One of my favorite free websites is Make Beliefs Comix Comic Creator! The website allows users to make their own comics using a variety of characters, backgrounds, and props. Two of my favorite features are the speech and thought bubbles and the fact that many characters are available showing more than one emotion. While you could certainly use this activity with students with articulation, receptive/expressive language, or fluency needs, I have used it primarily with students with pragmatic language or social skills needs. Here are two examples of comics I created for one of my students:
This particular student was making inappropriate comments in class like "Is that necessary?" or "I don't think so," when teachers asked him to do something. I made these comics to encourage him to take the perspectives of other people around him by adding blank thought bubbles. I also intentionally left the last comic frame blank so he could predict the consequences of positive versus negative actions. I printed the comics out and had him fill in the blank thought bubbles and events and we had a discussion about Froggy's choice-making.
The other nice thing about targeting inappropriate behaviors via comics is that the student does not feel like you are saying HE or SHE did something wrong. You are talking about the behavior through a character, so the student tends to be less defensive. Later, after discussing the behavior, I might say something like, "How does this story relate to your school day?" or "Tell me about a time you could have made a different choice."
If you do not have access to a computer, printer, or internet, you could still have students create their own comics by drawing. You could even create some of your own if you are feeling artistic!
Have you ever used comics or Make Beliefs Comix in therapy? How have you addressed socially inappropriate behaviors?
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