45
caused during pregnancy because of malnutrition, environmental toxins like mercury and lead,
infections that the mother may have or get such as toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus, rubella, or
syphilis.
The 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (I.D.E.A., 2004) gives guidelines
for the required learning for transition aged students with disabilities. By the age of 16 at the
latest, these students need to learn academic and functional skills that will facilitate their
movement from school to post school activities. These post school activities include vocational
education and training in life skills, social skills, communication skills, and independent living
skills. These individuals often lack in social skills and vocational skills.
The instructors of these students should know some of the best strategies for working
with students with moderate to severe disabilities. The first key to understanding these students
is to understand that directly teaching them a curriculum about the skills that they need does
increase their ability in those skills. Targeted curriculum on employment skills and the skills
needed to increase employment success, like social skills, has been shown to increase success for
these individuals. Four of the best practices are direct instruction of specific skills, small group
instruction to increase mastery, role playing to try out different situations, and learning in the
context in which they will use the skill being taught. Daily practice of the skills being taught is
needed to increase retention and mastery. Many of these individuals with moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities will need verbal or and non-verbal prompting to use these skills. The
non-verbal prompting can be from assistive technology or it can come in other forms like
gestures and looks.
Another key to help students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities is with the
use of a support group. With natural and manifested support systems in place at home and at
SOCIAL SKILLS 46
work these individuals have been shown to do better in employment situations. More of the best
practices that have been shown to help individuals with moderate to severe intellectual
disabilities learn the skills that they need are modeling of the skills, naturalistic teaching
strategies, peer teaching where the peers help support the individuals, visual and verbal
schedules, and teaching self-management skills (Browder, 2011; Caldarella & Merrell, 1997;
Gresham, Sugai & Horner, 2001; Horner & Carr, 1997; Schoenfeld, Rutherford, Gable, & Rock,
2008). Along with those practices the use of many different scripts and scenarios has been
shown to help these individuals learn.
The learners of this curriculum, should have the prior knowledge of how to attend to
instruction in a classroom setting. If this is not evident, than the strategies laid out above can be
used to help them achieve this mastery. This curriculum can be used with learners who are
verbal or non-verbal. The use of augmentative communication devices is encouraged for non-
verbal learners, but other uses of appropriate communication types will work as well. This
curriculum can work with students within the full range of ambulatory use, from those with little
to no use to those with a full range of use.
This curriculum is intended to be used in a classroom setting where direct interactive
instruction can take place. Small group instruction and role playing are also a part of this
curriculum, so the closer the student to staff ratio is, the easier it will be to implement. The ideal
ratio would be three students to one staff member, but any size ratio can be managed. The
students can be heterogeneous or homogeneous is ability and behavioral level. This curriculum
is intended to help individual students reach their own goals and the assessments will be based
on the individual’s achievement against their own baseline.
SOCIAL SKILLS 47
Theoretical Framework and Research Based Practices
The two theoretical frameworks that will be used to focus this curriculum are Lev
Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Learning Theory and Ralph Tyler’s three curricula pressure groups, the
students and parents, the community and society, and the scholar academics. Vygotsky discusses
learning as a social construct that takes places within the interactions of different people. This is
the one key that will drive the in class content of this curriculum. The in class community will
co-construct the curriculum to meet the needs of the individual students. Tyler discussed the
three groups that put pressure on what a curriculum will cover, which are the students and
parents, the community and society, and the scholar academics. By taking into account the
wants of these groups, this curriculum will be able to find the units and topics that will be
covered by this curriculum which will be based on the wants of the three groups.
Individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities benefit from direct interactive
instruction. The research shows that direct interactive instruction of social skills can increase
social skills ability if it is done in context, consistently, using real world experiences, and is
differentiated for individual students (Bellini, 2008; Michelson, Sugai, Wood, Kazdin, 1983).
Increased social skills can increase employment success for individuals with moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities (Gresham, Sugai & Horner, 2001; Westling & Fox, 2004). Taken
together, social skills instruction, through direct interactive instruction in context, has been
shown to improve the employment outcomes for individuals with moderate to severe intellectual
disabilities.
The use of small group instruction will also be used as a part of this curriculum. Small
group instruction is when a teacher or other staff person works with students in groups less than
the whole class. The number of teachers or staff available will determine the size of the groups.
SOCIAL SKILLS 48
Small group instruction has been shown to increase the effectiveness of direct interactive
instruction when used in conjunction (Ofoegbu & Azarmsa, 2010; Walton & Ingersoll, 2013).
The small group instruction is best used to check for understanding and enrich the lessons that
the larger group did. In small group instruction the students have a better chance of getting more
one to one interactions with the teacher. This allows for a better level of differentiation in the
instruction.
Employment success was shown to improve if the individuals with moderate to server
intellectual disabilities were able to practice job skills, including social skills, in the context of
work (Sabbatino & Macrine (2007). The different lessons can take place in different contexts, or
the lessons themselves can be framed within different contexts. Social skills ability was shown
to improve if the skills needed were taught in context the where they would be used, such as a
work site. Employment opportunities and success was shown to improve if the individuals with
disabilities were taught the skills the needed to succeed in context to the job (Joshi, Bouck, &
Maeda, 2012).
Another aspect of both the social skills need and the gap in employment, was the
individuals being able to articulate their own needs and strengths. This articulation of ability has
been seen as a part of social skills training. One of the keys for succeeding in employment was
being able to articulate ones strengths and needs. Being able to positively interact at job sites
and discuss strengths and needs was shown to increase employment success.
Roleplaying will be a key aspect of this curriculum. The students will be able to practice
the social skills they will be learning by actually using them with other students and the staff.
The small group instruction will allow the students to break even small groups or pair groups to
SOCIAL SKILLS 49
practice the taught skills in a safe environment with the guidance and correction of the staff
available for their use. The students will use roleplaying to work through the different social
skills they are being taught. Through roleplaying the staff and students will be able to co-
construct different contexts that they students might encounter that they may use the social skills
in.
Video based instruction and training has been shown to improve the learning of students
with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. This curriculum will use a form of video based
learning to help build a knowledge base of social skills, agency, motivation, student buy in, and
teach 21
st
century technological skills. In the small group models, the students will be role
playing different social skills in different context. The next step will be to turn these into scripts
and video these interactions. Ideally the students will be creating a general script, and then using
some means of videotaping their scenario. The students will get to write, direct, and star in the
own small movie every week in this curriculum. They will get to watch themselves using the
social skill that they were taught. By watching themselves, they will be able to check to see if
they are using the social skill correctly in the context that they created. Once the lesson is done,
the students will be able to keep the video that they made, which they can then use in the future
to remind them of how to use different social skills in different contexts.
Design Justifications and Acknowledgement of Designer Bias
There is a real need for this curriculum. Individuals with moderate to severe intellectual
disabilities are underemployed when compared to their non-disabled peers (2015 Federal Bureau
of Labor and Statistics, 2015 California Department of Rehabilitation Fact Sheet). The federal
government has mandated that educators work to increase the post-school outcomes, including
SOCIAL SKILLS 50
employment, for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities (Individuals with
Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004). Researchers have stated that one of the most
important aspects of the education of students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities is
the need to be educated in order to have the skills necessary to gain meaningful and gainful
employment once they age out of, or graduate from, the public education system (Colly &
Jamison, 1998; Harvey, 2001; Kamens, 2004; Eaves et al., 2012; Shaw & Dukes, 2013). The
appropriate use of social skills has been shown to increase employment success and
opportunities for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities (Webb et al., 2004;
Colly & Jamison, 1998; Greenspan & Shoultz, 1981). Direct social skills instruction has been
shown to increase social skills abilities and aptitude for students with moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities (Michelson, Sugai, Wood, & Kazdin, 2013; Nussle, 2014; Seevers &
Jones-Blank, 2008; Warger, 1990). Direct social skills instruction for students with moderate to
severe intellectual disabilities should improve their ability to gain and keep employment
(Brooke, Revell, & Wehman, 2009; Easterly-Klaas, 2005; Greenspan & Shoultz, 1981; Warger,
1990; Webb, Millar, Pierce, Strawser, & Jones, 2004).
This curriculum directly teaches to the problem of students with moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities needing extra support in learning how to use social skills to gain and keep
employment. This curriculum will address the specific needs of students with moderate to
severe intellectual disabilities. These students need a variety of instructional practices to learn
skills coupled with many opportunities to practice and a way to be able to access the knowledge
in the future. These needs are addressed in this curriculum. The students will be taught using
video modeling, direct interactive instruction, and small group instruction. The will use
roleplaying and technology to video themselves to check for understanding and assessment. This
SOCIAL SKILLS 51
curriculum spans many units and lessons so the students will have the opportunity to practices
these skills in various ways and in various contexts. The students will be able to keep the videos
they will be creating which they can then have access to if they need to remember how to use the
various skills that they are being taught.
There are several biases that need to be acknowledges about the creator of this curriculum.
The educational background of the creator of this curriculum is in special education and
transition studies for individuals with disabilities. He has been working with transition aged
students with moderate to severe disabilities for over fourteen years. Every day he works with
students who need social skills instruction in order to partake in their everyday lives. The creator
of this curriculum has seen many students age out of the school that he works at and over the
years he has only seen a handful of these students be able to find independent employment. The
students that he has seen gain independent employment were those that had the best social skills
and knew how to appropriately interact with the disables and non-disabled peers and other
individuals. The bias that the creator of this curriculum has is that he has stake in this curriculum
working because he believes that there is a need for he, he believes that it can work, and as the
creator of the curriculum, he hopes that it does work.
Another bias in this curriculum is the belief that employment is the most important factor to
look at for transition aged students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. Looking at
the federally mandated Individual Transition Plan, which is a part of every transition aged
student’s Individual Education Plan, one finds that employment is only one factor that needs to
be addressed. The other two factors are independent living and post-secondary education and
training. By only looking at employment, the other two factors may be missed when it comes to
a holistic education for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities.
SOCIAL SKILLS 52
Another bias that might be found in this curriculum is that the classroom setting is where the
curriculum will be taking place. This may not be the best place for social skills instruction. This
is being done out of convenience. Most students in special education will have access to a
classroom, so setting this curriculum in the classroom setting should make is accessible to the
most students. This bias does present a limitation because some research indicates that learning
in context to where a skill will be used is important for individuals with moderate to severe
intellectual disabilities. To try and counter this limitation, the students partaking in this
curriculum are encouraged to role-play the social skills within different contexts. Research has
also indicated that video based modeling helps bridge the gap between community based
learning and classroom based learning.
Curriculum Outcomes
These curriculum outcomes were chosen because their successful acquisition would signify
that the participants of this curriculum will have gained key social skills that may help them gain
and maintain employment. If the students participating in this curriculum are able to successfully
show mastery of these goals, then they will be better situated to gain and keep employment. These
outcomes represent the needs discussed in the literature regarding social skills abilities that will
allow the participants of this curriculum to engage in several needed skills. These skills are all
interpersonal communication based. They will allow the students participating in this curriculum
to engage in and succeed at the communication interchanges that they might encounter when trying
to gain employment and during their employment. The curriculum outcomes are listed below.
Upon completion of this curriculum, students will be able to:
1. Identify their own social skills strength and needs.
SOCIAL SKILLS 53
2. Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
3. Identify appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
4. Identify verbal and non-verbal communication cues from other.
5. Identify what employment success means for themselves.
6. Analyze appropriate and inappropriate employment-based social skills.
7. Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social interactions in different
contexts.
8. Create scripts that show the appropriate use of social skills given different situations.
Description of Curriculum Assessments
The content of the lessons is a mixture of socials skills and work skills. The assessments
of this curriculum will be done through a collaboration between the students and their selected
support group. In a school setting this support group would be the staff, their peers, and parents.
In other settings, this support group will be made of individuals interested in the well ware and
educational outcomes of the individuals participating in this curriculum. The main assessments
in this curriculum will be student created videos of the different social skills and work skills
topics. The students will be creating two videos of themselves using the different work skills
and social skill’s topics. The first video will be created after watching a teacher created video of
the social skills and work skills topic. Once they create their first video, they and their support
group class will critique the video for appropriate use of the social skills or work skills topic.
Then the students will take the critique and suggestions and create a second video, this time with
the benefit of their support group’s collective knowledge. The comparison between both videos
will be the grounds for assessment of the content knowledge. There is also a self-reflection
SOCIAL SKILLS 54
video where the participant will reflect on what they have learned and how much they have
gained by participating in the curriculum.
This type of video assessment is appropriate for this curriculum because when taken in
conjunction with the learner outcomes, the individualized nature of social skills education
becomes apparent. There is no one size fits all model of instruction for students with moderate
to severe intellectual disabilities. The needs and strengths of the individual students are too
varied. In order to get a realistic and meaningful assessment of the student’s needs, they must be
paired with the student’s ability.
Description of Curriculum Activities
The curriculum uses a continuing cycle of direct instruction, practice, assessment,
correction, and self-reflection within its instructional units. There are seven units in this
curriculum. The first unit is largely a description of how the curriculum will work and how to
manage the video files that they will be creating in order to have them available for later use.
From the second unit to the sixth unit the participants are taught various social skills and job
skills that will help them in the steps of deciding what job they wants, how to communicate
appropriately in various settings, how to apply for jobs, how to success at a job interview, how to
succeed in your first days on the job, first week on the job, and into perpetuity. The last unit in
this curriculum teaches the participants to continually reflect on their need, personal goals, and
progress that they have met, and want to meet. It gives them strategies to reflect and stay in
contact with their identified support group.
SOCIAL SKILLS 55
CHAPTER THREE: THE SKILLS TO GET THE JOB CURRICULUM
The title of this curriculum is the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. The sequence and scope of the
curriculum is presented below. This is directly followed by the curriculum itself.
I= Introduced
R=Reinforced
M=Mastered
Curriculum Outcomes
Unit 1: Introduction
Unit 2: Self-Assessment of
Social Skills and Goal Setting
Unit 3: Communication Skills
Unit 4: How to Decide on the
Best Workplace for You and
Appling for the Job.
Unit 5: Interviewing for the
job.
Unit 6: Orientating to your new
Job.
Unit 7: Reflection on Social
Skills Success, Self-Assessment
and Corrections if needed.
1. Understand and find
accommodations for their own
social skills strength and needs.
I R R R
R
M
2. Identify their own
communication strengths and
needs.
I R R R
R M
3. Demonstrate appropriate verbal
and non-verbal communication
skills.
I R
R
M
4. Respond appropriately to
verbal and non-verbal
communication cues from
others.
I R R M
5. Identify what employment
success means for themselves.
I R R M
6. Demonstrate appropriate
employment-based social
skills.
I R R R
SOCIAL SKILLS 56
7. Demonstrate the use of
appropriate social skills during
all social interactions in
different contexts.
I R R R
8. Create scripts that show the
appropriate use of social skills
given different situations.
I R R R M
9. Demonstrate self-efficacy and
self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
I R R R R M
10. Give and accept constructive
feedback from peers and
support group.
I R R R R M
Unit Outcomes with corresponding Curriculum Outcomes (C.O. 1 to 10).
By the end of each unit the participants will have gained the skills listed.
Unit 1: Introduction
1. Understand the structure of the lessons.
2. Understand the structure of the assessments.
3. Be able to keep store completed lessons for future use.
Unit 2: Self-Assessment of Social Skills and Goal Setting.
1. Understand their social skills strength. (C.O. 1, 2, 9, 10)
2. Understand their social skills needs. (C.O. 1, 2,)
3. Understand what accommodations they may need. (C.O. 1, 2, 9, 10)
4. Be able to communicate those accommodations. (C.O. 1, 2, 9, 10)
5. Set personal social skills goals. (C.O. 1, 2, 9, 10)
6. Set personal employment goals. (C.O. 1, 2, 5, 9, 10)
Unit 3: Communication Skills.
1. Navigate social communication exchanges with their supervisor. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9,
10)
2. Navigate social communication exchanges with their co-workers. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9,
10)
3. Navigate social communication exchanges with the public. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
4. Make small talk. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
5. Answer questions if they know the answer. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
SOCIAL SKILLS 57
6. Redirect questions if the answer to a question is unknown. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
7. Use and understand nonverbal communication. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
8. Understand vocational relationship boundaries. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Unit 4: How to Decide on the Best Workplace for You and Appling for the Job.
1. Identify what types of jobs they want to do. (C.O. 1, 2, 5, 9, 10)
2. Identify what types of jobs they might be able to do based on their strengths, needs,
and accommodations. (C.O. 1, 2, 5, 9, 10)
3. Identify who makes up their vocational support system and utilizing them for guidance
and support. (C.O. 1, 2, 5, 9, 10)
4. Apply for jobs that they want using the help that they need. (C.O. 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10)
5. Use appropriate ways of checking on their application status. (C.O. 3, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Unit 5: Interviewing for the Job.
1. Successfully navigate a job interview. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
2. Dress correctly for the interview. (C.O. 6, 7, 9, 10)
3. Groom themselves correctly for the interview. (C.O. 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10)
4. Communicate their strengths during their interview. (C.O. 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10)
5. Communicate their needs during their interview. (C.O. 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10)
6. Communicate the accommodations they will need to succeed in that vocational setting
during their interview. (C.O. 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10)
Unit 6: Orienting to Your New Job.
2. Dress correctly for the job. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
3. Travel to and from the job as independently as able. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
4. Be on time and stay their entire shift. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
5. Be properly groomed each workday. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
6. Listen to and implement advice and instructions. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
7. Ask for clarification if needed. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
8. Remember job tasks presented to them. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
9. Successfully navigate the first week of their job. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Unit 7: Reflection on Social Skills Success, Self-Assessment and Corrections if Needed.
1. Reflect back on their social exchanges at work, their level of success, and find possible
needs. (C.O. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10)
2. Correct these needs independently or seek assistance from their support system. (C.O.
1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10)
3. Continually self-assess their social skills success and needs and look for ways to
improve and grow. (C.O. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10)
4. Stay in contact with their support system. (C.O. 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 10)
5. Recognize their possible needs and be able to plan to meet those future needs. (C.O. 1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
SOCIAL SKILLS 58
Unit 1- Introduction
Section 1 - Welcome Video
Section 2 - How to ask for help and your support group
Section 3 - The structures of the lessons and assessments
Section 4 - How to keep the lessons for future reference
Welcome Video: Unit 1 Section 1
In this video the instructor will welcome the participants and describe what the learning
outcomes of the entire curriculum will be.
Script:
Welcome to the ‘Skills to Get the Job’ workshop. In this workshop you will learn how to be
independent. You are going to learn how to get a job and start making your own money. You
are going to learn some great skills that are going to help you in all the different parts of your
life. You are going to learn how to figure out your strengths and needs, make the best decision
about where to work, how to apply for a job, and how to do great when you get hired. This
workshop is broken into 8 units, with each unit building on one another. It will take you from the
first steps of understanding your work needs and strengths, all the way to your first month on the
job and how to continue improving while you work.
You might ask why it is important for you to learn all of this. It is the goal of this workshop to
help you improve all the social and work aspects of your life. You will be able to record yourself
and learn how to keep improving on your own skills, even after you are done with these lessons.
In unit 1 you will learn how to figure out your social skills and work skills. You will learn how
to talk about any needs that you may have and how to set your own personal goals for growth
and improvement.
SOCIAL SKILLS 59
In unit 2 you will learn how to decide on the best workplace for yourself as well as how to find
out who is in your support system. Your support system will be made up of all the people that are
going to help you find and succeed at a job.
In unit 3 you will learn how to apply for jobs in the 21
st
century market. This includes using
employment services and working with your support system to find your best fit.
