Perspective Taking: What Did They Think Was Happening?
Each card is an ambiguous social event to be re-described from the other person's side, with the student generating the alternative reading rather than choosing from options.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Ask for more than one explanation before accepting any. The first answer is usually the student's own view in different words. The waved and they did not wave back card sets the pattern with its three explanations that have nothing to do with you; hold later cards to the same standard. On the message read as rude card, have the student read the message aloud in the flat voice the other person heard. Twenty minutes covers four or five cards with discussion.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentSet up the situation and wait for the student to respond on their own.Log as correct
- Nonverbal cueUse a look, a gesture or a point to the visual cue card.Log as cued
- Indirect promptAsk 'What could you say now?' or 'How do you think they feel?'Log as cued
- ModelShow what to say or do, then run the moment again so the student can try it.Log as cued
Adjust it
Give a script or two choices of what to say, and practise with you before a peer.
Role-play with a new partner, or add a twist the student has not planned for.
Matching IEP goal
Given social scenarios, Student will identify another person's thoughts or feelings and give a reason in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than an indirect prompt.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Ten ambiguous social events to re-describe from the other person's side: you waved and they did not wave back, give three explanations that have nothing to do with you; a friend has cancelled twice; you told a joke and the room went quiet; a teacher moved your seat; somebody read your message as rude; a new student sat alone at lunch. The student generates the alternative reading rather than picking from options, which is closer to what happens in real life.
What to listen for
Listen for explanations that are actually about the other person, such as they did not see me, rather than about the student, such as they do not like me. Notice whether the student can hold an explanation they do not believe long enough to consider it. On the group chat card, which asks them to rank reasons by likelihood, watch whether the worst reading always comes first.
Carrying it home
When your teenager reports that someone was rude or ignored them, ask for one other reason it might have happened before responding. It does not need to replace their reading, only sit alongside it.
What's in this activity
- You waved at someone and they did not wave back. Give three explanations that have nothing to do with you.
- A friend has cancelled on you twice. Say what they might be dealing with, then say what you would ask them.
- You told a joke and the room went quiet. Describe what the room heard, not what you meant.
- A teacher moved your seat without saying why. Say what the teacher may have been trying to fix.
- A classmate took credit for your idea. Say what they might believe about how it happened.
- Somebody read your message as rude. Read it back the way they would have read it.
- A new student sat alone at lunch. Say what the day probably looked like from their side.
- Your friend got upset at something you found funny. Explain the difference between the two reactions.
- You were left out of a group chat. List the possible reasons and rank them by how likely they are.
- At home you were told no without an explanation. Say what information they might have that you do not.
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Fifth through twelfth grade, for perspective taking and inferencing goals.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all ten cards play free with no login. An account adds session data and goal scoring.
- Is there a right answer on each card?
- No. The skill is producing plausible readings from the other side, so several answers can be good. Weak answers are ones that are still about the student.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.