A New Way of Thinking

1. A New Way of Thinking A guide for Middle School Transition Developed by Steve Gilles and Pam Jenson

2. Purpose of the Guide To assist students in • developing self accepting attitudes, • combat negative thinking and • rediscover themselves while developing self advocacy and • self empowerment skills.

3. Credits • Michael Stoehr from Educational Consultant, The Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network • Pennsylvania youth: Secondary Transition Toolkit • Daniel G. Amen of the Amen Clinic • Nicole Spang - Edgerton School District • Michelle Uetz – Riverfalls School District

4. Introduction This guide was created to provide teachers with a tool to assist students with disabilities in learning about themselves.

5. Wisconsin Student Survey Results • How did you feel about yourself as a person with a disability while you were in middle school and high school? • Students in high school and college were asked • 37 students responded • Here are the top results

6. Survey Results *I’m stupid *I’m not normal *My teachers don’t understand me *I will never go to college *Life is not fair, it’s hard *I wish I was smart *I will never amount to anything *There is no point *I read too slow to be smart *I am a loser *Everyone thinks I’m dumb, why try *I am a disappointment *I’m not as important as my peers *I am not meant for school *Life sucks, why me *Just let me be *I can’t do anything right, I’m stupid *I won’t have friends because of my disability *I’ll never be popular and no one will ever like me *Everyone is looking at me because of my disability

7. Chapter 1Guess what, you have a disability! • Definition of disability • Types of disabilities • Who am I? • What does my disability mean to me? • Who do I talk to about my disability? Jeremiahs and Kelly’s stories

8. Chapter 1-Definition of Disability • Physical • Sensory • Cognitive • Psychiatric and emotional • Health related • Autism Activity 1.1-Define your Disability

9. Guess What…you have a disability This is about accepting your disability and understanding what it means. Making good choices for yourself and your future Activity 1.2 – Getting to know yourself

10. Research, Reflect and Interview • Researching their disability –Activity 1.4 • Reflect on your disability – Activity 1.5 • Interview - Activity 1.5 Interview & learn about your disability

11. Questions

12. Chapter II- Automatic Negative Thought’s (ANT’s) • ANT Principles • ANT Species • ANT Therapy-Combat your Negative Thoughts through feeding good thoughts to your anteater • The ANT’s Concept was created by Dr. Amen of the Amen Clinic

13. Parietal lobe Prefrontal cortex Occipital lobe Cerebellum Temporal lobe Know Your Brain Activity 2.1, assists students to understand the basics of the brain and why we have the thoughts we do. Knowing your brain, makes a big difference in how you understand the way we think.

14. ANTPrinciples The power of human thought

15. Principles #1 Your Thoughts Are Powerful #2 Thoughts Influence How We Feel #3Fight or Flight Response #4 Bad Thoughts Make Us Feel Bad #5Good Thoughts Make Us Feel Good

16. Principles Con’t. #6 How Do We Know #7 Thoughts are Automatic #8 Thoughts Lie #9 You Do Not Have to Believe Every Thought You Have #10 You Can Learn How to Correct Your Thoughts and Feel Good

17. ANT’s ~ Automatic Negative Thoughts • Automatic negative thoughts infest your mind • Like ants in your kitchen or at your picnic • They ruin how you feel • There are 9 different ANT species

18. NINE ANT SPECIES • All or nothing • Always thinking • Focus on negative • Fortune Telling • Mind Reading • Thinking w/feelings • Guilt beating • Labeling • Blame

19. All or Nothing ANT’s When you make something out to be all good or all bad I am the worst student in school!

20. Always Thinking ANT’s Think with words like always, never, every time, everyone I will never go to college

21. Focus on the Negative ANT’s Only sees the negative aspects of situations, even when there are plenty of positives. I know I passed my test, but I only got a “C”

22. Fortune Telling ANT’s Predicts the worst, even though you don’t really know what will happen I will never graduate, so why bother!

23. Mind Reading ANT’s Believe you know what someone is thinking even though they haven’t told you. Everyone thinks I’m stupid because I have to go to the special ed. room

24. Thinking with Your Feelings ANT’s Assuming that how you feel about something is actually how it really is. Feelings can lie too. I feel like you don’t care

25. Guilt Beating ANT’s Use excessive guilt to control behavior and think in words like should, must, ought, or have to. You MUST try harder and quit being lazy!