In unit 4 you will learn how to successfully navigate a job interview. This will include how to be
properly groomed and dressed, as well as how to communicate your strengths, needs, and
accommodations. At the end of this unit, you will be prepared to interview for your job of
choice.
In unit 5 you will learn how to orient yourself to your new job. We will walk you through your
first week on the job and make sure that you know how to be there on time, different ways of
getting to work, and how to make sure that you do your best.
In unit 6 you will learn the best ways to communicate at work. This includes talking to your
boss, coworkers, and the general public. Here you will learn about using small talk, answering
and answering questions, and how to appropriately use verbal and nonverbal communication.
In this unit you will also learn how to accept feedback on your work performance, ask for
clarification, and make any changes needed.
In unit 7 you will learn how to reflect on what you have learned, self-assess for future success
and how to make any corrections that you may need. You will learn how to continual assess
your strengths and needs as you continue at your workplace or if you get a different job.
We hope that you enjoy these lessons and that they help you be successful and meet your own
goals.
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Unit 1, Section 2: How to Ask for Help and Your Support Group
Training Video for Unit 1, Section 2
In this section the participants will be taught that it is ok to ask for help and who to ask help
from.
Script-
There are times when everyone needs some help. During this workshop, you may find that there
are things that you need help with. The easiest way to get help is to ask for help. There are
many people around you that want to help. These people who are there to help you if you ask
are called your support group. It is ok to get help from your support group. They want to help
you. Your support group is made up of different people. Some of the people in your support
group are your family, your teachers, your counselors, and your friends. I want you to think
about your support group. Who are they and how will you talk to them?
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Once you know who is in your support group, you will be able to ask them if you need help. Here
are some examples of how to ask for help.
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Unit 1, Section 3: The Structures of the Lessons and Assessments
Training Video Unit 1 Section 3:
In this video the instructor will go over the repeating structure of the lessons, how to assess their
ability, use the assessments for correction, and how to reflect on what they learned
Script-
“The Skills to Get the Job Workshop is set up in a repeating structure of learning. Each unit will
begin with a video overview of the skills that will learn once you have completed each section of
that unit. Following this overview you will go through the units, section by section. Each
section will have three video clips for you to watch. The three videos for each section are a
training video, a practice video, and an assessment video.
You will begin with a training video where you will learn the skills that you may need to be
successful. This is followed by a video teaching you how to practice these skills, either alone or
with help, and then how to record yourself practicing these skills. The last video for each section
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will help guide you through an assessment of your recording using a simple checklist and by
watching and check your use of the skills in your own video. You will use these assessments to
create another video of you using these skills and reflecting on what you learned. In your
reflection you will discuss what you found difficult about those skills, what was easy, and what
you learned from your first video to your second video. You will keep this second video so that
you can look back later if you need help in remembering the skills that you were taught. Then
you will have the opportunity to work with a peer or a member of your support group to do a
real time practice of the skills that you learned.
Unit 1, Section 4: How to Keep the Lessons for Future Reference
Training Video Unit 1, Section 4
In this video the instructor will teach the participants how to collect and keep their lessons and
how to go back to them if they need to. They will be taught how to save these videos on a
desktop, laptop, or cell phone, and how to name the files so that they can be found later, and how
to upload these files to a cloud server so they can use them at any time they need.
Script-
“The Skills to Get the Job Workshop is meant to help you for years to come. The final product of
each section of this workshop is a video where you show yourself using the skills you learned
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and you reflect on what was easy, what was hard, and what you learned. You should try to keep
these videos in a way that will let you find them later on if you need them. I will show you
several ways to save these videos now.
If you are using a video camera to record yourself, you will need to download the files to a
computer. You may need help with this. If you need help, make sure to ask for it. Once these
files are downloaded, make sure to name the files in a way that you can keep track of. One
example of naming the files would be to name them by unit and section. You could name the first
video that you will make Unit1Section1. The second video would then be named Unit1Section2
and so on.
If you are using a cell phone to record yourself, then the video will very likely be saved as the
date and time that you saved it. Depending on your phone you may be able to rename the file. If
you click and hold on the video once it has been saved to your gallery of photos, you may have
the ability to edit the video. If you can edit the video, then you should be able to rename the
video. You may need help with this. If you need help, make sure to ask for it. Make sure to
name the videos in a way that you can keep track of. One example of naming the videos would
be to name them by unit and section. You could name the first video that you will make
Unit1Section1. The second video would then be named Unit1Section2 and so on.
Once these files are named and saved, you can save these onto a computer, on your phone, and
on a cloud server so that you can access them whenever you want or need. You may need help
with this. If you need help, make sure to ask for it. If you are going to save them onto your
computer, make sure to put them into a folder. You can name this folder Skills to Get the Job.
Your phone might let you save these files into a folder as well. If your phone allows you to save
these videos into a folder make sure to name the folder Skills to Get the Job. If you save your
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videos into a cloud server, you will always have access to your videos as long as you have an
internet connection. One free cloud server can be found if you sign up for a Google Gmail
Account.
To sign up for Gmail you need to go to www.gmail.com and the click create account. The signup
form will appear where you input your information and create a user name. Your user name
should be something age appropriate and professional. Discuss this with your support group,
but a good professional email address generally has your first and last name along with some
numbers that you can remember. An example of this would be JohnSmith1981@gmail.com
Make sure to review Google's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, click the check box, then
click Next step. Here, you will have an opportunity to set up recovery options. Once this is
complete your account will be created, and the Google welcome page will appear.
Once you have your email set up or if you have already have an email account, you should be
able to find their cloud server and upload your folder and videos to that server. Make sure that
the file is marked in a way that you will be able to find it in the future.”
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Unit 2: Self-Assessment of Social Skills and Goal Setting.
Section 1 - Evaluate their social skills strengths. (C.O. 1, 2, 9, 10)
Section 2 - Evaluate their social skills needs. (C.O. 1, 2, 9, 10)
Section 3 - Set personal employment and social skills goals. (C.O. 1, 2, 5, 9, 10)
Section 4 - Discuss what accommodations they may need. (C.O. 1, 2, 9, 10)
Section 5 - Communicate those accommodations. (C.O. 1, 2, 9, 10)
Introduction Video to Unit 2: Self-Assessment of Social Skills and Goal Setting.
-In this video the instructor will give an overview of this unit and what the participants should
expect to learn by partaking in the unit. This unit will instruct the participants on the importance
of social skills and other vocational skills in the workplace. They will learn how to communicate
their strengths and needs, and how to find and communicate the accommodations that they can
use to correct their needs. They will also be trained on setting personal end goals for themselves
and how to set attainable benchmarks that will help them achieve their goals of gaining and
maintaining vocational opportunities.
Script-
Welcome to unit 1 of the Skills to Get the Job workshop. In this unit, you will learn to what your
strengths and needs are in relation to your work skills and social skills. You will learn how to
build on your understanding of yourself so that you will be able to set personal goals that will
help you get and keep a job. You will learn about what help you might need to do your job and
how to let your job and boss know about that help. After you have completed all the sections of
this unit you be prepared to move on to start looking for a job and finding your personal support
system.
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Unit 2, Section 1: Evaluate their social skills strengths.
Curriculum Outcome 1: Understand and find accommodations for their own social skills strength
and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 2: Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy
skills in different situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 2, Section 1
In this section, the participants will learn what social skills are. They will learn the difference
between social skills strengths and needs. The will learn how to evaluate key social skills
strengths and their ability to use them. On the screen, a list of skills that we are looking for will
be shown. There will also be demonstrations of several key social skills. The social skills that
will be role played and demonstrated as key skills are, speaking clearly, making eye contact,
shaking hands, use of body language, repeating for understanding, being flexible, being positive,
and showing empathy.
Script-
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Welcome to unit 2, section 1 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section we will be
discussing what social skills are, what your social skills strengths are, and demonstrating eight
important social skills that will help you get and keep a job. What is a social skills? A social
skill is something that helps you to be able to work better with other people. These skills help
people to like you more and they help you when you are talking to other people. If you get really
good at using social skills you have a better chance to get a job and to keep it.
Here are eight key social skills that will help you get and keep a job. They are speaking clearly,
making eye contact, shaking hands, use of body language, repeating for understanding, being
flexible, being positive, and showing empathy. You can practice these eight social skills and the
more practice you get, the better you be at them. You will now see these social skills used so that
you can practice them yourself.
[For each of these skills, there will be a short description and then a demonstration with
another “actor”]
-Speaking clearly- Speaking Clearly is when you talk loud enough for the person or people you
are talking to so that they can understand you. You can’t talk too softly or they won't be able to
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hear you and you can’t talk too loud or people will think you're mad or shouting. You also want
to make sure to not talk too fast. Sometimes people get nervous and talk too fast.
-Making eye contact- Making eye contact is when you look at someone in the eyes when you are
talking to them. This does not mean staring at them. It means generally looking in the direction
of their face when you are talking to them and not looking down or to the side or up in the air.
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-Shaking hands- Shaking hands is done when you meet someone like a boss or supervisor for the
first time. Shaking hands is often used when you say good bye as well. To shake hands, you
make sure that you keep good eye contact, you put your hand out, and wait for the other person
to do the same. Once they reach out, you firmly hold their hand and shake it 2 inches up and 2
inches down for 2 seconds. Make sure not to hold on too tight or too soft. Follow the 2, 2, 2
rule, of 2 inches up, 2 inches down, and 2 seconds. Once you are done make sure to put your
hand down and continue your conversation.
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Use of Body Language- Body language is all about how you use your body as a way of
communicating, or talking to others. It is how your face looks, where your arms are, how
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straight you are standing, and how close you stand next to others. It is best to try and smile or at
least not look angry or sad. You should have your arms at your side relaxed. You should be
standing straight up and not bent over looking at the ground. If you are looking at someone in
the face your body will naturally stand up straighter. In order to find out how close you should
stand next to other people it is important to understand your own personal space. For many
people this is the distance around your body that your arms stretch out to.
Repeating for Understanding - Repeating for Understanding means repeating someone's
question or directions back to them if you need too in order to make sure you understood them.
you can do this with your boss, coworkers, and even the public if necessary.
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-Being Flexible - Being Flexible means being able to change the way of do things without
becoming angry. If your boss or coworkers ask you to do something differently, you can agree to
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the change and still ask why their way is better. The important social skill here is to be able to
change your routine to meet whatever needs there are.
-Being Positive- Being positive is one of the most important social skills you can learn. When
you are positive people like you and want to be around you. It is as simple as being nice and
happy. Greet people with a smile. Say good morning and good afternoon. Be friendly and
helpful. Always be polite.
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-Showing Empathy- Showing Empathy means understanding that other people may feel different
than you. Other people may not be happy all the time. Some people may be sad or angry or
tired. By recognizing other people's feelings you will know if they need space. To need space,
means to be left alone. Some people tell you that they need space by not looking at you when they
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pass by you. Other might not respond if you talk to them. Some people will try to stay away
from you or may look the other way when you are near them.
Now let’s talk about how to determine your own social skills strengths. In the next part of this
section you will be looking at you own social skill strengths. I want you to think about times that
you have talked to other people. Did you use any of the eight key social skills you just saw?
Were you speaking clearly, making eye contact, shaking hands, use of body language, repeating
for understanding, being flexible, being positive, and showing empathy? In the next section you
will record yourself doing these same videos and then you will check to see how well you do.
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Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 2, Section 1
In this section the participants will be instructed to record a video where they are using each of
eight key social skills demonstrated above.
Script-
Now that you have seen the eight key social skills demonstrated it is time to see how well you do
them yourself. You will want to take the role of Ian in the videos. You will make your own
version of the videos. For this you will need the help of one to two people. If you have a way to
set your phone or a video camera then you can film you and a partner. If this is not possible
then you will need a third person to hold your phone or video camera.
These eight key social skills are speaking clearly, making eye contact, shaking hands, use of
body language, repeating for understanding, being flexible, being positive, and showing
empathy.
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Now you will be shown each video again. After each video, pause the video and record your own
video using the same script given. If you have a peer or another member of your support group
available, you can have them say the other part. If you are alone, then answer the other part
back. Save these videos so that you can check them later to see how well you use the skills
shown.
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Now pause this video and record your own. Rewind and replay the video if you need to.
Here is the next video.
Now pause this video and record your own. Rewind and replay the video if you need to.
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Here is the next video.
Now pause this video and record your own. Rewind and replay the video if you need to.
Here is the next video.
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Now pause this video and record your own. Rewind and replay the video if you need to.
Here is the next video.
Now pause this video and record your own. Rewind and replay the video if you need to.
Here is the next video.
Now pause this video and record your own. Rewind and replay the video if you need to.
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Here is the next video.
Now pause this video and record your own. Rewind and replay the video if you need to.
Here is the next video.
Now pause this video and record your own. Rewind and replay the video if you need to.
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Here is the next video.
Now pause this video and record your own. Rewind and replay the video if you need to.
Here is the next video.
Now pause this video and record your own. Rewind and replay the video if you need to.
Here is the next video.
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Now pause this video and record your own. Rewind and replay the video if you need to.
That’s it. You have made videos of yourself using the key social skills. Make sure to save that
video somewhere safe. In the next section you will watch your videos and check them to see how
well you did.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 2, Section 1
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
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Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
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something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 2, Section 1 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 2, Section 2: Evaluate their Social Skills Needs.
Curriculum Outcome 1: Understand and find accommodations for their own social skills strength
and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 2: Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 2, Section 2
In this section, the participants will learn how to evaluate their social skills needs by thinking
about past interaction and having discussions with people who know them. Once they have good
idea of their needs, they will create a video of themselves doing whatever need it may be, so that
they can check to see if they see a problem. If they notice a problem or problems then they can
fix it and re-record a video showing the fixes. If they do not see a problem then they can turn to
their support group for help.
Script-
Welcome to unit 2, Section 2 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
how to check for your own social skills needs. In the last section you learned how to check how
well you were doing in 8 key social skills. Now it is time to look at yourself and see if you have
any other social skills or work related needs. The best way to do this to speak to your support
group. Remember your support group is made up of your family, teachers, counselors, and
friends. They can help you come up with a list of any social skills or work needs that you may
have. You can also think back to time when you were with another person, and things did not go
right. Maybe they got mad. Maybe you go mad. Maybe you said something and they walked
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away. Maybe you felt like they were laughing at you or that they did not understand you. If you
can think about those situations, you can ask your support group to help you figure out what the
problem was. Make a list of any social skills need and save it. Some examples of possible work
needs are: being on time to work, staying on task, following multistep directions, not being able
to read directions, changing routines, talking to coworkers, talking to customers, or working for
long periods of time. Again, use your support group to come up with your social skills and work
skills needs.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 2, Section 2
In this section the participant will create videos showing their social skills needs.
Script-
Now that you have a list of your social skills needs, it is time to record yourself doing them. Use
the help of your support group or you can make the videos on your own. Once you have these
videos, you will watch them and check to see if you can spot any needs. With the help of your
support group, try to script your videos to show you using your social skill need in a practice job
place.
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Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 2, Section 2
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
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found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need. If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
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“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 2, Section 2 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teachers, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
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Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 2, Section 3: Set personal employment and social skills goals.
Curriculum Outcome 1: Understand and find accommodations for their own social skills strength
and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 2: Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 5: Identify what employment success means for themselves.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy
skills in different situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 2, Section 3
In this section, the participants will learn what personal goals are and how to create and set
realistic and attainable goals. There will be a brief discussion of benchmarks and how these
mini-goals, help with achieving larger goals.
Script-
Welcome to unit 2, Section 3 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you are going
to learn about making realistic goals for yourself and for the job that you want. It is best to do
this with the help of your support group. The first thing you need to do is think about the needs
and accommodations that you have found earlier in this unit. I want you to think about these
needs as goals. I want you to think about those accommodations as the ways to meet your goals.
With your goals in place, and the ways to reach those goals set, you can now come up with ways
to check and make sure you are meeting your goals. I would like you to get your list of needs
and accommodations that you made earlier in this unit. Please pause the video and find your
list. If you have to rewrite your list go ahead and do that now. Restart the video once you have
it.
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Great! Now that you have your list of needs and accommodations, we can turn them into goals
and write how you are going to complete those goals. The first step is to turn your needs into
goals. Then add your accommodations to the goals. This gives you an idea of how you are
going to meet your goal. The next step is to add a time frame to your goals. Some goals will
take longer than others. This is up to you and your support group to discuss and figure out. You
want to give yourself enough time to meet your goals, but you don’t want to do them so long that
they don’t push you to learn more. The key to making goals is to make sure they are just hard
enough to help you learn while being easy enough for you to able to complete. One way to make
sure you are meeting your goal is to add in benchmarks. A bench mark is a smaller amount of
time or a smaller task that will help you get to finish your goal. These benchmarks show that you
are making progress on your goals.
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Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 2, Section 3
In this section, the participants will take their needs and accommodations and turn them into
goals.
Script-
Now that you have seen examples of how to turn needs and accommodations into goals, you are
going to take your needs and accommodations lists and turn them into goals with a time frame of
when that goal should be met, and benchmarks if you want them. You can do this alone or with
your support group.
Once you have created these goals you are going to record yourself telling the camera or
another person the goals. With the help of your support group or by yourself, create a script and
film a video of yourself saying what the entire goal is. Make sure that each goal has a time
frame for completion and benchmarks if you need them. Remember to demonstrate good social
skills in the video. Make sure to save these videos so that you can use them later.
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Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 2, Section 3
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to look for key skills in each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you
speaking loud enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other
person in your video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking
forward and not at the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you
standing up straight? Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you being positive? Do you
sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
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When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need. If you did learn
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something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here are a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 2, Section 3 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teachers, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 2, Section 4: Discuss what accommodations they may need.
Curriculum Outcome 1: Understand and find accommodations for their own social skills strength
and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 2: Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 2, Section 4
In this section, the participants will learn what accommodations they may need in order to do a
job. This can be a self-assessment, as well as a support group assessment.
Script-
Welcome to unit 2, Section 4 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section, you and your
support group will discuss what accommodations you may need to meet your needs. An
accommodation is some way to help the things that you need help with. Knowing what
accommodations you might need can help you do a better at a job. There are many different
reasons why you might need an accommodation. A social need is a need that has to do with your
social skills. In the last section you made a list of your social skills needs. Now it is time to talk
about other needs. Physical needs are needs that have to do with how your body works. Some
examples include being a wheelchair, having a hard time walking up stairs, having a hard time
holding and using small things likes pens or pencils, not being able to stand for long periods of
time, needing things in large print. Some other things that you may need accommodations for
might include not being able to read, needing job duties to be broken into small tasks, or needing
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tasks to be presented one at a time. Your support group and your own experiences will help you
find what accommodations you might need.
Now it is time to look at yourself and see if you have any needs that you might need
accommodations for. The best way to do this to speak to your support group. Remember your
support group is made up of your family, teachers, counselors, and friends. They can help you
come up with a list of any skills needs that you may have. Think about times when you needed
help in the past. You can think about those situations and you can ask your support group to
help you figure out what the problem was. Make a list of any of these needs and save it.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 2, Section 4
In this section the participants will create a list of possible needs and possible accommodations.
They will record themselves listing of their needs and accommodations and then watch the video
to make sure it makes sense.
Script-
Now it is time to look at your list of needs and come up with accommodations for those needs.
Your support group can help you with your needs. You can also get ideas about
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accommodations by talking to possible employers and job coaching services. Your support
group can help put you in touch with these people. Use your list of needs that you created. Now
create a list of possible accommodations for those needs. Use your support group if you need to
for help in figuring out your accommodations. As an example let's look at 3 different needs and
3 possible accommodations that would help you meet those needs.
The first need will be not being able to hold small items like pens and pencils. To come up with
what accommodation you might need for this situation, you need to ask why you would have to
hold these small items. if it is because you will expected 6to write or mark things off as a part of
your job, then you may be able to ask for a bigger item to use for marking or maybe have the list
moved onto a computer so you can use a mouse or other input device.
