Superflex Superdecks: Product Review

Superflex SuperdecksAre you having trouble squeezing in time to develop novel therapy materials for your social thinking groups? You’re not alone. With a crazy schedule of both private and public school speech therapists, this new pack of cards is an incredible time-saver.

The Superflex Superdecks are card decks to help your students practice and promote the skills they learned in the Superflex Curriculum. It is important to note that the card decks do not replace the curriculum, but in fact supplement it. I used them after my students were at least familiar with the Unthinkables and the Superflex strategies. So if you’re looking at this set, consider purchasing the Superflex Curriculum and comic books first. The card decks are meant for kids between ages 8-11 years.

The game includes:

  • Unthinkable Card deck which includes 14 Unthinkables (2 each), 6 Superflex Cards, 18 Brain Sensory Cards.
  • Situation Card deck which includes 5 Power Pat cards, 47 situation cards.
  • Strategy Card deck which includes 52 Strategy cards.
  • Thinkables Card deck which includes 14 Thinkables (2 each), 6 Superflex cards, 18 Brain Sensory cards.
  • 5 Step Power Plan Cards (4 copies)
  • Thinkables/ Unthinkables Reference Card (4 copies)
  • An Informational and General Instruction booklet.

Even though I’ve been using the Superflex curriculum for a while now, it was really helpful to look through the Informational and General Instruction booklet. There was a lot of useful information about what’s included and general instructions about using the game.

The reference cards are an excellent visual to review all the Unthinkable and Thinkable characters. I spent a lot of time with these cards before using the card games. A good understanding of these characters is crucial to this program.

The 5 Step Power Plan includes the 5 Power Pals who will help the students review the steps to take in a socially tricky situation. I like the clean visual. I made several copies of this card and will sometimes have the students write or draw what the 5 Power Pals would do in each situation.

The Thinkable cards can be used as a game such as “Put ‘em to Rest.” The object of the game is to identify which Unthinkable is put to rest by the Thinkable. (The answers are on the back of the instruction card). You can build on this by asking your student to come up with a “Thinkable” moment and describe the Thinkable’s superpower.

The Unthinkable cards are used to play the “On the Scene!” game. The object of this game is to describe a time and situation when the Unthinkable character may make an appearance.

The Situation card deck contains various social situations where the Unthinkables appear. The object of the game is to identify which Unthinkable may be at work in that situation. (It might be useful to keep the reference cards for the characters handy for this game.) The situations are realistic and easy to relate to for most school-age students. You can also go on the Social Thinking website (www.socialthinking.com) for a blank template to make up more social situations.

The Strategy card deck contains possible Social Thinking strategies to use when the Unthinkables usually make their appearance. The object of the game is for the student to identify, which Unthinkable can be defeated by the strategy on the card. Since our focus is almost always on thinking of strategies when a situation is presented, I think it is really useful to work in reverse sometimes. It helps solidify the concept.

*Even though you can play the card games by themselves, some of my students prefer to use them with their favorite game (just like you would any flashcard set).

Overall: The Superflex Superdecks is a fun, engaging and motivating game to review and practice the Superflex Curriculum. I love the idea of creating your own Unthinkable characters and situations using the templates on the website. Even though the instructions for the card sets are provided, it is easy to create your own games to make it more exciting for your students. On days when the kids seem particularly lethargic and slow, we used the Unthinkables card set to play treasure hunt. I hide the character cards and the students take turns to find them. They then describe what the Unthinkables do in a social situation and come up with a strategy to cope with them. Really, the possibilities are endless! I definitely think this game is an excellent buy for around $40. You can purchase your set here.

Disclaimer: This item was provided to complete this review. No other forms of compensation were provided. The thoughts and opinions expressed in the review are the author’s.