26. Labeling ANT’s Call yourself or someone else names or use negative terms to describe them I am a disappointment

27. Blame ANT’s Blame others for the problems in your life and have no personal power or responsibility It’s your fault I failed again

28. Summary of ANT Species • All or Nothing Thinking – When you make something out to be all good or all bad. • Always thinking – think in words like always, never, every time, everyone • Focus on negative – only see bad in situations • Fortune Telling – predict the worst

29. Summary of ANT Species • Mind Reading – believe you know what someone is thinking without knowledge • Thinking w/feelings – believe negative feelings without questioning them • Guilt beating – think in guilt words (should’s) • Labeling – use negative terms • Blame – someone else for your problems

30. Find your internal Anteater and make it run!!!! • ACTIVITY 2.2, 2.3, & 2.4

31. NEVER GIVE UP Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it or work around it. Michael Jordon And it that doesn’t work, KNOCK IT DOWN! Pam Jenson

32. Thought If you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you will have great results for your future!!!!!!!! Stoop the ANTS!!!!!!

33. Remember • If you want to feel good, think good thoughts!

34. Questions

35. Chapter III - Assessment • What is assessment? • What is the difference between formal and informal assessment? • What are the different types of assessment? • What is an Accommodation?

36. What is Assessment? • Get concrete ideas about what you want to do • Plan what your next steps are • Learn about yourself • Challenge you to think about yourself • Assist in understanding your interests • Assist in knowing your strengths • Learn about your needs and accommodations • Plan for your future goals

37. Formal and Informal Assessments • Formal assessments are tests that are scored and help you understand where you stand compared to others. • Informal assessments can be done by a variety of people like your teacher, counselor, family member, your boss, or yourself.

38. What are Accommodations? • Accommodations are an alteration of something. • The purpose of an accommodation is to assist in succeeding at the skills the student is working on. • An accommodation is given to a student because we all learn differently.

39. What Assessment Accommodations may a student receive? • Some accommodations a student may receive may include, but are not limited to? • extra time on a test, • using a calculator, • having a reader or note taker, • having an accessible work areas.

40. Transition Assessment Activities • Transition Assessments, Activity 3.1 & 3.2 • Understanding your weaknesses, Activity 3.3 • Portfolio’s, Activity 3.4

41. Dirties Jobs • http://youtu.be/QErgjt_GYB

42. Knowing your Weaknesses • It is as important for students to understand their needs as well as their strengths. Explain to the students why this is important. • Activity 4 – Understanding your weaknesses and the supports you need.

43. Summary Begin to pull it all together through a portfolio. What should a portfolio include at this point: • A picture of the student • Name, grade, age • What interests they have • Samples of their work • Interest Inventories • Anything else that gives a “picture” of who the student is • Let them be creative! What is your lifelong career journey going to look like?

44. Chapter IV Self Advocacy-Finding Your Way • Speak up for yourself • 4 keys to being a good self advocate • Health care advocacy • Self advocacy Do’s and Don’ts • How to find supports • Help in school-IEP’s • Transition Planning in the IEP

45. Self Advocacy • Opening doors to self determination • Self Advocacy is the process of speaking for yourself. Cassie’s Story learning to be an advocate What’s your story going to be?

46. Being a good self advocate • Do Research • Communication • Compromise • Teamwork 4 keys

47. Self Advocacy Do’s and Don’t’s

48. How to Find Supports • Anyone can be a source of support • Supportive people need to be someone who believes in the student and their abilities. • Someone who can help generate ideas • Supports may be family, friends, teachers, counselors adult service agencies, church leaders,

49. Pulling it all together to be a self advocate Complete Activity 4.1 – List of Supporters Activity 4.2- My Disability Is! Activity 4.3 – Post Secondary Goals Activity 4.4 – Review Questions Activity 4.5 - Portfolio

50. Resources • Terms to Know • Opening Doors Series • http://dpi.wi.gov/pubsales/pdf/opening_doors.pdf • Opening doors to self determination • Opening doors to employment • Opening doors to education and training • Opening doors to adult agencies (coming soon)