SOCIAL STRATEGIES FOR CHILDREN WITH ASD
Many children and adults on the autism spectrum need help in learning how to act in different types of social situations. They often have the desire to interact with others, but may not know how to engage friends or may be overwhelmed by the idea of new experiences.
Building up social skills with practice can help enhance participation in the community and support outcomes like happiness and friendships. We have compiled social skills tips and information from experts, teachers, and families, along with useful tools to help enhance opportunities to be part of the community.
What Are Social Skills?
Social skills are the rules, customs, and abilities that guide our interactions with other people and the world around us. In general, people tend to “pick up” social skills in the same way they learn language skills: naturally and easily. Over time they build a social “map” of how to in act in situations and with others.
For people with autism it can be harder to learn and build up these skills, forcing them to guess what the social “map” should look like.
Social skills development for people with autism involves:
- Direct or explicit instruction and “teachable moments” with practice in realistic settings
- Focus on timing and attention
- Support for enhancing communication and sensory integration
- Learning behaviors that predict important social outcomes like friendship and happiness
- A way to build up cognitive and language skills
What social skills does your child with autism spectrum disorder need?
It’s good for your child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to develop:
- play skills – for example, taking turns in a game or sharing a toy
- conversation skills – for example, choosing what to talk about or what body language to use
- emotional skills – for example, managing emotions and understanding how others feel
- problem-solving skills – for example, dealing with conflict or making decisions in a social situation
Strategies for developing social skills
It isn’t easy for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to learn social skills, but you can use the strategies below to help your child.
Practicing play……………………………………………………………………………………..
Practice plays skills with your child by using toys to act out a scene. For example, you could hug a teddy, then feed teddy and put it to bed, have a tea party with a few teddies, or create a story using a play set like a farm, petrol station or airport.
Role-playing
Role-play can help your child learn and practice the skills she needs to play with others. For example, before another child comes to visit, you and your child could:
- do a role-play where your child suggests what to play with her friend
- Play the games that your child and her friend might play.
Practice talking about things like what your child has watched on TV or what he did on the weekend
Video-modeling
Try taking videos of the social skills you want to teach. For example, you can teach turn-taking by videoing people taking turns playing a game. Pause the video and say things like ‘His turn’, ‘Her turn’. After watching the video, try playing the same game with your child and saying ‘My turn’, ‘Your turn’.
Social Stories……………………………………………………………………………………….
Social Stories can help with explaining social rules. For example, you could use a Social Story to explain why it’s important to play with others
Visual Prompts…………………………………………………………………………………….
Visual prompts might help your child learn new skills or remember social skills she has already learned. Depending on your child’s learning needs, visual prompts might be pictures, words, checklists or prompt cards.
Social skills training……………………………………………………………………………….
Social skills training can help your child develop social skills in a structured way. For example, Emotion-based Social Skills Training (EBSST) is a program that teaches emotions and social skills in individual or group therapy sessions. The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) is a social skills program for young children who have difficulty with friendships and interacting with peers
Using social skills in different situations
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can find it hard to use social skills they’ve learned in other situations. For example, your child might be able to share her pencils at home with her sister but not at school with her classmates.
Socializing with other children
It can be tricky to balance the time your child spends socializing with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with the time he spends with typically developing children.
Typically developing children can be great role models who encourage good social skills in your child with ASD. On the other hand, if your child shares abilities and interests with other children with ASD, this can give your child good social relationships and a sense of belonging. And whoever your child socializes with, it’s important that his relationships are based on acceptance and understanding.
