Social skills do not always develop easily for children with autism. Most people learn social expectations by observing others. They observe subtle cues like tone of voice, facial expression and setting variables and they learn to show behaviors that are socially expected so they can fit in. However, imagine not seeing those patterns of behavior or social cues and not having any idea why a behavior gets negative responses. That is the world of autism.
Children on the autism spectrum are all very unique. Some may be low functioning and co-existing intellectual deficits, while others may be high functioning intellectually and even have savant skills. One thing myth is that kids with autism do not connect with others. Quite often, especially for higher functioning children with autism and asperger’s, they do want to connect socially and have friends, however, they are unsuccessful at it and have no idea why.
That lack of success can be a source of stress for them. That is also why many children with autism spectrum disorders need to be specifically taught expected behaviors and how the expectations change in different settings. Knowing the best practices for teaching social skills will enable caregivers to truly impact the lives of children with autism.
Key Strategies in Teaching Social Skills to Children With Autism
There are many programs and methods for teaching social skills to students with autism spectrum disorders. No one strategy is necessarily appropriate for every skill or with every child. However, there are basic teaching strategies that support learning for all children with autism and promote the mastery of positive social skills.
- Use concrete, literal language and avoid implied meanings.
- Practice interpretation of subtle social cues that may be missed or misinterpreted.
- Provide visual representations, as those with autism are typically highly visual thinkers.
- Teach, prompt, and reinforce skills in a variety of settings to promote generalization.
- Prompt and reinforce the use of newly learned skills in natural settings.
- Tell children with autism why the skill is important for them. Difficulty with perspective taking may prevent them from caring about why it might be important to someone else.
Methods for Teaching Social Skills for Autism
Social stories and social scripts are effective ways to teach social skills. Social stories present behaviors that need to be reinforced in the context of a life like social situation with visuals that support the needed action. Social scripts are short scripts that children with autism learn. The scripts, such as a conversation starter, are for use in social situations. The scripts are gradually faded out, or discontinued.
Social groups place children with autism with peers where they can interact with instruction and guidance. According to Autism Speaks, research on social groups has shown that children who participate improve on recognizing emotions, taking other’s perspective, and on social cooperation. However, those skills were only retained outside of the group when they were taught in multiple social settings.
Computer based training with video modeling are also available to teach social skills to children with autism spectrum disorders. The video training addresses the visual learning style typical of children with autism. It can also provide in depth training on a wide range of skills in a virtual reality. It can be very effective; however, skills then must be prompted and reinforced in other settings in order to promote generalization.
Step by step instruction with modeling, explanations and role-play followed by independent practice with prompts. Social skills that are more resistant or more difficult to learn may require one-on-one teaching in a step by step manner with modeling, explanations, and role-play. The behaviors should be practiced until they are comfortable and then prompted and reinforced in multiple settings.
Social Skills Training for Children With Autism
Teaching social skills to children with autism requires using effective strategies that address their unique learning needs and use proven teaching methods. When social skills are taught using the right tools, the social life of children with autism can be significantly improved.
References:
Kennedy Krieger Institute. "Social Skills Interventions: Getting to the Core of Autism." (accessed June 25, 2010).
Autism Speaks "IAN Research Findings: Social Skills Groups." (accessed June 25, 2010).
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Deborah O'Banion - Having published hundreds of articles, Deborah O'Banion is a prolific writer on topics related to psychology, education and parenting. She ...
