Facial expressions, feelings, social innuendo and the like are often out of the realm of understanding for children on the autism spectrum. Kids with autism have trouble in the social arena because they do not notice the subtleties of social interaction. Teaching social skills to autistic children will be a vital component of their overall education. Teachers can use the following techniques and strategies to work with the child with ASD.
Autism and Basic Communication Skills
Many children with autism are nonverbal. It is difficult to maintain meaningful friendships without language and communication skills. Teaching communication skills will require an understanding of the autistic child’s current abilities and expanding upon them. Many nonverbal kids with autism use the Picture Exchange Communication System to communicate their needs and desires, and others are taught sign language.
For kids with autism who are verbal, basic communication skills such as eye contact and appropriate body gestures may need to be taught and reinforced. This can be achieved by using verbal cues and/or physical gestures. Teach an autistic child how to make eye contact by pointing to your eyes and saying, “Look at me.” Reinforce the behavior by giving rewards specific to that child’s interests.
Teaching Social Skills Through Picture Stories
Picture stories can be used to teach social skills by visually presenting various social situations in the form of a series of pictures, similar to a comic strip. For example, in dealing with teasing and bullying, an autistic student can be shown a picture story that shows him how to handle this potentially damaging social situation. People with autism tend to take conversations at face value without seeing their underlying meaning or hearing sarcasm.
A picture story about teasing can show the child how to tell the teaser to stop, ignore the teasing, or tell an adult about it. For other examples of social skill picture stories, check out The Social Skills Picture Book by Jed Baker, Ph. D. [TX: Future Horizons, 2001]. In this iParenting Media Award winning book, teachers will find a wealth of examples that can be used to help children cope in social situations.
Teaching Social Skills by Role Playing
Reading a social story to a child or giving the child a picture story will not be enough to reinforce a new social behavior. When teaching social skills, reinforcing a child’s newly learned social abilities by practicing them is essential. Role-playing is one way to help the child with autism practice his social skills. In order to practice the skill, the child will need to review the steps and act out each one.
A teacher can act out the part of the child’s peer, friend or antagonist, or she may want to recruit another, willing student to help out during the role playing process. Practice sessions can be incorporated during the regular school day in such places as the lunchroom, the playground, during circle time or in a lunch bunch.
Teaching social skills to students with autism will be an important part of the day for kids in the special needs and regular classroom. Using a combination of cues, prompts, social stories, picture stories and role-playing will reinforce basic social skills and help the autistic student navigate through the complexities of the social web.
Karen Plumley - Karen Plumley is a writer specializing in parenting and education. She works for Parenting NH and the Hippo, NH's most widely read ...