The second example need that we can make accommodations for will be not being able to read
instructions. If you cannot read instruction at work, a possible accommodation would be to have
the instructions recorded onto your phone or some other device so that you can listen to the
instructions instead of having to read them.
The last example of making an accommodation for a need will look at needing directions given
one at a time. A possible accommodation for this is to ask for directions being written down or
recorded individually instead of in a big list. By doing this the job is helping the person take
tasks one step at a time instead of all at once which might make someone nervous or upset. Now
create your own accommodation list by yourself or with the help of your support group.
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Once you have this need and accommodation list it is time to record yourself talking about it.
Please record yourself discussing what needs you have and what accommodations you and your
support group have come up with. Remember that even though this video is just for you, you
should still follow all the rules for good social skills when recording yourself. Make sure to save
this video for later use.
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Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 2, Section 4
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their video. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later. The will check to
make sure that accommodations are connected to their needs either by themselves or with their
support group.
Script-
It is time to watch the video that you made. As you are watching them I want you to check your
videos against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use
checklist. I want you to look for six things in this video. Are you speaking clearly? This means
are you speaking loud enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with
the other person in your video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are
looking forward and not at the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are
you standing up straight? Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's
distance away from the person you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound
friendly? Do you sound nice? Do your needs and accommodations match each other? This
means I want you to make sure that the accommodations you came up with will help the needs
you found. Do you have at least one accommodation listed for each need? Remember that you
need to have at least one accommodation listed for each of the needs that you found.
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of how well you did on each video. Make sure to ask for help here if you
need it. Once you have checked your video and found anything that can be improved, you will be
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re-recording your video so that you can save it for use in the future. You may pause this video
now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
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“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 2, Section 4 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
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Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 2, Section 5: Communicate those Accommodations
Curriculum Outcome 1: Understand and find accommodations for their own social skills strength
and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 2: Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 2, Section 5
In this section, the participants will learn how to communicate accommodations that they may
need at a job site. In the last section they created a list of needs and accommodations
Script-
Welcome to unit 2, Section 5 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
how to talk about the accommodations and needs that you found in the last section. It is ok to let
people know what help you may need. By letting people know what help you may need and the
accommodations that you think will help meet those needs, you are letting them become a part of
your support group and giving them the opportunity to help you do your best at your job. In this
section you will learn how to take about your needs the right way.
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We will demonstrate three different ways to communicate your needs and accommodations to
three different people. The first will be communicating to your boss, the second will be
communicating to a co-worker, and the third will be communicating to someone in your support
group.
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Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 2, Section 5
In this section the participants will be asked to create videos of themselves stating each need and
accommodation that they created in the last section to a boss, a co-worker, or a member of their
support group.
Script-
Now that you have seen a few practice videos of people discussing their needs and
accommodations, it is time to make your own. You already created a single video where you
talked about your needs and the accommodations that would help you with those needs. Now
you will take those individual accommodations and needs and turn them into videos where you
are either talking to your boss, a co-worker, or a member of your support group. It is time to
script out who you will be talking to and then record yourself doing it. With the help of your
support group, try to script your videos to show you using your social skill need in a practice job
place. You can make the videos on your own. If you make the videos on your own, I suggest
trying to talk to an imaginary boss. Remember, make one video for each of your needs and
accommodations, and use good social skills when you are communicating.
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Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 2, Section 5
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later. The will check to
make sure that accommodations are connected to their needs either by themselves or with their
support group.
Script-
It is time to watch the videos that you made. As you are watching them I want you to check your
videos against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use
checklist. I want you to look for six things in these videos. Are you speaking clearly? This
means are you speaking loud enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact
with the other person in your video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you
are looking forward and not at the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language?
Are you standing up straight? Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's
distance away from the person you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound
friendly? Do you sound nice? Do your needs and accommodations match each other? This
means I want you to make sure that the accommodations you came up with will help the needs
you found. Do you have at least one accommodation listed for each need? Remember that you
need to have at least one accommodation listed for each of the needs that you found.
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of w how well you did on each video. Make sure to ask for help here if
you need it. Once you have checked your video and found anything that can be improved, you
will be re-recording your video so that you can save it for use in the future. You may pause this
video now so that you can see the checklist.
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Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need. If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
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“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 2, Section 5 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
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Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teachers, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 3: Communication Skills
Section 1 - Navigate social communication exchanges with their supervisor. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9,
10)
Section 2 - Navigate social communication exchanges with their co-workers. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8,
9, 10)
Section 3 - Navigate social communication exchanges with the public. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Section 4 - Make small talk. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Section 5 - Answer questions if they know the answer. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Section 6 - Redirect questions if the answer to a question is unknown. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Section 7 - Use and understand nonverbal communication. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Section 8 - Discuss vocational relationship boundaries. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Introduction Video to Unit 3:
-In this video the instructor will give an overview of this unit and what the participants should
expect them to learn by partaking in the unit. In this unit the participants will learn how to
communicate with the various individuals that they may come into contact with at the vocational
site. They will learn how to participate in small talk and very simple communication
exchanges. They will learn how to convey the appropriate body language at work. They will
also learn how to answer simple questions and how to find appropriate help if they cannot
answer a question posed to them by a member of the community.
The training videos will instruct the participants how to make small talk, redirect community
members to someone more knowledgeable if they need to, and how to show the appropriate body
language at work. There will be a video on accepting corrections and making changes based on
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those corrections. There also needs to be a video on keeping vocational relationships
professional and how to make sure the participants do not cross social boundaries with
community members and other workers.
Script-
Welcome to unit 3 of the Skills to Get the Job workshop. This unit is all about talking to people.
This unit is going to help you get your job and keep your job. One of the most important ways of
keeping your jobs is be well liked by your coworkers and boss. If you can follow all of the
suggestions set down in this unit, then people at work will like you more, your boss will see you
as a valuable member of his work force, and the public will view you as a good employee. In this
unit, you will learn how to communicate with some of the different types of people that you may
meet when you're at work. Communication is the verbal and nonverbal messages that you are
sending to other people. We talk in more ways that with just our voices. How we stand, if you
are slouched down or standing up straight. How we hold our arms, if they are crossed or down
at our sides. How we look at people, if look at them in the eye or if we stare at the ground. When
you learned how to have good social skills, you learned how to do good nonverbal
communication. Now you will learn some rules for good verbal communication. The people that
you will be learning to have good verbal communication with are your boss, your coworkers,
and members of the public. You are going to learn some rules for making small talk and what
small talk is. You're going to learn how to answers some questions correctly and what to do if
you do not know the answer. You are going to learn more about accepting feedback and making
the right changes from that feedback. Finally you are going to learn about relationships
boundaries and what they are. One theme that will run throughout this unit is the idea that
people can be friendly without being friends. This happens all the time. Being nice and being
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friendly are very similar. Being a friend means that you spend time together outside of work. If
you see someone at work, no matter how friendly they are, they're probably not your friend and
you should continue to talk with them in the same way described here.
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Unit 3, Section 1: Navigate social communication exchanges with their supervisor.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 8: Create scripts that show the appropriate use of social skills given
different situations.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 3, Section 1
In this section, the participants will learn how to have a quick conversation with their boss or
supervisor. These quick conversations are an important part of presenting the participants as
socially competent.
Script-
Welcome to unit 3, Section 1 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
some suggestions for talking to your boss. When you talk to your boss or supervisor you need to
show them the right amount of respect. Some bosses and supervisors may go by their first name.
Some may go by their last name. You will find out what your boss likes to be called within the
first couple of days that you are at work. You may still call your boss Sir or Miss or Ma’am
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depending on if they are male, Sir, or female, Miss or Ma’am. It is not a bad idea to get in the
habit of using sir or ma’am when you are talking to people in general.
The small conversations that you have on a daily basis should be quick and upbeat, happy, and
positive. You want to present yourself as happy and glad to be at work. These quick
conversations will often happen at similar times. They will often happen when you are just
getting into work, or that you haven’t seen your boss in a while during the day, and when you
are getting ready to leave work or the day. Please watch these three examples of social
exchanges. Make note of the use of good social skills in each video.
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As you can see, the conversations are short and to the point. This is how the majority of your
social interactions at work should go. One key thing to remember
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is that just because someone is being friendly, this does not make that person your friend. They
might become your friend at some point. If someone is continuing to be nice to you and
continuing to take interest in you, then it may be that you will have a new friendship. It is hard to
understand. If you are confused, please ask your support group for help. There is no reason to
be embarrassed. Just remember that the relationships that you have with your friends are
different than the relationships you will have with your boss, coworker, or the general public.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 3, Section 1
In this section the participants will create their own video where they will use the situations
given to practice social interchanges.
Script-
Now you will make your own social exchange videos. By yourself or with the help of your
support group, you will script out three different social exchanges with a boss. One will be right
when you get to work, one will be during work, and one will take place right as you're leaving
work. Remember to use sir, miss, or ma’am and to keep the conversation short and positive.
Here are a few phrases that can help you create your own conversations.
1st Phrase- Say hello is a simple way. Good morning. How are you today? How was your night?
How is your day going so far?
The other person will give you a response and probably ask you the same question back, or a
similar question.
2nd Phrase- Now you answer any question they asked in a positive way. I’m fine. I’m great. I
can’t complain. Doing well. My night was great. Looking forward to working.
The other person will probably say something positive of friendly, like “sounds good,” or “right
on,” or “cool.”
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3rd Phrase- Say good bye in a nice way. See you later. Talk to you later. Have a good Day.
Nice talking to you. Enjoy the day.
Remember to make three different scripts. You can film them one after another or altogether.
You can do this alone or with another person. If you are alone make sure to look directly at the
camera. Remember to use all the good social skills that you have learned and to ask your
support group for help if you need it.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 3, Section 1
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
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Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
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learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 3, Section 1 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teachers, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 3, Section 2: Navigate social communication exchanges with their co-workers.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 8: Create scripts that show the appropriate use of social skills given
different situations.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 3, Section 2
In this section, the participants will learn how to have a quick conversation with their coworkers.
These quick conversations are an important part of presenting the participants as socially
competent.
Script-
Welcome to unit 3, Section 2 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
some rules for talking to your coworkers. When you talk to your coworkers you need to show
them the right amount of respect. These are the people that you work with. you can be friendly
to them, but remember that they are not your friends. Being friendly means being nice. You will
usually know your coworkers by their first name. You can use their first name when talking to
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them or you can use sir for a male or miss or ma’am for a female. If you have forgotten their
name, it is ok to call them sir or ma’am and to then ask them what their name is.
The small conversations that you have on a daily basis should be quick, upbeat, and happy.
Very often these quick conversations will happen at similar times. They will often happen when
you are just getting into work, when you haven’t seen your coworker in a while, or when you are
getting ready to leave work or the day. Please watch these examples of social exchanges. Make
note of the use of good social skills in each video.
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As you can see, the conversations are short and to the point. This is how the majority of your
social interactions at work should go. One key thing to remember is that just because someone
is being friendly, this does not make that person your friend. The relationships that you have
with your friends are different than the relationships you will have with your boss, coworker, or
the general public.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 3, Section 2
In this section the participants will create their own video where they will use the situations
given to practice social interchanges.
Script-
Now you will make your own social exchange videos. By yourself or with the help of your
support group, you will script out four different social exchanges with a coworker. One will be
right when you get to work, one will be during work, one will take place right as you're leaving
work, and the last will be you practicing how to ask a coworker what their name is. Remember
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that you can use sir, miss, or ma’am if you want and to keep the conversation short and
positive. Here are a few phrases that can help you create your own conversations.
1st Phrase- Say hello is a simple way. Good morning. How are you today? How was your night?
How is your day going so far?
2nd Phrase- Answer any question they asked in a positive way. I’m fine. I’m great. I can’t
complain. Doing well. My night was great. Looking forward to working.
3rd Phrase- Say good bye in a nice way. See you later. Talk to you later. Have a good Day.
Nice talking to you. Enjoy the day.
Remember to make four different scripts. You can film them one after another or all together.
You can do this alone or with another person. If you are alone make sure to look directly at the
camera. Remember to use all the good social skills that you have learned and to ask for help
from your support group if you need it.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 3, Section 2
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
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Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
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Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need. If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here are a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 3, Section 2 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teachers, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 3, Section 3: Navigate social communication exchanges with the public.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 8: Create scripts that show the appropriate use of social skills given
different situations.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self efficacy and self advocacy skills in different situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 3, Section 3
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In this section, the participants will learn how to have a quick conversation with the public or
customers. These quick conversations are an important part of presenting the participants as
socially competent.
Script-
Welcome to unit 3, Section 3 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
some rules for talking to the public. When you are working, any that is not your boss or a
coworker is the public. The most common member of the public that you will encounter at your
various jobs will be customers. Customers are people who may spend money at your job. It is
often part of your to ensure that the customers enjoy their experience in your store. When you
talk to the public you are representing your job. You will need to show them the right amount of
respect. These are the people that you are hired to help or make sure that they have a good
experience when they are at your job. You can be friendly to them, but remember that they are
not your friends. Being friendly means being nice. You will usually not know the public by their
name. You can use sir for a male or miss or ma’am for a female if you are going to talk to the
public.
The small conversations that you may have on a daily basis with the public should be quick,
upbeat, and happy. Very often these quick conversations will happen at similar times. They will
often happen as greetings, when you are offering help, and in saying good bye.
Please watch these examples of social exchanges. Make note of the use of good social skills in
each video.
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As you can see, the conversations are short and to the point. This is how the majority of your
social interactions at work should go. One key thing to remember is that just because someone
is being friendly, this does not make that person your friend. The relationships that you have
with your friends are different than the relationships you will have with your boss, coworker, or
the general public.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 3, Section 3
In this section the participants will create their own video where they will use the situations
given to practice social interchanges.
Script-
Now you will make your own social exchange videos. By yourself or with the help of your
support group, you will script out three different social exchanges with the public. One will be
in greetings, one will be you offering to help, and the last one will be you saying goodbye.
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Remember that you can use sir, miss, or ma’am if you want and to keep the conversation short
and positive. Here are a few phrases that can help you create your own conversations.
-1st Phrase- Say hello is a simple way. Good morning. Good afternoon. Welcome to the store.
-2nd Phrase- Offer to help them. Let me know if I can help you in anyway. Is there anything I can
help you find? What brings you in today?
-3rd Phrase- Say good bye in a nice professional way. Have a nice day. Thanks for coming in
today. We hope to see you again soon. Be well. Thanks for shopping with us. Come again.
Remember to make three different scripts. You can film them one after another or all together.
You can do this alone or with another person. If you are alone make sure to look directly at the
camera. Remember to use all the good social skills that you have learned and to ask for help
from your support group if you need it.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 3, Section 3
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
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Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
SOCIAL SKILLS 144
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need. If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 3, Section 3 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teachers, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
SOCIAL SKILLS 146
Unit 3, Section 4: Make small talk.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 3, Section 5
In this section, the participants will learn what small talk is and how to engage in appropriate
small talk with their coworkers.
SOCIAL SKILLS 147
Script-
Welcome to unit 3, Section 4 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
about a way to talk to people called small talk. Small talk is another way to have quick
conversations. Many people use small talk throughout their day. You will use small talk to ask
about how your coworkers are doing, how things are going with them, and to share how things
are going with you. Small talk is a way to show that you care about the people you work with.
By using small, talk your coworkers may like you more, as long as you're not talking too much.
There’s not a hard rule on how many times you can talk to someone at work before it becomes
too much. You will know that you are talking too much if your work isn't getting done or if the
person you are talking to is showing signs of not wanting to talk to you anymore. If this
happens, you may be talking too much.
Small talk is going to be positive and quick. It can start with a question that you're asking your
coworker or boss and then you can reply if they give you an answer. It can also be a quick
comment about something going on that your coworker or boss may be familiar with. Here are
some examples of small talk conversation starters.
“It sure is hot out today.”
“Do you think it is going to rain?”
“It’s beautiful out today isn’t it?”
“How’s your day going?”
“What do you think about that new product for sale?”
“Things sure are a lot more expensive now, don’t you think?”
“What’s up?”
“How have you been?”
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Then once you get to know the people that you are talking to, the small talk may become more
specific to their interests, or things that you have in common.
“Did you watch the new show last night?”
“How was your weekend?”
“Are you looking forward to the new movie coming out?”
“Are you going to the company picnic?”
“Did you see the baseball game last night?”
“Are you looking forward to the Super Bowl?”
“Who do you think is going to win the World Cup?”
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 3, Section 4
In this section the participants will create their own video where they will practice using small
talk.
Script-
Now you will make your own small talk videos. By yourself or with the help of your support
group, you will script out at least three different small talk starters. You can use the ones in the
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previous section as a guide or create your own. As a reminder here are the small talk starters
shown before:
“It sure is hot out today.”
“Do you think it is going to rain?”
“It’s beautiful out today isn’t it?”
“How’s your day going?”
“What do you think about that new product for sale?”
“Things sure are a lot more expensive now, don’t you think?”
“What’s up?”
“How have you been?”
“Did you watch the new show last night?”
“How was your weekend?”
“Are you looking forward to the new movie coming out?”
“Are you going to the company picnic?”
“Did you see the baseball game last night?”
“Are you looking forward to the Super Bowl?”
As you create your own script or use the ideas just given, remember to keep the conversation
short and positive.
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Make at least three different scripts, just to make sure you understand how small talk works.
You can film them one after another or altogether. You can do this alone or with another person.
If you are alone make sure to look directly at the camera. Remember to use all the good social
skills that you have learned and to ask for help from your support group if you need it.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 3, Section 4
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
SOCIAL SKILLS 151
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
SOCIAL SKILLS 152
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
SOCIAL SKILLS 153
Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 3, Section 4 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teachers, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
SOCIAL SKILLS 154
Unit 3, Section 5: Answer questions if they know the answer.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 3, Section 5
In this section, the participants will learn how to answer questions posed to them by their boss,
coworkers, and the public.
Script-
Welcome to unit 3, Section 5 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
how to answer questions if you know the answer to them. There will be some questions that you
don’t know the answer to, and the next section will teach you how to answer those. In this section
you will learn how to answer questions that you know the answer to when they are asked by
your boss, coworkers, and the public. Just like any other communication exchange, you will
have to be polite, respectful, and positive. You will try to do this even if the person that you are
talking to is mad or mean. Since you are at work, you need to have a good work attitude.
Having a work attitude means that you need to try your best to not get mad or be mean, even if
SOCIAL SKILLS 155
the person talking to you is mad or mean. Here are some examples of answer questions the
correct way.
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As you can see, you need to be respectful and polite no matter the situation. You cannot get mad
or mean. If a situation is getting bad, if someone is really mad, your best bet is to apologize and
get them help. Here is another situation where you should apologize and then get help.
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Some people will just be mad. It is best to get help and stay polite. Do not let their anger make
you feel upset, angry, or hurt.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 3, Section 5
In this section the participants will create their own video where they will use the situations
given to practice answering questions..
Script-
Now you will make your own answering videos. By yourself or with the help of your support
group, you will script out two different scripts where you are answering questions. One script
will have you answering a question asked by your boss, your coworker or a member of the
public. Here are some example questions that can be asked:
Do you sell this product?
Can you help me find this product?
Did you finish this this job task?
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Can you finish this job task?
Can you work extra hours tomorrow?
Will you be able to come into work on the weekend?
Script your responses to one of these questions or make your own script and then answer the
question in a polite and friendly way.
The second script you be making will have you answering a question coming from someone who
is angry. Remember to be polite in your answers, apologize, and get help. Here are some
example questions that may come from an angry person:
Where is your manager?
Why can’t you help me?
What is your problem?
Are you stupid or something?
