Frequently Asked Questions
What does SCORES stand for?
Social Communication Resources and Services
Who is eligible for SCORES services?
SCORES services are intended for students who struggle with social communication skills, such as conversation skills, peer interactions, following expectations, teamwork, inference etc.
Students who attend social group are children who have been identified under Special Education. SCORES support must be documented in the student's IEP (Individualized Education Program).
On the other hand, students can receive Lunch Bunch and sensory break services with or without a Special Education disability.
Students who attend social group are children who have been identified under Special Education. SCORES support must be documented in the student's IEP (Individualized Education Program).
On the other hand, students can receive Lunch Bunch and sensory break services with or without a Special Education disability.
What is social group?
Social group is designated IEP (Individualized Education Program) time. Students come to my SCORES room multiple times a week to work on focused social communication skills. Activities are based on student needs and goals written in their IEPs. We start each social group session by discussing our level of stress and feelings. Each member (including me!) shares and charts how they are feeling at that time. We also discuss where we are on the stress meter. After we've checked in with stress and feelings, all students take a sensory break. Then we have a structured lesson. Some examples of skills that we focus on are: conversation skills, perspective taking, inference, play, teamwork, problem-solving, whole body listening, emotions etc. After our activity, we reflect on our lesson and how we participated in the lesson. If students have shown expected behavior, they receive a sticker on their incentive chart. You can download this incentive chart under the Resources tab. When their chart is full, they choose a reward. We end our session by taking a second sensory break. When we have time, we do a yoga pose and take deep breaths before we head back to class!
What is Lunch Bunch?
Any student is eligible for Lunch Bunch. All students who receive social group services will also come to Lunch Bunch. Other students join us based on teacher recommendations.
Lunch Bunch is a time where a group of children come to my SCORES room to eat lunch together once a week during their regular scheduled lunchtime. We focus on various social skills such as, conversation skills, friendship, play, teamwork, etc. We usually begin Lunch Bunch by having a structured conversation while the children are eating, much like you would do at the dinner table. This is a time to focus on conversation skills like staying on topic, participating, listening to others and taking turns. After the students finish eating, we tend to play a game involving social interaction or we do an activity based on the skill we are learning. This is a time for children to get to know each other, feel comfortable, make friends in a safe place, and continue to work on how to appropriately socially interact with peers. We have tons of fun!
Lunch Bunch is a time where a group of children come to my SCORES room to eat lunch together once a week during their regular scheduled lunchtime. We focus on various social skills such as, conversation skills, friendship, play, teamwork, etc. We usually begin Lunch Bunch by having a structured conversation while the children are eating, much like you would do at the dinner table. This is a time to focus on conversation skills like staying on topic, participating, listening to others and taking turns. After the students finish eating, we tend to play a game involving social interaction or we do an activity based on the skill we are learning. This is a time for children to get to know each other, feel comfortable, make friends in a safe place, and continue to work on how to appropriately socially interact with peers. We have tons of fun!
What is a sensory break?
A sensory break is a short break during the school day where students are able to exert energy (bounce on hop balls, jump on trampoline, roll on scooters, jump rope, hula hoop etc.) or relax (read a book, use theraputty, squeeze stress balls etc.), depending on their needs. My classroom has a wide variety of sensory materials for the students to use. Under the Resources tab, there is a picture of various available materials under Sensory Center and Relaxation Station. If you want more information about sensory breaks, let me know and we can talk in more detail.
