Social Skills: Thinking & Language: Non-literal, Sarcasm, Reading Between the Lines, Inference

One of the chapters of the Social Thinking curriculum by Michelle Garcia Winner addresses ambiguous language skills which includes non-literal langauge, indirect messages, figurative language, idioms,  and sarcasm. Speech Language Pathologists have all at one time or another worked on these skills.  Children with ASD, ADHD, pragmatic disorders, etc. usually have some degree of difficulty with this type of language. 

There are many resource materials available for addressing this issue.  Super Duper Publications sells cards, books, and software devoted to non-literal language.  Linguisystems and most other retailers for speech therapy or education also publish such materials. Here are a few of the materials on my shelves:

Super Duper Publications:
Idioms Fun Deck: There are several good Fun Decks (card decks) dealing with inferences, multiple meaning words, etc.
From Rags to Riches idioms game
Read Between the Lines
Uderstanding Inferences Fun Deck
Webber Interactive WH- Questions:  This cd-rom has a level on inference.  It shows a scene and then asks a question, it gives 2-4 choices and the child must have attended to the visual information in the scene. 
Social Inference Fun Deck
Go for the Dough game has a multiple meanings word activity

Linguisystems
No Glamour Idioms
WALC 9 Verbal & Visual Reasoning

Non-Literal Language:
The Literals (figurative language - Amanda show)
Mr. Gullible (Amanda show)

Sarcasm:
Sarcasm 101 Matthew Perry
More Sarcasm
Wild Thornberry's
Big Bang Theory (Caution: cursing in the clip)
Big Bang Theory 2 (no cursing)
Friends:  Ross on "the Baby locked in the apartment"

Idioms:
Idioms
Idiom:  Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
Geico commercials: Is the Pen Mightier than the Sword?  Don't live under a rock? Does a woodchuck chuck wood?  Does the Buck stop here?  Play the commercial and discuss the difference between the idea being presented in a literal way versus the inferred meanings and how the terms are used as figurative language.

Not  figurative language, but correct use of homophones "there, their, they're"  since homophones can confuse us also.

Figurative Language:
Metaphors & Similes
Metaphors & Similes in Pop Music
Lesson Plans @ speechlanguage-resources.com

Inferencing:
Mime: Learning the Art - Many children with Social Skills deficits have difficulty with representational thinking.  Body language and Charades activities can be difficult for them to understand.  Learning to imitate and infer actions can help improve observational skills, perspective, and delivering an effective message.
How to Catch a Ball
How to Catch a Butterfly
How to Chew Gum
How to Dig
How to drink from a cup
How to Create a Story in Mime
How to pull a rope

PB SocialThinking on Inferencing

Think with Your Eyes:
Chevy commercial:  Man adjusts his words based on his observations when he sees the salesman who looks a lot like Santa Claus.