What do you mean you don’t sell this?
Who do you think you are?
Script your responses to one of these questions or make your own script and then answer the
question in a polite and friendly way and make sure to get help.
Remember to make two different scripts. One should be answering a normal question and one
should be answering an angry question. You can film them one after another or all together.
You can do this alone or with another person. If you are alone make sure to look directly at the
camera. Remember to use all the good social skills that you have learned and to ask for help
from your support group if you need it.
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Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 6, Section 5
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
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found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
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“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 3, Section 5 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
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Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 3, Section 6: Redirect questions if the answer to a question is unknown.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 3, Section 6:
In this section, the participants will learn how to redirect questions that they do not know the
answer to. This is a four step process. The first will be to think about the answer. Then to say
that you do not know the answer. Then to come up with a plan for finding the answer. Then to
find the answer.
Script-
Welcome to unit 3, section 6 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
how to answer questions asked of you if you do not know the answer. In the last section you
learned how to answer questions that you knew the answer to. In this section you are going to
learn what to do if a question is asked and you do not know what to answer or how to answer.
Sometime at work you may be asked a question that you do not know the answer to. This is ok.
Everyone has times where this happens. The key things to do are to think about it, tell the truth,
find the answer, and give the answer. These are the four steps:
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Think - Do I know the answer to this question?
Tell - Admit that you do not know the answer.
Find - Figure out how you will find the answer.
Give - Get the answer and give it to the person asking the question.
Watch this example of how this will work:
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Remember to be positive and find an answer to the question asked. You want to be the one to
help the person. This shows that you care about the person and want to help them. This is the
conduct of a good employee.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 3, Section 6
In this section the participants will create their own video where they will use the situations
given to practice answering questions that they do not know the answer to.
Script-
Now you will make your own video where you will be answering questions that you do not know
the answer to. By yourself or with the help of your support group, you will script out a video
where you are asked a question and you do not know the answer. You will ask another coworker
or a head piece, the answer to the question, and then tell the person asking the question the
answer. Here are some sample questions in case you need them:
Do you sell these size batteries?
Do you know where the Food Court is?
What time does the Mall close?
How long will it take to make a pizza?
Where is the closest pay phone?
What isle is computer cleaner on?
You can film this video alone or with another person. If you are alone make sure to look directly
at the camera. Pretend that you were asked a question and pretend to ask a coworker for the
answer. Remember to use all the good social skills that you have learned and to ask for help
from your support group if you need it.
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Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 3, Section 7
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
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found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need. If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here are a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
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“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 3, Section 6 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
SOCIAL SKILLS 170
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
SOCIAL SKILLS 171
Unit 3, Section 7: Use and understand nonverbal communication.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 3, Section 7
In this section, the participants will learn to use understand nonverbal communication.
Script-
Welcome to unit 3, Section 7 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
how to use and understand nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication is talking
without using words. It is how you and other people use their body give messages. Some people
use body language as a way of telling you they want to go away or for you to stop what you are
doing. By using body language, they want you to recognize that they want to stop or leave, but
they are trying to do it in a nice way. You need to try and recognize this type of body language.
When you cross your arms across your chest it looks like you are telling someone that you are
mad or want to be left alone. When your shrug your shoulders you are telling someone that you
do not know an answer or that you don’t care. When you look at the ground you are telling
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someone that you do not want to talk to them or that you are scared of them. Smiling and
looking at someone straight on communicates that you are open and willing to help or talk.
This is all very similar to body language. Body language is all about how you use your body as
a way of communicating, or talking to others. It is how your face looks, where your arms are,
how straight you are standing, and how close you stand next to others. It is best to try and smile
or at least not look angry or sad. You should have your arms at your side relaxed. You should
be standing straight up and not bent over looking at the ground. If you are looking at someone
in the face your body will naturally stand up straighter. In order to find out how close you
should stand next to other people it is important to understand your own personal space. For
many people this is the distance around your body that your arms stretch out to.
Just like with body language, nonverbal communication is something that you can practice. It is
also a great skill to practice. Good nonverbal communication is a way to let people know you
want to help them and are waiting to assist them.
Learning to recognize nonverbal communication can be hard. Here are some examples of
nonverbal communication and what they mean.
I do not want to talk to you:
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You have been talking to long and I want you to stop:
I need to go:
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You are standing too close to me and I am uncomfortable with it:
I need help:
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Hi, How are you? (Eyes, Head, and Shoulders):
I am angry with you:
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These are just some of the nonverbal communications that you might see during your day at
work.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 3, Section 7
In this section the participants will create their own video where they will use good nonverbal
communication. The will create three videos of themselves using nonverbal communication so
that they will recognize it when it is used on them.
Script-
Now you will make three videos of your own using nonverbal communication. By yourself or
with the help of your support group, you will script out three videos where you will be showing a
different nonverbal communication in each video. Here are the three types of nonverbal
communications that you will show and examples of how to do them. Your video
I have a Question Nonverbal Communication
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I want to escape from this Situation Nonverbal Communication
I am Angry Nonverbal Communication
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You can film this video alone or with another person. If you are alone make sure to look directly
at the camera. You can pretend that you are in the middle of a conversation and that you are
using the type of nonverbal communication that you have scripted. Remember to ask for help
from your support group if you need it. Once you have done these video’s make sure that you
understand what is being communicated nonverbally. Check to make sure that you understand
that communication being done without the words.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 3, Section 8
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
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enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
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so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
SOCIAL SKILLS 181
Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 3, Section 7 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
SOCIAL SKILLS 182
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
Unit 3, Section 8: Discuss vocational relationship boundaries.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 8: Create scripts that show the appropriate use of social skills given
different situations.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
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Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 3, Section 8
In this section, the participants will learn
Script-
Welcome to unit 6, Section 8 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
about relationship boundaries at work. Many of the people that you will find yourself working
with are going to be nice and friendly. This is normal. What you have to learn is that being
friendly does not mean that they want anything more than to be nice. Being friendly and being
friends are not the same thing. Some people you work with may become your friends. This will
take time. You may feel like the people at work are being friendly because they want to be your
friends. Remember that there is a difference between being friendly and being friends. Being
friendly means being polite, nice, and respectful. Everyone at work should be like this. You
should be acting like this at work. This does not make you or them friends.
To become friends, you would have to spend some time together outside of work. This does not
mean right after work, right before work, during your lunch, or your break. This would be at
some place away from work where you both decide to spend time together. That is how you
become friends. Both of the people in a friendship need to be trying to be friends. If it is just you
trying to be friends with the other person, than chances are, they do not want to be your friend.
You should stop trying to be there friend. You can still be friendly, which just means being nice,
respectful, and polite.
Trying too hard to make friends at work can lead to problems. People may feel like you are
talking to them too much or they may feel like you are spending too much time around them.
They may try to avoid you or stay away from you. They may report you to the boss. You may
SOCIAL SKILLS 184
make them feel uncomfortable. It is important to listen to not push friendship on anyone,
especially at work. It is also important to be able to notice the signs that people want to be your
friend or the signs that people do not want to be your friends.
People can be friendly, but this does not mean they want to be friends
People who want to be your friend will
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People who do not want to be your friend will
Watch for the signs that your coworkers want to become your friends as well as the signs that
they do not want to become your friends. Respect both types of people. If people are showing
you the signs of not wanting to be your friends, this may mean that they felt like you were trying
too hard to be their friend. This may have made them feel uncomfortable so they are showing
you that they do not want to be your friend. In some jobs you may gain many friends, in other
jobs you may make no friends. All jobs are different.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 3, Section 8
In this section the participants will create their three videos where they will discuss three things.
The first is that being friendly is different than being friends. The second thing to be discussed is
some of the ways that people show that they want to be friends. The third thing to be discussed
is some of the ways that people show that they do not want to be friends.
Script-
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Now you will make three videos where you will show your understanding of friendships at work.
By yourself or with the help of your support group, you will script out three videos. Each video
will show one different part of your understanding.
In the first video you will discuss your understanding that being friendly does not mean that you
are friends. Remember that being polite, respectful, and nice is a part of being friendly and that
you should act that way at work. This does not mean that people who do this are your friends.
You should discuss how small talk is just a part of being nice, respectful and polite. Show
examples of being nice, respectful, and polite in a way that shows friendliness but not friendship.
In the second video you will show your understanding of being able to tell if a person is trying to
become your friend. Your script may include you discussing how if someone want to be friends
that they will talk to each other longer, talk to each other during breaks, show more interest in
each other, like the same things as each other, show more open nonverbal communication, and
wanting to spend time together outside of work doing different activities.
SOCIAL SKILLS 187
In the third video you will show that you understand when someone does not want to be your
friend. Some of the actions that you may discuss in your video that shows someone not wanting
to be your friend are, trying to avoid you, trying to not be around you, showing no interest in
you, not sitting near you or talking to you during breaks or lunch, or showing closed off
nonverbal communication. Along with you understanding of the actions, you should also note
that there may have been a miscommunication between you and the person who does not want to
be your friend. You have tried to hard to be their friend, or they may think you tried to hard to
be their friend. This may be causing them to act like they do not want to be your friend.
SOCIAL SKILLS 188
You can film this video alone or with another person. If you are alone make sure to look directly
at the camera. If you have a partner make sure that you are talking directly to them and showing
good social skills. Remember to ask for help from your support group if you need it.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 3, Section 8
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
SOCIAL SKILLS 189
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
SOCIAL SKILLS 190
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 3, Section 8 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
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Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
SOCIAL SKILLS 192
Unit 4: How to Decide on the Best Workplace for You and Applying for the Job
Page 201 - Section 1 - Identify what types of jobs they want to do. (C.O. 1, 2, 5, 9, 10)
Page 212 - Section 2 - Identify what types of jobs they might be able to do based on their
strengths, needs, and accommodations. (C.O. 1, 2, 5, 9, 10)
Page 230 - Section 3 - Identify who makes up their vocational support system and utilizing them
for guidance and support. (C.O. 1, 2, 5, 9, 10)
Page 238 - Section 4 - Apply for jobs that they want using the help that they need. (C.O 1, 2, 6,
7, 9, 10)
Page 243 - Section 5 - Finding jobs and using appropriate ways of checking on their application
status. (C.O. 3, 4, 7, 9, 10)
Introduction Video to Unit 4:
-In this video the instructor will give an overview of this unit and what the participants should
expect them to learn by partaking in the unit. In this unit the participants will look at their
strengths, needs, and schedules to determine what types of jobs that they want to do. This
includes looking at their skills in a critical way to determine success. In this Unit we will discuss
a simplified versions of the Zone of Proximal Development. The goal is that participants should
be able to pinpoint what jobs lie within their ability. The participants will also be gathering the
data to help them understand who is available to help them. These are the people that will make
of the participants support system for gaining and maintain vocational placement.
Script-
Welcome to unit 3 of the Skills to Get the Job workshop. In this unit, you will build on what we
have talked about in the last two units and continue to learn how to decide on where the best
place for you to work will be. If you can find a job that you like and one that you are good at,
SOCIAL SKILLS 193
you are going to find out that work can be really fun. Along with work being fun, you will be
getting a paycheck. With that paycheck you get to take the first steps in being independent.
We are going to look at what types of jobs that you might want to do. If you want to do the
work, you are going to do better at the work, and the better at the work, the happier you are
going to be, and the happier your boss and coworkers are going to be.
You are also going to learn about different schedules at work and which ones you want to do,
which ones you are willing to do, and which ones you won't do.
We will continue our discussion on understanding your strengths, needs, and accommodations to
meet those needs. We are going to talk about how to find a job that is challenging enough to
keep you excited, but not too hard to do.
Unit 4, Section 1: Identify what types of jobs they want to do.
Curriculum Outcome 1: Understand and find accommodations for their own social skills strength
and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 2: Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 5: Identify what employment success means for themselves.
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Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 4, Section 1
In this section, the participants will learn how to identify the different types of jobs that they
want to do, what they are willing to do, and what they won't do.
Script-
Welcome to unit 4, Section 1 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you are going
to learn about how to choose what types of jobs you want to do. It is important that you
understand the types of jobs that you want to do, that you are willing to do, and that you will not
do. It is best to do this with the help of your support group. Here is an Example of what your
list can look like.
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The first thing you need to do is to think about what type of jobs you want to have. Think about
where you would be most comfortable working. Do you want to works with lots of people or
with objects? Would you like working with the public or with objects? Do you want to work
indoors or outdoors? Do you want to work with lots of public interaction or with less? A job
that you want to have is one that you would really like to work at. Make a list of all the jobs that
you want. What is your dream job? If you could do any job in the world, what would it be?
Then you should think about what type of jobs you are willing to do. A job that you're willing to
work at is one that is ok, but it wouldn’t be your first choice. Write this as well. Then think
about the jobs that you will never want to do. A job that you never want do is one that you would
hate working at. Once you have these three lists, you should have a better idea of the jobs that
you can look for.
Now that your list is done, you should find jobs that fall into your wants category as well as your
willing category. If you need help with this, please turn to your support group. Here is a tricky
part of doing this yourself. Some of the jobs you want may be really hard to get. You support
group will help you determine if the job may be challenging or might be difficult to find. With
that being said, there are very often jobs similar to the jobs that you really want. For example,
some people want to be veterinarians and work with animals. This is a very hard job to get.
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However, there are lots of jobs where you get to work with animals. You can work in a pet store.
You can work in an animal shelter. You can become a pet walker. Finding out the types of jobs
that are related to the jobs that you want are all a part of setting your personal job goals.
You will also need to determine what times you are willing to work, what days you are willing to
work, and how long you are willing to work.
We will start with your first choice. Do you want to work full time which is around 40 hours a
week or do you want to work part time which is less than 40 hours a week. A full time job will
pay you more, but you will be working more often. Full times jobs usually having you working
five days a week for 8 hours a day. Part time jobs are all different. Some part time jobs have
you only working for a few hours a day. Some will have you work close to 8 hour days, but only
2 or 3 times a week. If you are getting your first job, you are far more likely to get a part time
job. Most everyone you meet had a part time job as their first job. You need to figure out how
many hours a week that you want to work. I suggest that you be open to any amount of hours for
your first job. You and your support group will make this decision based on your particular
needs.
Now you need to determine what times you are willing to work. Some jobs are go from 9 am to 5
pm. Retail jobs generally have three work shifts. There is a morning shift, an afternoon shift,
and a night shift. A morning shift will often start around 8 am and go until around 4 pm. An
afternoon shift will often go from around 4 pm until around 12 midnight. An overnight shift will
go from about Midnight until about 8 am. You and your support group will have to determine
when you are willing to work. When you are determining what times you are willing to work
make sure to figure in how you are going to get to and from your work, safety issues, and other
activities that are going on in your life.
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Ask yourself if there are any days that are not willing to work. Some people refuse to work on
the weekends. Some people might have classes some days of the week. Your individual
schedules will dictate when you will be willing to work. Work with your support group to figure
this out. I will counsel you however, that the more days you are unwilling to work, the harder it
will be to find a job. Many of the jobs that you will be looks for will be looking to hire people on
the weekends and holidays.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 4, Section 1
In this section, the participants will take 2 jobs from their want list and two jobs from the willing
list, and create a step by step video on how to get the job.
Script-
Now that you have your lists of jobs that you want and jobs that you are willing to do, and
understand the times that you are willing to work, it is time to pick 2 jobs out of each list and
create short video that says what the job is, the job duties that you may have, and how to get that
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job. Here is an example of how your script might go about a job you might want and a job that
you might be willing to take.
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With the help of your support group or by yourself, create a script and video for the two jobs that
you want and the two jobs that you're willing to take. Remember to demonstrate good social
skills in the video. Make sure to save these videos so that you can use them later.
You should also create a video where you say what hours and days you are willing to work.
Make sure to say the days of the week that you would like to work, the hours of the day that you
would like to work, and if you would like to be a part time or a full time employee. If there are
any issues that you feel are important to discuss about the times that you can work, make sure to
add that into your video. Remember to keep this video to use later.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 4, Section 1
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
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Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to look for four things in each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you
speaking loud enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other
person in your video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking
forward and not at the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you
standing up straight? Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you being positive? Do you
sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
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Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 4, Section 1 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teachers, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
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skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
Unit 4, Section 2: Identify what types of jobs they might be able to do based on their
strengths, needs, and accommodations.
Curriculum Outcome 1: Understand and find accommodations for their own social skills strength
and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 2: Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 5: Identify what employment success means for themselves.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 4, Section 2:
Script-
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Welcome to unit 4, Section 2 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will
looking for jobs that fit your personality and skills. In order to do this you will need to get the
strengths, needs, accommodations, goals, and work times that you have worked on in the past
sections. Pause the video while you get all that information.
Great. Now we will look at two types of jobs that you are likely to get as one of your first jobs.
You can decide which one you would prefer. You can work with your support group to come up
with your preference. There are many jobs available in your community. Your support group
can help you find jobs. The two types of jobs that will be presented here are general types of
jobs. You may be able to find something better suited for you with the help of your support
group.
One general type of job will have you working with customers and the public. Examples of
these jobs are cashiers at a grocery store, greeters at a department store, and front desk clerk at
a community center.
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In the other type of job you will be working mostly with items and things. Examples of these
jobs are baggers at grocery store, stock clerks at a department store, and a custodian at a
community center.
You will need to have good social skills for both jobs, but you will use social skills more when
you are working with customers and the public. It is important to remember that there are not
many jobs out there where you won't have to use social skills. And many jobs where you work
with customers and the public will also have you working with items and things, and the other
way around. Many jobs where you are primarily working with objects and things will also have
you working with customers and the public.
Now you will see two examples of the video that I would like you to make . In your video you are
going to be directly talking to the camera or to another person, and describe the type of job that
you would like to do, how your strengths will help you with that type of job, and how your goals
for improvement will make sure you succeed at the job.
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Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 3, Section 2
In this section the participants will make at least one video where they state what type of job they
would like to have, what the job is, why they want to work there, their strengths related to the
job, and their goals which may be related to the job.
Script-
You are going to make at least one video where you will be talking about what type of job you
want. I suggest that you do a video for both customer services jobs and for jobs where you are
working with objects.
Your first step is to make your scripts. You can do this by yourself or with the help of your
support group. In your script make sure to discuss these main points:
-what type of job you would like to have
-what the job is
-why you want to work there
-your strengths related to the job
-your goals which may be related to the job
Once you have your script, you can film yourself talking to the camera or to another person.
make sure to demonstrate all of the appropriate social skills in your video. Save your video and
use it in the next section.
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Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 3, Section 2
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
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found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need. If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here are a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
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“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 4, Section 2 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
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Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 4, Section 3: Identify who makes up their vocational support system.
Curriculum Outcome 1: Understand and find accommodations for their own social skills strength
and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 2: Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 5: Identify what employment success means for themselves.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 3, Section 3:
In this section, the participants will learn who makes up their vocational support system. This is
going to be made up of their support group with the addition of several resources that may be
available depending on their own personal backgrounds. These are regional center and the
department of rehabilitation.
Script-
Welcome to unit 3, Section 3 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you are going
to add more individuals to your support group. These new people the you will be adding to your
support group will be coming from your vocational support group. Your vocational support
group is specifically there to help you get a job and do great at it. You can use the help of your
support group to find out who these individuals are or you can do this yourself.
The most important members of your vocational support group are the members of your support
group that you have already been working with. These people will continue to support you as
you start looking for your job, once you get it, and help you to do your best at your job.
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Once you have your job, the new members of your support group will be your boss and co
workers. You can ask your boss and co workers for help. it is important to remember that
asking for help is ok, but you need to remember the help that is given. If you ask the same
question every day, then people will not be as happy to help you anymore. You can remember
answers to your questions by writing them down or by recording them so that you can always go
back and answer your own questions. Watch this video for an example of how to ask your boss
or a coworker for help.
The other members of your vocational support group are going to be different based on your
background. You can ask your support group for help in finding out if you are working with
these new people. The new people you may be working with might be Job Coach, a Regional
Center Counselor, or the Department of Rehabilitation Counselor.
A job coach is someone who may help you apply for jobs, might help you during your interview,
and may actually help you learn your job duties at work.
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The Regional Center is a group of people that help individuals with disabilities with different
things that they may need help with in their lives. In order to get qualified for regional center
you have to contact them and go through their evaluation process. Your support group will help
with with this. If you qualify for Regional Center, you will have regional center counselor
assigned to you. This counselor will help you find services to help you find a job and services to
help you keep a job.
If you don’t qualify for Regional Center support and you are a United States citizen then you can
use the Department of Rehabilitation. The Department of Rehabilitation will help teach you how
to apply for a job, how to interview for a job, and give you some basic job trainings. In order for
the Department of Rehabilitation to work with you, you have to show them that you want to
work. You have to go to their job clubs, make sure to do everything they ask, and keep applying
for jobs. If you stop trying to find a job and stop going to their job clubs then they will close
your case and stop working with you.
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Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 4, Section 3
In this section the participants will identify who makes up their vocational support group and
will script out a video asking for help on one of their goals.
Script-
Now you will create a list of the individuals that are, or may be in, your vocation support group.
You can do this alone or with the help of your support group. Once you have this list, you will
be making a video where you ask them for help on one of the goals that you created for yourself.
Pause the video here to create your list for your vocational support group and get at least one of
your goals ready.
Here is an example of the type of video that you should create a script for:
Now that you have seen an example of type of video that you should create, you can get your
support group or work alone to create your own script. Once you have your script, you can film
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yourself talking to the camera or to another person. Make sure to demonstrate all of the
appropriate social skills in your video. Save your video and use it in the next section.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 4, Section 3
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
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Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need. If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here are a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
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“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 4, Section 3 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
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Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teachers, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 4, Section 4: Apply for jobs that they want using the help that they need.
Curriculum Outcome 1: Understand and find accommodations for their own social skills strength
and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 2: Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self efficacy and self advocacy skills in different situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 4, Section 4:
In this section, the participants will learn how to apply for the job that they want. This will
include keeping an up to date resume, being able to accurately and truthfully fill out all the
personal and historical information on an application, and having an appropriate professional
email. The training section will go over how to do all of this. The assessment video will be the
student reading out loud the historical job information about previous jobs, training, and school.
This is practice leading into the actual job interview in the next unit.
Script-
Welcome to unit 4, Section 4 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
how to keep an up to date resume, how to fill out a job application, and how to use a
professional email.
A Resume is a sheet of paper that you can give to possible employers that describes your work
history, your schooling, and your individual's strengths and skills. A job application is
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something that you have to fill out either on paper or online that asks you for much of the same
information that you have written on your resume.
Let's start with creating your professional email. You should already be using a professional
email to save your videos. You were tasked to create a professional email in Unit 1 and directed
to save your videos to that email. As always, if you need help, ask your support group. If you
have not already done so, here is a review.
To sign up for Gmail you need to go to www.gmail.com and the click create account. The signup
form will appear where you input your information and create a user name. Your user name
should be something age appropriate and professional. Discuss this with your support group,
but a good professional email address generally has your first and last name along with some
numbers that you can remember. An example of this would be if your name is John Smith and
you were born in 1981. Your professional email address might be JohnSmith1981@gmail.com.
The first and last name and the birth year was added to make a unique and professional email
address. Make sure to review Google's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, click the check box,
then click Next step. Here, you will have an opportunity to set up recovery options. Once this is
complete your account will be created, and the Google welcome page will appear.
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Now that you have your professional email set, you need find a way to save your personal work
information. This information will be used for filling out applications and your resume. You can
open a new document on gmail’s cloud service google docs or by saving the file directly to a
computer. I suggest using a cloud server because you may need this information readily
available. You should save this file as “myinformation” so that you can find it later. There will
be some pretty important information here, so make sure to not share this with everyone. If you
need help, ask your support group. This information is for you, your support group, and your
possible employer. The information that you need to gather now so that you can add it to your
“myinformation” document are:
-Your full name
-Where and when you went to school and any job training you received there.
-Where and when you received any job training outside of school.
-Where and when you have volunteered in the past and your duties.
-Where and when you have worked in the past and your job duties.
-Any special qualities you have that make you a great worker.
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Now you have all your personal information set, it is time to look at a sample application and a
sample resume. Many computer program can be found to help you write a resume, but job
applications can all look different. here you will see one basic job application and see how to
fill it out, Following that you we see how to fill out a basic resume. For additional help, please
ask your support group.
Many jobs that you apply for might have an online application instead of a paper application.
follow through on this demonstration video to learn how to fill out an online application.
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Now that you have seen how to fill out a job application, below you will see how to create a
resume.
Make sure to save the resume in a place where you can find it in the future. You can save the
resume onto your Google documents so that you can find it later on when you need it.
Now you know how to fill out a paper application, an online application, and how to fill out a
resume. It is time to start applying for jobs. You should use your support group, which includes
your vocational support group, to help you find jobs. You can also look for jobs yourself. If you
are looking yourself, there are two main ways, in person and online. Looking for jobs in person
means keeping your eye out for places that might be looking to hire. You can look for signs on
stores that say they want to hire people. Some examples of these signs are help wanted, apply
within, now hiring, seasonal workers needed and part-time workers needed.
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If you see these signs that means that they are hiring workers. You can go in and ask for an
application. Here are two examples of asking for applications.
Sometimes applications will only be online. In this case the conversation might go like this:
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You can also use the internet to try and find jobs. Since there are so many resources online for
job finding, please ask your support group for help to search online for possible jobs. Your
support group can help you identify the best jobs for you.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 4, Section 4
In this section the participants will be creating a video of themselves sharing their work,
volunteer, and school history. They will also be sharing good vocational skills that they have in
order to prepare themselves for a job interview.
Script-
Now that you have gotten together all of the information for your resume and for filling out job
applications and saved all the information in a place where you can find it for later, it's time to
practice talking about this information. When you do eventually go on a job interview, you are
going to be able to want to discuss all these great things about yourself. Here is a list of what
you should be able to to talk about and an example of someone doing this in an interview.
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The list of information that you should be able to share is:
-Your full name
-Where you went to school and any job training you received
-Any job training you received outside of school
-Where you have volunteered in the past and your duties there
-Where you have worked in the past and your job duties
-Any special qualities you have that make you a great worker.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 4, Section 4
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
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enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
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so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need. If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here are a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 4, Section 4 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 4, Section 5: Finding jobs and using appropriate ways of checking on their application
status.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 4, Section 5
In this section, the participants will learn appropriate ways to check on their job application
status. They will be taught to find out if the job they are applying for is welcoming to
application inquiries. They will be to accept that finding a job is hard and that that not everyone
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gets called back. The practice portion will be a face to face discussion with a manager asking
about their application and also a sample email that might be used to check in on an application.
Script-
Welcome to unit 3, Section 5 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
how to check on your application status as well as accept that it is hard to get a job. You may
have to put in many applications before you even get an interview. Getting a job can be hard,
but if you stick to it, and you keep trying, you will get a job.
It is best to put out many job applications and then wait. I know this seems hard, but the more
applications you have out, then the better chance you have of getting a job. You have to
remember that there are a lot of people trying to get the same job as you. You may feel like you
want to check in on your application. Some job applications will tell you that they do not want
you to check in. If this is the case, then do not call the job to check in on your applications, do
not go to the store to check in on your application, and do not send emails checking in on your
job application. If they job that you applied for allows you to check on your application, you
should not do this every day. You should really check the status of your application once. A
good rule to follow is the check your application once, a week after you turned it in. If you check
more than once, you run the risk of becoming annoying or bothersome and you do not want that.
I will show you two ways to check your application status. You can do it over the phone or in
person.
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Remember that it is hard to find jobs. It is important not to get discouraged. Keep trying. You
will get a job. Your support group is there to help you if you have additional questions and to
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make help you keep putting in applications. You should not apply for the same job and same
position more than once every two months.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 4, Section 5
In this section, the participants will create a video where they discuss that it is ok to keep looking
for jobs, that it is hard to get a job, that they accept that fact, and the steps that they will take to
check on their application status.
Script:
It can sometimes be discouraging to keep putting in applications and resumes and not get
anything back. You will now make a video where you are going to be talking to the camera or to
another person and you will be telling them about how it its hard to get a job, that they should
keep looking, and the steps they can take to check on their application status. In this video you
need to make the camera or the person that you are talking to feel better about their job search.
here is an example video. Create a similar script by yourself or with the help of your support
group and then film yourself following the script.
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Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 4, Section 5
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
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Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
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“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 4, Section 5 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
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Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 5: Interviewing for the Job.
Section 1 - Dress correctly for the interview. (C.O. 6, 7, 9, 10)
Section 2 - Groom themselves correctly for the interview. (C.O. 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10)
Section 3 - Communicate their strengths during their interview. (C.O. 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10)
Section 4 - Communicate their needs during their interview. (C.O. 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10)
Section 5 - Communicate the accommodations they will need to succeed in that vocational
setting during their interview. (C.O. 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10)
Section 6 - Successfully navigate a job interview. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Introduction Video to Unit 5:
-In this unit the participants will learn how to successfully navigate a job interview. This
includes scheduling the interview, being on time, and being appropriate dressed and groomed for
the interview. The participants will learn about proper eye contact, handshakes, body language,
voice modulation, and personal space.
The training videos will instruct the participants on how to do a job interview. The participants
will be given a set of questions to answer in text and on video so that they can record themselves
answering mock interview questions. The correct way to discuss strengths, needs, and possible
accommodations will also be shown in the various interviews. Some of the video will have a job
coach and some will be an individual alone.
Script-
Welcome to unit 4 of the Skills to Get the Job workshop. In this unit you will learn how to
interview for a job. You will learn how to dress correctly and look good,for the interview. You
will learn how to discuss your strengths, needs, and accommodations, and how to make sure that
you do your best. By the end of this unit you will be able to go to your interview and do great.
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Unit 5, Section 1: Dress correctly for the interview.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 5, Section 1
In this section, the participants will learn how to dress correctly for an interview. One standard
way to dress will be shown for males and one for females. This will be a clean and nice pair of
pants, a nice shirt, nice shoes, along with a tie for men.
Script-
Welcome to unit 5, Section 1 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section we will be
discussing how to dress correctly for a job interview. You will see two videos here. One will be
for males and one females. The basics for dressing correctly for an interview are the same for
males and females. You need to make sure the clothes that you will be wearing are clean, smell
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nice, have no wrinkles, have no stains, are a neutral color, and fit your body correctly.
For Males going on an interview, this is how you want to dress. You should wear either black or
khaki dress pants. You should wear a long sleeve button down shirt and it should be white,
brown, or blue. Do not wear the same color pants and shirt. For example if you are wearing
black pants, do not wear a black shit. You should wear a nice pair of shoes. Sandals and tennis
shoes will not work for an interview. A tie is an optional accessory and if you wear one make
sure that it fit correctly and that the colors are simple. The color of the tie should not match the
color of your shirt. If you need help choices your clothes, ask your support group.
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For Females going on an interview, this is how you want to dress. You should wear either black
or khaki dress pants. You should wear a long sleeved button down blouse that should be white,
brown, or blue. Do not wear the same color pants and shirt. For example if you are wearing
black pants, do not wear a black shit. You should wear a nice pair of closed toed shoes or flats.
Sandals and tennis shoes will not work for an interview.
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Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 5, Section 1
In this section the students will record themselves going over the clothes check list and what
clothes they should wear for an interview. They will record themselves talking to the camera or
another person.
Script:
Now you will record a video where you will discuss the clothes checklist and also what clothes
that you will wear to an interview. If you have the clothes available, you should put them on and
discuss them. Make sure to touch on all that you learned in the last video. Here is a reminder of
what you learned.
Now create a script and record yourself talking directly to the camera or to someone else.
Remember, if you have the interview clothes available, you should have them on as you record
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your video. This will help you see how professional you look, and will build your confidence for
when you have an actual interview. If you need help make sure to ask your support group.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 5, Section 1
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
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Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
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“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 5, Section 1 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
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Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 5, Section 2: Groom themselves correctly for the interview.
Curriculum Outcome 1: Understand and find accommodations for their own social skills strength
and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 2: Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 5, Section 2
In this section, the participants will learn how to make sure that they are appropriately groomed
for their job interview. This includes being showered, having an appropriate haircut, brushed
hair, brushed teeth, fresh breath, well-kept facial hair, trimmed fingernails, and clean hands.
Script-
Welcome to unit 5, Section 2 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
how to make sure that you are appropriately groomed for a job interview. To be appropriately
groomed means to look ready for your interview. In the last section you learned what clothes to
wear. In this section you are going to learn how to make sure that your physical body is ready
for a job interview. To be appropriately groomed means being showered, having an appropriate
haircut, having brushed hair, brushed teeth, fresh breath, well-kept facial hair, trimmed
fingernails, and clean hands. In the following videos you will see someone who is well groomed
and learn how you too can be appropriately well groomed for your job interview. Remember
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that looking well groomed will help you get hired. The person doing your job interview will see
you as someone who is able to take care of themselves and this will make them more likely to
hire you.
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Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 5, Section 2
In this section the participants will make a video of themselves discussing the Well Groomed
Check list and describing what they are going to do on the day of their job interview.
Script:
Now you will create a video where you will be talking to the camera or to another person. You
will talk about what it means to be well groomed and why it is important to be well groomed.
Remember to be well groomed means that you have showered, have an appropriate haircut,
brushed your hair, brushed your teeth, have fresh breath, have well-kept facial hair, trimmed
your fingernails, and have clean hands. Here is a sample video showing you what your video
can be similar to.
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Now you can write a script for your video, using help from your support group if you need it, and
film your video. Make sure to use appropriate social skills in your video.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 5, Section 2
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
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Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
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learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 5, Section 2 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 5, Section 3: Communicate their strengths during their interview.
Curriculum Outcome 1: Understand and find accommodations for their own social skills strength
and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 2: Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 4, Section 3
In this section, the participants will learn how tell the person interviewing them what their
strengths are.
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Script-
Welcome to unit 5, Section 3 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you are going
to learn how to discuss your strengths during your job interview. Strengths come in many
different forms. You already discussed your social skills strengths in unit 2 section 1 of the Skills
to Get the Job Workshop. As a reminder, the key social skills that you were assessing yourself for
were speaking clearly, making eye contact, shaking hands, use of body language, repeating for
understanding, being flexible, being positive, and showing empathy. You can look back on your
unit 2 section 1 video to find your social skill strengths.
To these social skills strengths, we are going to add some work strengths. Some work strengths
that you can think about are being on time to work, staying on a task until it is finished,
following multistep directions, being able to read and write directions, changing routines,
talking to coworkers, talking to customers, or working for long periods of time. If you can do
any of those strengths make sure to discuss them. If you and your support group can come up
with any other strength, make sure to write them down because in the next section you will be
practicing on how to talk about them.
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Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 5, Section 3
In this section the participants will make a video where there will be directly telling someone
their work strengths as if they were in an interview. If the participant is working in a pair, then
the other person can read the script presented. If the participant is working alone, then they can
just answer the questions as if someone had asked them.
Script-
Now that you have your list of strengths, it is time to practice discussing your strengths with
another person. Once you have your video camera ready, you want to have another person ask
you these two questions.
“What would you say your strengths are? What are your best qualities?”
If you do not have another person to ask you these questions, then you can begin to discuss your
strengths and pretend that those two questions were asked. Here is a sample video of how this
will work.
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Now it is time for you to make your own video. Get your list of strengths ready, create a script,
and make your video. Remember to use good social skills as you are talking.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 4, Section 3
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
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Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
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“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 4, Section 3 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
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Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 5, Section 4: Communicate their needs during their interview.
Curriculum Outcome 1: Understand and find accommodations for their own social skills strength
and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 2: Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 5, Section 4
In this section, the participants will learn…
Script-
Welcome to unit 5, Section 4 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you are going
to learn how to discuss your needs during your job interview. Needs can come in many different
forms. You already discussed your social skills needs in unit 2 section 2 of the Skills to Get the
Job Workshop. As a reminder, the key social skills that you were assessing yourself for were
speaking clearly, making eye contact, shaking hands, use of body language, repeating for
understanding, being flexible, being positive, and showing empathy. You can look back on your
unit 2 section 2 video to find your social skill needs.
You are now going to add some more possible work needs. These needs are different than the
social needs discussed before. Some work possible needs that you can think about are not being
on time to work, not being able to stay on a task until it is finished, not being able to follow
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multistep directions, not being able to read and write directions, not being able to change
routines, not being able to talk to coworkers, not being able to talk to customers, not being able
to count money or do math, not being able to work for long periods of time, and not being able to
stand for long periods of time. If you have any of these needs, you want to make sure to discuss
them. If you and your support group can come up with any other needs, make sure to write them
down.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 5, Section 4
In this section the participants will make a video where there will be directly telling someone
their work needs as if they were in an interview. If the participant is working in a pair, then the
other person can read the script presented. If the participant is working alone, then they can just
answer the questions as if someone had asked them.
Script-
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Now that you have your list of possible work needs, it is time to practice discussing your needs
with another person. Once you have your video camera ready, you want to have another person
ask you these two questions.
“What would you say your needs are?
“What do you need help with?”
If you do not have another person to ask you these questions, then you can begin to discuss your
strengths and pretend that those two questions were asked. Here is a sample video of how this
will work.
Now it is time for you to make your own video. Get your list of needs ready, create a script, and
make your video. Remember to use good social skills as you are talking.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 5, Section 4
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
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Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
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Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 5, Section 4 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 5, Section 5: Communicate the accommodations they will need to succeed in that
vocational setting during their interview.
Curriculum Outcome 1: Understand and find accommodations for their own social skills strength
and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 2: Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
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Training Video for Unit 5, Section 5
In this section, the participants will learn how to communicate the accommodations that they
may need in order to successfully work at the job they are applying for.
Script-
Welcome to unit 5, Section 5 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you are going
to learn how to discuss possible accommodations for your needs during your job interview.
Accommodations come in many different forms. You already discussed your some of your
accommodations in unit 2 section 3 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. You can look back on
your unit 2 section 3 video to find some of the possible accommodations you listed.
You are going to add to the accommodations you already created for your social skills needs.
Now you will be looking at the work skills needs that you created in unit 4 section 4 of the Skills
to Get the Job Workshop. By yourself, or with the help of your support group, try to create
accommodations that will help you with your needs. You want to create at least one
accommodation for each need that you found. When you and your support group come up with
any accommodations for your needs, make sure to write them down because in the next section
you will be practicing on how to talk about them.
Here are examples of possible accommodations for the possible work skill needs from Unit 2
section 4:
-Not being on time to work - Make sure to set an alarm two hours early to wake up and get ready
for work on time.
-Not being able to stay on a task until it is finished - Break up one large task into smaller tasks
so that they get finished in order.
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-Not being able to follow multistep directions - Record your boss giving you the directions on
your phone so that you can listen to the directions one at a time.
-Not being able to read directions - Have your coworker read the directions to you and record
yourself repeating the directions back.
-Not being able to write directions - Ask a coworker to read the directions for you.
-Not being able to change routines - Ask that you be told about any changes to your routine in
advance so that you can get ready for the change.
-Not being able to to talk to coworkers - Ask your boss to write a note to your coworkers
explaining your difficulty and how they can help you overcome it by giving you extra time.
-Not being able to talk to customers - Ask that work with restocking items or do a job where you
won't have to talk to many people.
-Not being able to count money - Let your boss know that you will not be able to be a cashier,
but that you can do any other job that they ask.
-Not being able to work for long periods of time - Ask for short breaks between job tasks so that
you can get better at working longer.
-Not being able to stand for long periods of time - Ask if you can do jobs where you will be able
to sit, so that you can work longer and get more job tasks done.
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Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 5, Section 5
In this section the participants will make a video where there will be directly telling someone
their work accommodations as if they were in an interview. If the participant is working in a
pair, then the other person can read the script presented. If the participant is working alone, then
they can just answer the questions as if someone had asked them.
Script-
Now that you have your list of accommodations, it is time to practice discussing them with
another person. Once you have your video camera ready, you want to have another person ask
you these two questions.
“Do you know what will help you with your needs? What can I do to help?”
If you do not have another person to ask you these questions, then you can begin to discuss your
strengths and pretend that those two questions were asked. Here is a sample video of how this
will work.
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Now it is time for you to make your own video. Get your list of accommodations ready, create a
script, and make your video. Remember to use good social skills as you are talking.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 5, Section 5
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
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Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
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learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 5, Section 5 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 5, Section 6: Successfully Navigate a Job Interview
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 5, Section 6
In this section, the participants will learn how to do a job interview from beginning to end.
Script-
Welcome to unit 5, Section 6 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
how to successfully have a job interview from beginning to end. You will learn the steps that you
will go through when you have your own interview. Doing well at job interview is a great way to
get a job. You may not get the first job that you interview for, but don’t let that discourage you.
The more interviews you do, the better you will be at them.
The interview process starts before you even get to the job.
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Now you are waiting for your interview. Remember that during your interview you need to show
all the social skills that you have been taught. They are speaking clearly, making eye contact,
shaking hands, use of body language, repeating for understanding, being flexible, being positive,
and showing empathy. Be ready to discuss your strengths, needs, and accommodations. Be
ready to discuss when you are willing to work. Be ready to discuss old jobs that you had and
what your job duties were there. You may have a job coach with you if they were a part of your
support group. That is great. You should still be able to answer all the questions yourself.
To help you learn about how an interview will go, here is an full example of an interview.
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Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 5, Section 6
In this section the participants will make a video where there will be going through an interview.
If the participant is working in a pair, then the other person can read the script presented. If the
participant is working alone, then they can just answer the questions as if someone had asked
them.
Script-
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Now that you have seen a full interview, it is time to do a practice interview on your own or with
another person. Pretend that the job interview is for one of the jobs that you said you wanted in
Unit 3 sections 1 and 2. Once you have your video camera ready, you want to have another
person ask you these questions as you answer them.
“Why do you want to work here?”
“Where did you go to school and did you learn anything there that will help you with this job?”
“What job experience do you have similar to this job that will make you a better worker here?”
“What times and days can you work?”
“How soon can you begin working?”
“Tell me about your biggest accomplishments at work?”
“What are your work strengths?”
“Do you have any needs and if you do what are their accommodations?”
“Where do you see yourself in five years from now?”
“Why are you interested in working at this job?”
“What skills do you have that make you the best person for us to hire?”
“How did you hear about this job?”
“Tell me a little about yourself.”
“How would you handle a difficult customer?”
“What would you do if I asked you to do something that you didn't understand?”
“Why are you looking for a new job”
“Are you willing to work holidays and weekends?”
“What are your hobbies”?
“What do you do for fun”?
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“What questions do you have for me?”
If you do not have another person to ask you these questions, then you can rewind this video and
answer the questions when they are being asked, just like if someone with you had asked them.
Now it is time for you to make your own video. Get yourself ready, create a script, and make
your video. Remember to use good social skills as you are talking.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 5, Section 6
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
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Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need. If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here are a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
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You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 5, Section 6 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
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skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 6: Orienting to Your New Job
Section 1 - Dress correctly for the job. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Section 2 - Travel to and from the job as independently as able. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Section 3 - Be on time and stay their entire shift. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Section 4 - Be properly groomed each workday. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Section 5 - Listen to and implement advice and instructions. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Section 6 - Ask for clarification if needed. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Section 7 - Remember job tasks presented to them. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Section 8 - Successfully navigate the first week of their job. (C.O. 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10)
Introduction Video to Unit 6:
-In this video the instructor will give an overview of this unit and what the participants should
expect them to learn by partaking in the unit. In this unit the participants will learn about
traveling to their job, being on time, and doing all that is needed during their learning period at
the job. They will learn how to keep track of their job tasks and how to assess their success of
those tasks in order to make sure that they are doing everything correctly.
The training videos will instruct the participants how to use public transportation like the bus
system, train system, transit system, and how to get support in finding these things. They will
discuss dressing in a uniform or dressing appropriate for the job they have been hired for. They
will show examples of ask for help at work and using various accommodation so that they can be
successful. These accommodations are things like note taking or making sure that they keep
track of their new learned skills.
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Script-
Welcome to unit 5 of the Skills to Get the Job workshop. In this unit, you will learn some of the
things that you will need to know in order to succeed at your new job. By learning these skills
you have a chance to become more independent, make your own money, and become a part of
your community. You will learn how to make sure that you are dressed correctly for the job and
learn some rules about how to travel to your job independently. You will learn the importance of
being on time, staying your entire shift, and being properly groomed every day. You will learn
about take advice and instructions and using it to make yourself a better employee. You will be
able to ask for clarification if you do not understand what is going on and the best way to
remember new job tasks. Finally with all this information, you will learn how to make sure that
your first week at your new job sets yourself up for success.
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Unit 6, Section 1: Dress correctly for the job.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 6, Section 1
In this section, the participants will learn how to dress correctly for their job. This includes
observation, following directions, and asking for instruction.
Script-
Welcome to unit 6, Section 1 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section we will be
discussing how to dress correctly for your job. Most jobs have some sort of dress code or
uniform policy for their employees. This may be wearing the same colors, types of clothes,
shoes, or even safety equipment like a hard hat. In some jobs you may have to wear a hairnet or
gloves. It all depends on the job. When you get hired for a job there will usually be some sort of
orientation or training for your job. This will usually happen on your first day, or might happen
a day or two before your actually first working day. During this time you will find out how you
should dress for your job as well as some other important day to day job duties and rules. But,
depending on your job, there may not be an orientation day or meeting. If this is the case, then
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let's talk about how you should dress your first day. To understand how you should dress for
your job, look to see how the other workers are dressed. If you know what position you will be
working, see what other people doing that job are wearing. This will give you a good idea of
how you should dress. Look to see if the workers are all wearing the same color pants and the
same color shirts. Are the other workers wearing some sort of uniform? Many jobs have their
employees wear the same color clothes to help customers distinguish the workers from other
customers. A very common outfit at work is black or khaki pants and a solid color shirt. The
shirts will usually be a t-shirt, a polo shirt, or sometimes a button down shirt. For shoes you
should have a pair of black or white close toed shoes. Most jobs do not want you to be showing
your toes at work. Your job will usually tell you their preference, but it is a good idea to
already have similar clothes ready. You can never go wrong with have a good pair of black
pants, a pair of khaki pants, a red polo shirt, a blue polo shirt, and a black polo shirt.
By having these clothes ready, you will already be one step ahead
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 6, Section 1
In this section the participant will learn how to ask about job uniforms or dress codes by asking a
boss or a coworker.
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Script-
Now you are going to learn how to ask about a dress code or uniform at work. Remember your
boss and co works all want you to do your best. It makes their job easier if you do good at your
job. As long as you remember their instruction and do not ask the same question over and over
again, they will be happy to help you.
Now let’s see how you would ask a coworker about the dress code
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Great! It's time for you to make your own video now. In your video you will be answering a
question by a coworker. Your coworker will ask you what the dress code is at work.. Here is the
question that your coworker will ask and you will answer by either telling another person on
camera or by talking directly to the camera if you are alone.
“What is the dress code at work? Can you explain it to me please?”
You will create a script and record yourself talking directly to the camera or to someone else.
You can choose a dress code from a job that you know or you can use the standard dress code
discussed. That dress code would be khaki pants or black plants. A Red, Blue, or Black Polo
shirt. White or black shoes with closed toes shoes. If you need help make sure to ask your
support group.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 6, Section 1
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
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When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
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something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 6, Section 1 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 6, Section 2: Travel to and from the job as independently as able.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 6, Section 2:
In this section, the participants will learn about different options for getting to work.
Script-
Welcome to unit 6, Section 2 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
about some different options for getting to your job. Since everyone will have a different
situation, the options will vary greatly from person to person. With that being said, you will still
learn some of the different ways that may be available in your area to help you get to your job.
Your support group will be the best bet for asking which option will work best for you. Here are
some options for traveling. Walking. Public transportation like the bus, train, or subway. Some
sort of taxi service or Uber of Lyft. Your parents or support group.
If you are lucky enough to get a job within walking distance of where you live, then walking is a
great option. Walking distance is usually something like less than 15 minutes. Some people can
walk longer or faster, so again this is based on your particular situation. If you do walk to work,
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remember that you have to ready for the different seasons and the changes in the weather. It
may be really hot or really cold. It might rain a lot where you live. Keep in mind where you live
and how the changes in the weather may affect your walk to work.
If you are going to be walking to work, it is best to practice a few times to get to know the route.
There are many ways to find out how to walk to work. You may be familiar with the area
already, which is great. If you are not familiar with the area, then you can use a map service to
find directions. There are many different map services and one example is Google Maps. You
can go to https://maps.google.com. Once you get to that website, all you will need to do is find
the directions tab, which looks like a little blue arrow, and then add in your starting address, and
then the address that you want to get to. You can have the directions show you how to get where
you want to go by driving in a car, using public transportation, or by walking. If you want to
walk to work, doing this is a great way to find the directions. print out the directions and the
given map. Then, by yourself, or with the help of your support group, you can practice walking
the route to work. If this is your first time, I suggest that you discuss this with your support
group, particularly your parents.
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Public transportation can be found in almost every city. Your options will be different depending
on where you live. Some common public transportation systems are the bus, a train, or a subway.
In all option you will need some way to pay for using these services. Many of you will be able to
get a bus pass of some kind that will allow you to use these services for less cost and sometime
for free. Your support group can help you look into the these bus passes, or you can do an
internet search on reduced bus passes in your area. Using a bus, train, or subway can be
confusing at first, but once you do it a few times it will get easier, just like any other task. To
uses these services you will have to know where and when they stop so that you can get on them.
You will then have to know where you are supposed to get off so that you can get to work. An
internet search will help you figures this out, so will schedules, and your support group. It is a
good idea to have a member of your support group go with you for the first couple of times you
try out public transportation, and then gradually start doing it on your own.
There are some things to remember that will help you when you take public transportation. You
should pay attention to where you are so that you do not miss your stop. Many different people
take public transportation. Most are just like you and me. They are using the public
transportation to get to work or home or to places of interest. Some other people may seem odd
or their actions might be unexpected. If you get a bad feeling about someone, listen to your
feelings and sit somewhere else. Pay attention to what is going on around you and you will be
safe. Make sure to keep all of your personal items on you on the bus. Keep your wallet or your
purse safe. Keep your bag or backpack on your lap. If someone is bothering you, find someone
that works on the service that you are using and ask for help. This can be a conductor or a bus
driver. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
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Another option for transportation is some kind of taxi service or an business like Uber and Lyft.
Depending on where you live, you may be able to find taxi services that specifically help people
with needs. Your support group will help you determine what types of taxi services are available
in your area. These taxi services are very useful if you can get them for a good price. To use
these services to get to work, you would call the day before and set up a pick up time. You
should schedule a pick up time at least 30 minutes before your scheduled start time at work.
When you call the service you need to know your name, your id number if it is some sort of
service that you are using, the time you want to be picked up, the address you want to be picked
up at, and the address you want to be dropped off at. You are also going to want to schedule
your pickup time from work so that you can get back home. You can usually schedule both at the
same time.
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The last option for traveling to work is to rely on your parents or your support group. This is the
last option given because in order for you to be independent, you should only rely on these
people in the case of an emergency. If you are going to ask your parents or a member of your
support group for help with getting to work you must try to ask them in advance. Do not wait
until you have to be at work to ask for their help. If you know that there is some reason why you
will need their help, make sure to let them know. Remember your support group is there to help
you, and the best help for you is to learn how to be independent.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 6, Section 2
In this section the participants will see how to ask for help in taking the bus to work, and will
also see how to call a taxi service. They will then make a script and record themselves calling a
taxi service himself.
Script-
In this section you will learn how to ask for help in learning how to take the bus and will learn
how to call a taxi service. You will then make a video of yourself calling a taxi service to
schedule your own pick up. You can ask your parents or other members of your support group
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for help in learning how to take the bus or other public transit system. Here is an example of
how to ask for help.
If you are able to you may also use some taxi service to get to work. Here is an example of how
to set up a ride on one of those services.
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Now you will make your own video where you are calling a taxi service and asking for a ride.
You can do this alone or with a partner. If you are doing this with a partner here are the
questions that they should ask you.
“What is your name?”
“What is your id number?”
“Where are you going?”
“Where are you being picked up?”
“When do you need to be picked up?”
“What time do you want to be picked up?”
“Will you need a ride back?”
“What time will you need a ride back?”
Now it is time to make your video. As always, ask your support group for help if you need it. If
you have a partner, have them ask the questions given. If you are doing it alone, pretend that
you were asked these questions. Make sure to use proper social skills in your video.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 6, Section 2
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
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the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
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The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 6, Section 2 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 6, Section 3: Be on time and stay their entire shift.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 6, Section 3:
In this section, the participants will learn the importance of being on time at work and staying
their entire shift.
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Script-
Welcome to unit 5, Section 3 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
the importance of being on time at work, and staying for your entire shift. Being on time at work
is one of the most important ways to show that you want to be there and that you enjoy the job. If
you show up late to work, you are very likely to be fired. You need to show up at least 5 minutes
early to work. This will allow you to sign in, get ready, and start working on time. When you
are at work you need to work the entire time unless you are on your assigned break or lunch
break. Sometime you will only be working for a few hours and you won't get a break. Try to use
the restroom before you start work so that you can work the entire time. If you need to go to the
restroom, then it is ok to do so, you will not get in trouble. Just try to use your breaks and lunch
break to use the restroom if you can. Remember to wash your hands after every visit to the
restroom. Use your breaks and your lunch time to rest and get ready for the rest of your shift. If
you are working an 8 hour day, you will need to work for 8 hours. Make sure that you get
enough sleep the night before and are ready to work your full shift. You cannot leave work early
just because you are tired. Leaving work early is another way to lose your job. At the end of
your shift make sure to check out and then get ready to leave. You do not want to get ready to go
while you are working. You are hired to work the entire time you are there. By following these
rules, you will be a better working and your boss and coworkers will be impressed by your work
attitude.
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Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 6, Section 3
In this section the participant will learn how to check on their shift length, how to find out about
their breaks, and lunch.
Script-
In this section you will learn how to check on how long you will be working, when to take your
break and lunch if you get one, and how to keep working for your entire shift. You will create a
video of yourself asking your similar questions so that you will know how to do when you get
your job.
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Now create your own video asking your boss similar questions. Here is the script that I would
like you to follow.
“Do I work enough hours to get a break today?
When should I take my break?
Do I work enough hours to get a lunch break today?
What time should I take my lunch?
Would you like me to let anyone know when I am going to take my break or my lunch?”
Now record yourself asking these questions. Remember to follow all the appropriate social skills
as you are asking these questions. Use a partner if you can, if you don’t have a partner, then
talk directly to the camera.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 6, Section 3
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
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When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
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something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 6, Section 3 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 6, Section 4: Be properly groomed each workday.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 6, Section 4:
In this section, the participants will learn to make sure that they are following all the rules for
grooming set out in the previous unit every day
Script-
Welcome to unit 6, Section 4 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
that you need to be properly groomed each day for work. In the last unit you learned about
being properly groomed for your interview. Now that you have your job, you need to keep up
those good grooming habits. Every day that you are going to work, you need to wake up with
enough time to follow the well groomed check list. To help you remember, here is the checklist.
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It is important to keep yourself well groomed and looking good. As an employee you are
representing the company or place that you are working for. The better you look, the better they
look. It is part of your job to represent your employer in the best way that you can. Being well
groomed every day will help you keep your job. If you start to fall behind on your grooming, you
make be at risk of losing your job.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 6, Section 4
In this section the participants will discuss waking up on time every day so that they can make
sure they are properly groomed for their job.
Script-
Now you will make a video where you discuss the importance of waking up on time for work so
that you can make sure that you are properly groomed for work. Here is a sample of the video
that you will make.
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By yourself or with the help of your support group, script a video where you will talk about
waking up on time to be properly groomed for work every day. Make sure to discuss why this
important. It is important because you are representing the company that you work for and you
want to look the best as you are doing that. In your video you can talk directly to the camera or
to a partner if you have one. Make sure to use appropriate social skills as you make your video.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 6, Section 4
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
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video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
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The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 6, Section 4 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 6, Section 5: Listen to and implement advice and instructions.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 6, Section 5
In this section, the participants will learn to take advice about their job performance and
implement it.
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Script-
Welcome to unit 6, section 5 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
about taking advice at work. When you are at work, your boss is going to be like a teacher. He
or she will make sure that you know how to do the job and will give you advice on how to do the
job better. They may also assign one of your coworkers to help make sure that you are doing the
job well. If you have a job coach, your job coach might be giving you advice on how to do your
job better. It is important to listen to all of these individuals. They are there to help make sure
that you are doing the best job that you can. You should listen to them, and if you have to ask
questions to make sure that you understand the changes that they are asking you to make. If you
listen to and follow the advice that you are given, you will become a better employee and you
will do better at your job.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 6, Section 5
In this section the participants will be creating a video where they pledge to listen to the advice
of their boss, coworkers and support group so that they do the best that they can at their job.
Script-
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Now you will create a video where you are promising to listen to advice from your boss,
coworkers, and support group. Sometimes it is hard to listen to advice. Sometimes you may
think that you know what is best. If this is the case you can ask to make sure why one way is
better than another. What you have to remember is that, your boss, coworker, or support group
is just trying to help you be a better employee. It is best to follow good advice about your job
performance so that you can become a better employee. Here is a sample video of someone
promising to follow good advice.
You will now make a video where you are making the same promise. You can record yourself
talking to the camera or to another person. Make sure to use appropriate social skills as you
make your video.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 6, Section 5
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
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Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
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Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 6, Section 5 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
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skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
Unit 6, Section 6: Ask for clarification if needed.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
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Training Video for Unit 6, Section 6
In this section, the participants will learn the correct way to ask for clarification when you are
given an instruction that you do not understand.
Script-
Welcome to unit 6, section 6 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
how to ask questions if you do not understand the directions given to you. This means to ask for
clarification. Clarification means to make something clearer, more understandable. Sometime
you may be given a job task that you do not understand. It is very important that you ask
immediately if you do not understand something. Do not wait until later to ask. It is ok to let the
person giving you directions know that you may need some extra time to try and understand the
directions.
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Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 6, Section 6
In this section the participants will make a video where they are explaining to a boss that they
may need to ask for clarification on directions.
Script
Now you will create a video of you talking to your boss and telling them that you may need
clarification. This means that you make need help in understanding what they will be teaching
you or telling you. By telling your boss this, you are letting them know how they can help you
understand new things. You can change this script to meet your own needs. Discuss this with
your support group if you have to. You can use this script and repeat it to the camera or to
someone else. Make sure to use good social skills as you make your recording.
“I may need to ask some questions if I do not understand your directions. Is it ok to stop you and
ask you to help me understand your directions if I don’t understand? I want to make sure that I
understand you all the way so that I do the best job that I can.
Go ahead and record your video. Make sure to save it so that you can find it later.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 6, Section 6
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
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the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
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The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 6, Section 6 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 6, Section 7: Remember job tasks presented to them.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 8: Create scripts that show the appropriate use of social skills given
different situations.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
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Training Video for Unit 6, Section 7
In this section, the participants will learn how to remember the job tasks presented to them. This
will be dependent on the individual participant, but some standard ways of remembering job
duties will be presented.
Script-
Welcome to unit 6, Section 7 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
some ways of remembers job tasks presented to you. Everyone learns differently. Some people
learn better by watching and then doing something and some people can learn by just listening
or reading about something. For job tasks, it is important to remember what has been shown to
you. Your boss and coworkers are happy to help you learn. But you keep asking them the same
question over and over again; they are going to become less willing to help. Remember the jobs
that you are supposed to do and remembering how to do them is a good way to become really
good at your job. When you first start at your job, you will have a lot of learning to do. Every
new job task will be new. You should figure out the best way for you to remember the job tasks.
Discuss this with your support group or pick from these suggestions. Here are three different
ways to remember job tasks. You can write them down, record them on your phone, or practice
them immediately once you are shown them. You need to find out what works best for you.
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Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 6, Section 7
In this section the participants will practice having a conversation about how they will remember
the new job tasks presented to them.
Script-
In this section you are going to create a video where you tell someone the best way that you
remember new things. This is practice for when you are on your job and you will need to explain
the best ways for you to learn. Your boss, coworkers, job coaches, and support group all want to
help you and if you can let them know how you learn best, you will do great and you will
remember all your new job tasks.
Here is an example of a conversation between a new worker and someone training him. The new
worker is worried about remembers new job tasks.
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Now by yourself, or with the help of your support group, make a script where you discuss how
you will remember the new job tasks presented to you. Try to come up with at least two different
ways that you will use to try and remember new job duties a you learn them. Record yourself
talking to another person or to the camera.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 6, Section 7
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
SOCIAL SKILLS 334
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
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The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 6, Section 7 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 6, Section 8: Successfully navigate the first week of their job.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 6, Section 8
In this section, the participants will learn how to ask their boss to let them know how they did
after their first full week on the job. They will implement everything they learned from this unit
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to make sure that they are putting into play all the correct actions to be the best employee that
they can be.
Script-
Welcome to unit 6, Section 8 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
how to ask about how you first week at work went. By checking to see how you are doing, you
are showing that you are willing to do what you have to be the best employee that you can be. A
good employee is someone who makes sure that they are doing a great job. By making sure you
are doing your best, you can make sure to find any mistakes you may be making and correct
them. In this video you will watch an employee asking their boss how they did after their first
week on the job. You can always ask for feedback on your work performance. Your boss will
always be willing to talk to you about how you are doing on the job. This section will teach you
to make sure and ask about your first week performance. You can use the same skills to ask
about your work performance at any other time.
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Think about who and how you might ask about your first week on the job. You may ask your
boss. You might ask a coworker. If you have a job coach, you can ask them. You may use email
if talking to your boss makes you uncomfortable, or it is easier for you. Some bosses may prefer
email because of differences in schedules or because electronic communication is easier for
them as well. If you are working alone, then you can think about all the information covered in
this unit, and self-assess yourself.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 6, Section 8
In this section the participants will make a self-assessment video where they are telling the
camera or themselves, how they followed all the sections of this unit.
Script-
It is time to look back over this unit and make sure that you are following everything here. When
you ask your boss about how well you are doing on the first week of the job, you are going to
want to tell him or her about all the good things you have done so far. This will help them see
that they made the right choice in hiring you for the job. You are going to write a script or
scripts where you talk about all the great things you have done. You can talk directly to the
camera, or to another person. By yourself, or with the help of your support group, write a script
where you discuss how you dressed correctly for the job, got to work independently, were on
time and worked your entire shift. Were you properly groomed each day that you worked, listen
to and followed advice and instructions, asked for clarification, and remembered the job tasks
presented to you. You can discuss all of these or some of them. If you followed did all of these
first week tasks correctly, your new boss is going to be glad that they hired you. You can watch
this video one more time as a reminder of how your video look and sound.
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Remember to show good social skills as you film your video.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 6, Section 8
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
SOCIAL SKILLS 341
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
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learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 6, Section 8 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 7: Reflection on Social Skills Success, Self-Assessment and Corrections if Needed
Section 1 - Reflect back on their social exchanges at work, their level of success, and find
possible needs. (C.O. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Section 2 - Correct these needs independently or seek assistance from their support system. (C.O.
1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Section 3 - Continually self-assess their social skills success and needs and look for ways to
improve and grow. (C.O. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Section 4 - Stay in contact with their support system. (C.O. 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 10)
Section 5 - Recognize their possible needs and be able to plan to meet those future needs. (C.O.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Introduction Video to Unit 7:
-In this video the instructor will give an overview of this unit and what the participants should
expect them to learn by partaking in the unit. In this unit the participants will look back over the
curriculum to test their knowledge and success in various vocational situations. If they have not
yet gained a vocational placement, the knowledge can still be tested to check for vocational
readiness. This will also ensure that the participants continue their relationship with the support
group, which at this point should include vocational support, and keeps an open line of
communication with them. The participants will be able to continue looking back at their videos
and access them in the secure place that stored them so that they can refer back to them in the
future.
Script-
Welcome to unit 7 of the Skills to Get the Job workshop. In this unit, you will learn about
reflecting on how successful you are doing at work, or if you're not working yet, your work
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related skills. Reflecting means looking at yourself and seeing how well you are doing. It also
means checking to see how much you have learned, how much more you can learn, and checking
to see if there are things that you need help with. This is all important because your job security
depends on it. In order to be the best employee that you can be, you have to learn from your past
mistake. This means understanding why you made the mistakes, what you can do to not make the
mistake again, and then making sure that you do better in the future.
This is called the cycle of self-reflection. In the cycle of self-reflection you think about how you
are doing. You look for any mistakes you have made, or how to be better. You plan how to do
better. Then you put that plan into action. Then it starts up again. It continues on. You keep
checking yourself, you keep planning, you keep improving, and you keep checking.
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Unit 7, Section 1: Reflect back on their social exchanges at work, their level of success, and
find possible needs.
Curriculum Outcome 1: Understand and find accommodations for their own social skills strength
and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 2: Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 8: Create scripts that show the appropriate use of social skills given
different situations.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 7, Section 1
In this section, the participants will learn to use the cycle of self-reflection to look back at how
well they are doing at work, their success, and to find possible needs.
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Script-
Welcome to unit 8, Section 1 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
how to use the cycle of self-reflection to look back at how well you are doing at your job, or how
well you understand the skills that you will use once you get a job. Once you are thinking about
how well you are doing you will think about your success that means the great things that you
are doing. Then you will look for possible needs that you may have. You will record both your
successes and your needs.
As a reminder, the cycle of self-reflection is:
You will be looking at two of the sections and creating two lists. The first list will be the great
things you have done or learned at work or through this workshop. The second list will be areas
of need or improvement or of things that you are uncomfortable with. These would be things that
you have noticed about yourself either at work or throughout this workshop. You will think about
how well work is going, and find any problems or areas that can be improved. By yourself or
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with the help of your support group think back to your job. If you do not have a job yet, think
back over this workshop. What has been working. What are you good at? Also think about what
you need more help with, or was there anything that was particularly hard for you to learn.
Have you had any problems at work. Have you been talked to by the boss and asked to fix any
problems. Do you feel like you could be doing more or better at work?
Keep these two lists. These are going to be the basis for your videos in the next section.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 7, Section 1
In this section, the participants will create two videos. The first will be them saying what
successes they have had with using job skills at work, or in training. The second video will be
them discussing further needs that they can try to find help for.
Script-
Now you will make two videos. In the first video you will talk about your strengths and
successes at work or throughout this workshop. In the second video you will talk about your any
problems, needs, or areas of improvement that you have noticed or been told about either at
work or as you have gone through this workshop. You created two lists in the last section and
these will be the basis for the scripts of each video.
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Here is an example of a video where someone is talking about their strengths and successes:
Here is an example of a video where someone is talking about their needs, problems, and areas
of improvement.
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By yourself or with the help of your support group create the two scripts that you will use to film
your videos. In one script talk about your strengths and successes. In the second script talk
about your needs, problems, and areas of improvement. You can film these videos alone or with
another person. If you are alone make sure to look directly at the camera. If you are with a
partner make sure to talk directly to them. Remember to use all the good social skills that you
have learned and to ask for help from your support group if you need it.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 7, Section 1
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
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Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
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“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 7, Section 1 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
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Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
SOCIAL SKILLS 354
Unit 7, Section 2: Correct these needs independently or seek assistance from their support
system.
Curriculum Outcome 1: Understand and find accommodations for their own social skills strength
and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 2: Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 8: Create scripts that show the appropriate use of social skills given
different situations.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 7, Section 2
In this section, the participants will learn how to meet the needs section that they found from
using the cycle of self-reflection.
Script-
Welcome to unit 8, Section 2 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In section 2 of unit 7, you
were asked to find some of your possible needs, problems, and areas of improvement. As a
reminder here is an example of someone talking about their needs, problems, and areas of
improvement.
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Now, please find your list or your video. Make sure that these are close at hand. You will now
learn how to make a plan to improve or correct any needs, problems, or areas of improvement
that that you may have. By yourself or with your support group, you now have to look at each of
the needs you found. Once you have these needs recorded, you will have to find solutions to
them. You will now be given several needs and possible solutions as examples. You will have
your own individual needs and solutions based on your situations. It is best to do this with the
help of your support group to get the best outcomes and solutions. Here are some examples of
needs and solutions.
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Now that you have seen these examples it is time to gather your support group together and to
come up with solutions for your possible needs, problems and areas of improvement. To do this
you need to contact them in the best way possible. This will vary based on your situation, but the
most common ways of contacting you support group are through the phone, through email, or in
person. In any of those situations, what you will say to the members of your support group will
follow a very similar script to this example:
“Hi, thanks so much for continuing to help me and to be a part of my support group. I wanted to
let you know that things are going well, but I do have some problems at work that I need some
help with. I want to be the best employee that I can be, so I want to make sure I fix these
problems. I want to know when would be the best time for us to get together so that you can help
me work through these problems.”
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Once you have set a time and place to meet or discuss, make sure to be ready to work on finding
solutions to your possible needs. Make sure to keep track of these solutions. In the next section
you will create video describing each a solution for each of your needs or problems.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 7, Section 2
In this section, the participants will learn how to explain their needs and possible solutions to
those needs and to then start following their solutions.
Script-
In the last section you created a list of needs and solutions to those needs. Now you will take
those lists and make videos where you discuss your needs and the solutions that you found for
them. Once these videos are done, you will implement the solutions at your job site. Following
the solutions you create will make you a better employee and will help you keep your job.
By yourself or with the help of your support group create a script for every need and solution
that you created. You will use these scripts to film a video of yourself discussing each need and
solution. You can film these videos alone or with another person. If you are alone make sure to
look directly at the camera. If you are with a partner make sure to talk directly to them.
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Remember to use all the good social skills that you have learned and to ask for help from your
support group if you need it. Here is an example of how your video can look.
Now in your video you can have a partner respond back, or you can just discuss your needs and
solutions. You can film them all together or as separate video. As always, if you need help, ask
your support group. Keep these videos safe and remember to put into practice all the solutions
that you came up with.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 7, Section 2
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
SOCIAL SKILLS 359
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
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so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 7, Section 2 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
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Unit 7, Section 3: Continually self-assess their social skills success and needs and look for
ways to improve and grow.
Curriculum Outcome 1: Understand and find accommodations for their own social skills strength
and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 2: Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 8: Create scripts that show the appropriate use of social skills given
different situations.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
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Training Video for Unit 7, Section 3
In this section, the participants will learn to continue to use the cycle of self-reflection to check
for ongoing progress and to make sure that they are continually growing, learning, and
improving.
Script-
Welcome to unit 7, section 3 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this section you will learn
the importance of continuing to use the cycle of self-reflection. Self-reflection will continue on
and on throughout your working life. If you get a new job, learn new job tasks, move into
different position at your job, all of these things will require you to keep learning and growing.
You will need to keep the cycle of self reflection close to you. You can always look back on it
and continue to grow. Here is a reminder of the cycle of self reflection:
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It is not only when you get a new job or new job duties that you should check on how well you
are doing. You should get in the habit of doing this at least four times a year. To help you
remember you can decide to do a self reflection once every season. You could do it in the Fall,
Winter, Spring, and Summer. Or you may decide to do it every three months starting in January.
So you might do a self reflection in January, and then in April, then in July, and then one in
October. However you decide to set your self reflection schedule, you will always be able to find
something to improve upon. You will always find things that you have succeeded doing as well.
It is ok to feel good about doing a good job. The same ways it is ok to feel good about trying to
be better at your job.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 7, Section 3
In this section, the participants will create a video where they share to the camera or to a partner
what they have learned about continual self reflection and how this will help them improve and
to make sure that they are continually growing, learning, and improving.
Script-
In this section, you are going to create a video where you explain the cycle of self reflection and
the importance of continuing to use it. As a reminder in the cycle of self reflection you think
about how you are doing. You look for any mistakes you have made, or how to be better at work.
You plan how to do better. Then you put that plan into action. Then it starts up again. It
continues on. You keep checking yourself, you keep planning, you keep improving, and you keep
checking. The five steps are:
Think - Think about your job and how you are doing there
Find - Find a problem or a need or something that you can do better at
Plan - Plan how you will do better or fix the problem
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Action - Put you plan into Action. Do it. Improve your work.
Repeat - Start from the beginning and doing it all again in a couple of months.
You need to keep repeating the cycle every few months in order to keep checking on yourself and
to become the best employee that you can be.
Now by yourself or with the help of your support group create the a script where you are
discussing these five steps and why it is important to continue using the cycle of self reflection.
You can film these videos alone or with another person. If you are alone make sure to look
directly at the camera. If you are with a partner make sure to talk directly to them. Remember
to use all the good social skills that you have learned and to ask for help from your support
group if you need it. Here is an example of how your video can look.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 7, Section 3
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
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Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
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Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
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Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 7, Section 3 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
SOCIAL SKILLS 369
Unit 7, Section 4: Stay in contact with their support system.
Curriculum Outcome 1: Understand and find accommodations for their own social skills strength
and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 2: Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 7, Section 4
In this section, the participants will learn to keep in touch with your support system. This will be
through the use of the cycle of self-reflection and through sharing of success. This sharing of
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success will be added to the cycle of self-reflection. In it the participants will learn to take pride
in their achievements and growing and to share these successes with the people who care about
them, which make up their support group.
Script-
Welcome to unit 7, Section 4 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. You have learned many
things over the course of this workshop. You should be proud of everything you learned. You
are now more ready to be a better employee. You can check yourself to make sure you are doing
the best job that you can. You can take pride in all of this. Just remember, that you may still
need help. Your support group does not go away just because you have a job. They may fade
away a little, but they are still there for you. It is important to keep in contact with them. They
care about you and they want to know how you are doing. It is also important to keep in contact
with them in case you lose your job, or if you get new job duties that you are having a hard time
learning. If you stay in contact with you support group they will be there faster and more ready
to help you if the need arises. And it is easy to do this. You just need to email them or call them,
or talk to them in person. It is that easy. Give them a call and tell them how your week at the
job has been going. Email them and say hello and tell them about how successful you have been.
Let them know how everything is going with you. That is how you stay in contact.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 7, Section 4
In this section, the participants will learn how keep in touch with your support system. This will
be through the use of phone calls and emails. The participants will create a script that they can
use to talk to their support group where they will tell them about how they are using the cycle of
self-reflection and the successes they have had at work.
Script-
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In this section you will learn how to have a conversation with a member of your support group
that will ensure that you are keeping in touch with them. In this video you will tell them about
how you are using the cycle of self-reflection and you will let them know about your successes.
Here is an example of how this conversation might go:
Now by yourself or with the help of your support group, create the a script where you are telling
a member of your support group how and why you are using the cycle of self-reflection and some
possible successes that you may have had at work. If you are not working yet, then you can
discuss successes that you have had by taking this workshop and learning new skills. Your
successes can be you recounting the new skills that you have learned.
You can film these videos alone or with another person. If you are alone make sure to look
directly at the camera. If you are with a partner make sure to talk directly to them. Remember
to use all the good social skills that you have learned and to ask for help from your support
group if you need it.
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Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 7, Section 4
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
SOCIAL SKILLS 373
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
SOCIAL SKILLS 374
Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 7, Section 4 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
SOCIAL SKILLS 375
Unit 7, Section 5: Recognize their possible needs and be able to plan to meet those future
needs.
Curriculum Outcome 1: Understand and find accommodations for their own social skills strength
and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 2: Identify their own communication strengths and needs.
Curriculum Outcome 3: Demonstrate appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Curriculum Outcome 4: Respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal communication cues
from other.
Curriculum Outcome 5: Identify what employment success means for themselves.
Curriculum Outcome 6: Demonstrate appropriate employment-based social skills.
Curriculum Outcome 7: Demonstrate the use of appropriate social skills during all social
interactions in different contexts.
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Curriculum Outcome 8: Create scripts that show the appropriate use of social skills given
different situations.
Curriculum Outcome 9: Demonstrate self-efficacy and self-advocacy skills in different
situations.
Curriculum Outcome 10: Give and accept constructive feedback from peers and support group.
Training Video for Unit 7, Section 5
In this section, the participants will learn to look to future employment goals and to recognize
that they will always need to be improving. The job market is not static and to stay up to date on
market trends the participants will have to be able to have some plan of action as things change.
This will include accepting that some jobs end, continuing to look for jobs, not being
discouraged, and learning new skills.
Script-
Welcome to unit 8, Section 5 of the Skills to Get the Job Workshop. In this last section of the
workshop you will learn about future employment and the importance of being able to change
and learn how to do new.
You will have many jobs in your life. They may have similar tasks and duties or they may be
different. The thing that remains the same is you. You will always be there. You will have to
learn how to do new jobs. You will have to meet new people. You will have to learn new bus
routes. Your work schedule may change. You might lose your job or you might feel like it is time
to change jobs. You may get fired for something you didn’t do. This is all just a part of working.
What you need to remember is that you have to keep trying. Keep learning. Keep doing. Keep
improving. You have spent the time doing this workshop. You have improved your work skills.
Each time you look back on your videos, you will be improving your skills. If you go back at do
SOCIAL SKILLS 377
this workshop another time, or ten times, you will improve your skills. Every day that you go to
work, you are improving your skills. Each time you do a cycle of self-reflection you are
improving your skills. Keep learning and growing. Stay in touch with your support group.
Keep trying for jobs. You have the Skills to get a job now. So go out and get a job.
Practice Video with Instruction to Record Self for Unit 7, Section 5
In this section, the participants will learn to use self-affirmation to increase their self-esteem.
Script-
In this section you will make a self-affirmation video. Self-affirmation means that you are telling
yourself that you are smart, able, and can keep going. Watch this video for examples of some of
the things that you can say.
Now by yourself or with the help of your support group, create a script where you are doing this
type of self-affirmation. Once your script is complete, film yourself and make this self-
affirmation video.
SOCIAL SKILLS 378
You can film these videos alone or with another person. If you are alone make sure to look
directly at the camera. If you are with a partner make sure to talk directly to them. Remember
to use all the good social skills that you have learned and to ask for help from your support
group if you need it.
Assessment Video and Self-Assessment Checklist of their Recording for Unit 7, Section 5
In this section the participant will use a simple checklist to assess their videos. After assessing
their video’s they will re-record their videos and save them to keep for later.
Script-
Now it is time to watch your videos. As you are watching them I want you to check your videos
against this checklist. You can pause the video when I tell you to so that you can use checklist. I
want you to check each video. Are you speaking clearly? This means are you speaking loud
enough to be heard, but not shouting. Are you making eye contact with the other person in your
video? If you made a video by yourself, check to make sure you are looking forward and not at
the ground or the ceiling. Are you using good body language? Are you standing up straight?
Are your arms relaxed at your sides? Are you at least an arm's distance away from the person
you are talking to? Are you being positive? Do you sound friendly? Do you sound nice?
When you are watching the video make sure to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready
so that you keep track of which video you are watching and how well you did on each video.
Make sure to ask for help here if you need it. Once you have checked all of your videos and
found anything that can be improved, you will be re-recording your videos so that you can save
them for use in the future. You may pause this video now so that you can see the checklist.
SOCIAL SKILLS 379
Now that you know what you need to fix on each video, go back and rerecord them. Make sure
to follow your notes and try to make them the best that you can. You will be saving these videos
so that you can always look back in case you need a reminder. If you need a reminder on how to
save your videos for future use you can go back to unit 1, section 3 for the directions.
The last step for this section is to create a short video where you reflect on what you have
learned. A reflection is a time where you think back on what you did and think about if you
learned anything. Think back to your own goals. Have you made progress in your own goals, or
do you need more help. If you need more help, what types of help do you need? If you did learn
something, it is good to put it into words as well. Here is a list of questions to help guide your
reflection:
“How do you feel about what you learned in this section?”
“What did you learn from this section?”
“What was easy about this section?”
SOCIAL SKILLS 380
“What was hard about this section?”
“How have your goals changed because of what you have learned in this section?”
“What do you need to practice more to meet your goals?”
“How will you make sure that you get more practice?”
You can play this video to ask you these questions or have a peer or member of your support
group ask you these questions. By talking about what you learned, you are more likely to
remember it. By creating a video of yourself doing this reflection, it will be easier for your to
remember what you learned. Make sure to save your reflection and keep in a place where you
can find it easily.
Peer and/or Staff Assessment in Real Time of Unit 7, Section 5 Content
In this section the participant will be instructed to find a peer, staff person, and/or member of
their support group to assist them with using the content in real time to facilitate their learning
and get further assessment of their skills and abilities
Script-
SOCIAL SKILLS 381
Now that you have made your own video and put it where you can keep it for later, it is time to
try out your new skills. If you can, go ahead and find a teacher, a friend, or a member of your
support group to help you practice your skills. Pause here until you have found them.
Now that you have your real life practice partner it is time to try out your learned skills. You
can show them the videos you made and saved. This will give them an idea of what you should be
doing. You can use the same script you made for your video or create a new one with help of
your partner. The key here is that you are practicing with a real person and putting your
learning into action. I will put up the rubric that they can use to help assess your abilities and
skills. Please remember that any advice these people are giving you is because they want to help
and want what is best for you. Good luck and keep learning.
SOCIAL SKILLS 382
CHAPTER FOUR: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION
The curriculum presented here is designed for the use of secondary transition aged
students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. With very little modification it can be
used in a wide variety of setting with different age groups and individuals with different ability
levels. It can be used by individuals, small groups, or large groups depending on the needs of the
individuals using the curriculum and the support resources available to assist those individuals.
This curriculum works best taken as a whole, but with an understanding of the structure of the
curriculum, the individual units can be taken out and used as independent instructional units.
The video direct instruction in this curriculum has simplified its use for different groups ranging
from professionals to parents. The units within this curriculum make a complete curriculum for
social skills and work skills instruction, and will make a great addition to other instruction and
strategies. It can work to supplement other instruction models or as a standalone social skills and
work skills instruction curriculum. With simple modifications this curriculum can be used by
different groups of educators, parents, professionals, and learners.
The one aspect that may act as a deterrent across all groups and ages is the technology
needed to participate in this curriculum. The instruction is done through direct instruction videos
which include videos modeling of the skills being taught. The practice, reflection, and peer
review is done through videos and recordings so that the participants of this curriculum can look
back on the skills that they have learned and practiced later on if they need to. It is a way for the
learners to be able to access previously taught and learned skills and materials without the need
of an instructor. The practice, reflection, and peer review areas can be done without the need for
recordings. The ability to later access the curriculum for individual use will be hampered by the
lack of video recordings, but the skills taught within the curriculum can be practiced without the
SOCIAL SKILLS 383
use of technology. If the direct instruction videos can be watched, then the rest can be done with
in-person modeling and practice.
Access to technology is important for the use of this curriculum. Additional resources to
access technology can be found throughout many different communities. Most public libraries
have access to public computers and the internet. Free wireless internet services are available in
many different locations thought many communities in places like large stores, college
campuses, and various recreation and commerce locations. Other services available to help with
access to technology might be your local Regional Center, Employment Office, Social Security
Office, and Department of Rehabilitation. Many of these services will help you access
technology, and may offer other employment services as well.
Different Aged Groups
This curriculum has been designed for the use of transition aged students. Transition
aged students range from the age of 12 to the age to 22. The content and lessons of this
curriculum can be used with students and learners of any age who need to learn the social skills
and job skills necessary to increase their employment success. The language and tone of the
scripts used in the curriculum is targeted to keep learners engaged and relaxed. Older learners
should not feel patronized or childish by following the instruction and listening to the directions.
The video modeling, recording, and practices may be a deterrent for older uses that may not be
as familiar or practiced with the use of that type of technology.
Varied Levels of Ability and Need
The learners that this curriculum has been created for have moderate to severe intellectual
disabilities, need assistance with learning social skills and job skills, and may have difficulty in
SOCIAL SKILLS 384
gaining and keeping employment. This curriculum can also be used for individuals with mild to
moderate disabilities, and those without disabilities. As long as the learners need help with
social skills or job skills, then taking part in this curriculum will work to their advantage. For
those learners with mild to moderate disabilities, more of the individual work can be done with
less reliance on the specified support groups within the curriculum. For individuals without
disabilities who need help in gaining and maintaining employment and with socials skills and job
skills, this curriculum will also work. It does not patronize it learners and it is as fast paced or
slow paced as the learners need it to be.
Within the curriculum there are direct instruction videos which will guide the learners
through the content. These video will mostly fall between five to ten minutes and can be
watched as many times as needed. The brevity of these lessons is to maximize content
understanding, attention, and absorption. Learners of any ability and need will be able to access
these direct instruction videos to their maximum potential and understanding. The practice
videos that the learners are instructed to create for themselves will also mostly fall within this
five to ten minute threshold.
Learners with severe to profound disabilities may find this content of this curriculum too
complicated. This would be based on an individual basis and would have to be assessed by the
individuals assisting those learners. Learner with communication disorders may find it difficult
to create their own practice videos, but the content videos can still be viewed. The use of
communication devices can be used to help facilitate learner’s ability to communicate for their
own practice videos. If the learners are using a communication device to help them
communicate during their own videos, then these scripts should be saved for later use within
their communication device, if it is able to do so.
SOCIAL SKILLS 385
Individual Use and Group Use
The curriculum as it is written can be used by an individual or an individual and their
support group. The support group is made of people who are willing to help the individual. This
curriculum can be implemented in a larger group, like a classroom seeing, depending on the
availability of resources. The resources needed to use this curriculum in a classroom or larger
setting is based on the needs of the individuals learners, staff availability, and the availability of
the technology needed to watch and record videos.
The needs of the learners are a large factor in the use of this curriculum in a larger
setting. Much of the practice is based on the individual’s thinking about their own needs and
creating scripts for videos that they will create which will have them practice the skills that they
have just learned. The more help that the learners need in order to do this, the more staff or
support it will take to do this in a larger group. The more independent the learners are, the less
personnel are needed. Much of the curriculum can be done in a small group setting of 3 learners
and 1 person to help facilitate the curriculum. The availability of technology is also a factor in
the amount of learners that can do this curriculum together. Ideally, each small group will have a
camera for recording and a computer to watch the videos, download them, and upload them for
later use. The technology can be shared among the individual learners, but this may slow down
the learning process. Based on the availability of resources, rotating groups or individuals may
be ideal so that some groups are watching instructional videos, some groups are scripting their
own videos, some are recording their own videos, and some are downloading and uploading their
own videos. This will all be based on the availability of resources and the needs of the learners
in different settings.
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Whole Use and Part Use of the Curriculum
The curriculum presented here builds on itself as it progresses. The individuals units
have a basic structure that follows throughout the entire course of the curriculum. They will
work best when taken in sequential order. By doing them in sequential order, the learning are
building on previous skills and will be gaining the maximum benefit of the content. With that
said, the units themselves can be used individually out of order.
These units can be used out of order, or as piece meal, but this is only after Unit 1 has
been completed. Unit 1 is the introduction unit. In this unit the participants are taught how to
create their own videos, how to save them, and the general structure of the units and curriculum.
By going through Unit 1 and learning its content, the participants in this curriculum will be able
to then pick a choose units to use as they need. This should be done with support to monitor the
progress and learning of the participants.
The sections in each unit should not be done out of order, unless prior practice and skills
have been assessed. Understanding the individuals learner and their needs is key to
understanding what sections can be used to teacher, for practice, or can be skipped. Each section
should be done in the sequential order of the unit that it is in, unless the content is already well
known by the learner. The skills learned in each section build on previous skills, so if the skills
is already mastered, then the sections can be taken and used individually.
Implementation for Different Groups including Parents
The video instruction model used in this curriculum allow for its uses by many different
groups, including educators, professionals, parents, and other people interested in supporting the
instructional outcomes of individuals with or without disabilities. The video model of direct
SOCIAL SKILLS 387
instruction allows for easy use. The individual learners are instructed to ask for help if they need
it by seeking out their support group. Their support group will be those different groups that have
chosen to use this curriculum to supplement their own teaching or as a standalone curriculum.
This curriculum is intended to be easy to use for learners, educators, and any other interested
parties. Different groups wanting to use it will be able to use it as a standalone social skills and
job skills curriculum, or as a supplemental component to their own instruction. Individuals
wanting to use it to help others will find the video models easy to understand and incorporate into
any curriculum that is already in place.
Supplementation of Other Curriculums
This curriculum can be used as a standalone instructional model for gaining social skills
and work skills or it can be used to supplement other instruction and curricula. Different groups
may use this curriculum to teach their varied participants the social skills and work skills that
they need to help their participants to gain and maintain employment. The best use of this
curriculum would be the pair it with more real world vocational applications. This curriculum is
done out of context of real world experiences, because of the varied learners that this curriculum
is meant for. There are ways to increase the similarity between this curriculum and the real
world where the participants may be learning. One way is to look at available jobs and public
transportation in the area where the participants live. Helping the participants apply for real
world job, fill out applications and resumes, and go on interviews is one way to increase this
curriculums real world connection. The participants in the curriculum can also be taught
different public transportation and walking routes to areas of high employment opportunities.
High employment opportunity areas are places where many businesses can be found. These are
SOCIAL SKILLS 388
most easily found in urban areas where many different business are located like shopping
centers.
While this curriculum does attempt to have its participants practice with other individuals and
mimic real world situations, it will largely be done in out of context settings like a classroom or
other teaching environments. A real world application would help participants be able to transfer
their knowledge and learning across different environments. Being paired with a real world
vocational education setting, like a community transition program or a job skills program run by
a local vocational agency, would increase the effectiveness and real world connection of this
curriculum.
Conclusion
A social skills and vocational skills curriculum has been presented to help individuals
with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities increase their employment outcomes. The scope
of this curriculum is not just limited to those individuals. Anyone wishing to gains social skills
or vocational skills may use this curriculum. Schools, parents, friends, social services, and
employment agencies can use this curriculum to help individuals learn how to better gain and
maintain a job. Many of the skill competencies taught in this curriculum go beyond social skills
and vocational skills. Participants in this curriculum are also learning how to better use
communication skills, grooming and hygiene skills, public transportation skills, and how to
reflect on their successes and needs, and how to correct for those needs. Employment success
has been targeted as one of the key components for being considered a contributing member of
society. This curriculum helps individuals gain the skills necessary to help gain and maintain
employment, as well as giving them opportunities to learn and use technology, grow socially,
and become a better communicator.
SOCIAL SKILLS 389
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SOCIAL SKILLS 401
Appendix A: Definitions
Assistive Technology
Any item, piece of equipment, product, or system, whether acquired commercially,
modified, or customized, used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of
persons with disabilities (California Legislature Senate Select Committee on Autism & Related
Disorders, 2012).
Employment Success
The California Department of Education defines employment success as competitive
employment which means that the individuals has been paid to work at or above minimum wage
for at least twenty hours a week for at least 90 days with people who are not disabled at any time
since they left high school (http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/st/schoolprep.asp).
Evidence-Based Practice
An evidence-based practice can be defined as an instructional strategy, intervention, or
teaching program that has resulted in consistent positive results when experimentally tested
(Mesibov & Shea, 2011). According to Odom, Collet-Klingenberg, Rogers, and Hatton (2010),
the implementation of high quality research is needed in order for intervention strategies to be
considered an evidence-based practice. Boutot and Myles (2011) further define “quality” as
research that incorporates experimental, quasi-experimental, or single-subject research designs;
is replicated multiple times; and is published in peer-reviewed professional journals.
Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
SOCIAL SKILLS 402
According to the Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, an appropriate education
will include, education services designed to meet the individual education needs of students with
disabilities as adequately as the needs of nondisabled students are met, the education of each
student with a disability with nondisabled students, to the maximum extent appropriate to the
needs of the student with a disability, evaluation and placement procedures established to guard
against misclassification or inappropriate placement of students, and a periodic reevaluation of
students who have been provided special education or related services, and establishment of due
process procedures that enable parents and guardians to, receive required notices, review their
child’s records, and challenge identification, evaluation and placement decisions.
Individuals with Disablists Education Improvement Act
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA), also known as
Public Law 108-446, is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the
nation. IDEIA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special
education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and
youth with disabilities. Infants and toddlers with disabilities (birth-2) and their families receive
early intervention services under IDEA Part C. Children and youth (ages 3-21) receive special
education and related services under IDEA Part B (http://idea.ed.gov/).
Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
This is the acronym for the individualized educational plan that must be written for each
identified child with a disability prior to his or her placement in a special education program. It
is a written statement that outlines the specific special educational and related services the child
is to receive (Hickman, 2013).
SOCIAL SKILLS 403
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
The placement of a special needs student in a manner promoting the maximum possible
interaction with the general education population. Placement options are offered on a continuum
including regular classroom with no support services, regular classroom with support services,
designated instruction services, special day classes, and private special education programs. The
placement that is the least restrictive environment is unique to each child, maximizing to the
appropriate extent an education in a setting with students who do not have disabilities. The
overriding principle in determining the least restrictive placement is that placements other than
general education should be considered only when it is concluded that educational benefit, even
with appropriate aids and services, cannot be achieved in that setting (White, 2013).
Moderate to Severe Intellectual Disability
The American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders, DSM-5, defines intellectual disability as a disorder with onset during the
developmental period that includes both intellectual and adaptive functioning deficits in
conceptual, social, and practical domains. The severity levels range from mild to profound. The
characteristics of each category are:
Mild Intellectual Disability. IQ 50 to 70, slower than typical in all developmental areas,
no unusual physical characteristics, able to learn practical life skills, attains reading and math
skills up to grade levels 3 to 6, able to blend in socially, and functions in daily life.
Moderate Intellectual Disability: IQ 35 to 49, noticeable developmental delays (i.e. speech,
motor skills), may have physical signs of impairment, can communicate in basic, simple ways,
able to learn basic health and safety skills, can complete self-care activities, and can travel alone
to nearby, familiar places.
SOCIAL SKILLS 404
Severe Intellectual Disability. IQ 20 to 34, has considerable delays in development,
understands speech, but little ability to communicate, able to learn daily routines, may learn very
simple self-care, and needs direct supervision in social situations.
Profound Intellectual Disability. IQ less than 20, has significant developmental delays
in all areas, obvious physical and congenital abnormalities, requires close supervision, requires
attendant to help in self-care activities, may respond to physical and social activities, and not
capable of independent living
Social Reciprocity
Social reciprocity is the back-and-forth flow of social interaction. A child who displays
social reciprocity is aware of the emotional and interpersonal cues of others, appropriately
interprets those cues, responds appropriately to what he or she interprets, and is motivated to
engage in social interactions with others. On the other hand, deficits in social reciprocity can
have a lifelong negative effect on the social communication and cognitive development of
children with autism (Leach & LaRocque, 2011).
Social Skills
Social skills are primarily acquires through learning (e.g., observation, modeling,
rehearsal, and feedback). They comprise specific and discrete verbal and nonverbal behaviors.
They entail both effective and appropriate initiations and responses. They maximize social
reinforcement (e.g., positive responses from one’s social environment). They are interactive by
nature and entail both effective and appropriate responsiveness (e.g., reciprocity and timing of
specific behaviors). The performance of social skills is influenced by the characteristics of the
environment (i,e,, situational specificity). That is, such facets as age, sex, and status of the
SOCIAL SKILLS 405
recipient affect one’s social performance. Also within social skills, deficits and excesses in
social performance can be specified and targeted for intervention (Michelson, Sugai, Wood, &
Kazdin, 2013).
Social Scripts
A social skills training technique in which individuals with ASDs are taught "scripts" for
common social situations. The individual initially uses a support, such as a reminder card with
the script available to read, and then gradually lessens reliance on the support until he or she can
use the scripted question or phrase spontaneously (California Legislature Senate Select
Committee on Autism & Related Disorders, 2012).
Social Stories
A social skills training tool for children with autism spectrum disorders; social stories
break a social situation down into understandable parts and make clear social cues and
expectations that children with ASDs cannot pick up naturally due to the nature of their disability
(California Legislature Senate Select Committee on Autism & Related Disorders, 2012).
Transition Aged
As per the 2004 IDEA, children should begin receiving transition services no later than
age 16 for students with disabilities (Snell & Brown, 2011).
Transition Services
A coordinated set of activities for a child with a disability that is designed to be within a
results oriented process, that is focused on improving the academic and functional achievement
of the child with a disability to facilitate the child’s movement from school to post school
SOCIAL SKILLS 406
activities, including post-secondary education, vocational education, integrated employment
(including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent
living, or community participation; is based on the individual child’s needs taking into account
the child’s strengths, preferences, and interests; and includes instruction, related services,
community experiences, the development of employment and other post school adult living
objectives, and , when appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational
evaluation (IDEA 2004).
Video Modeling
A technique in which videos of real people and situations are used to model behavior
sequences, interpersonal relationships, friendship behaviors, and perspective-taking to children
with autism (California Legislature Senate Select Committee on Autism & Related Disorders,
2012).
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
Individuals with intellectual disabilities are underemployed when compared to their non-disabled peers. This employment gap has major implications for teachers working with students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. The federal government has mandated that educators work to increase beneficial post-school outcomes, including employment, for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities through a series of laws. Social skills ability has been linked to employment success. The appropriate use of social skills has been shown to increase employment success and opportunities for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. A curriculum focused on social skills education, including but not limited to vocational social skills, will increase the ability to gain and keep employment for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. This dissertation articulates the reasons for the creation of a social skills curriculum with the intention of increasing the employability of students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. It also puts forth a curriculum intended to increase social skills and vocational skills for that population as well as anyone looking to increase those skill competencies. The curriculum presented uses video direct instruction, modeling, and role-playing to increase social and vocational skills competences, enhance communication skills, and ensure the use of reflective practices for continual success. Recommendations for the use of the curriculum presented range from parents, teachers, programs, vocational services, and other interested individuals.
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Sayer, Ian Vankirk
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Core Title
A social skills curriculum intended to increase the employment success of secondary transition aged students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities
School
Rossier School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education
Degree Program
Education (Leadership)
Publication Date
09/26/2017
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09/26/2017
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