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The Importance of Social Skills Therapy for Autism

cgross · March 11, 2021 · Leave a Comment

Table of contents

What is the goal of my child’s Social Skills Training?
What Social Skills Should My Child Be Learning?
What Kinds of Strategies Are Used for Developing Social Skills?
Social Skills Groups

Most new parents have experienced a time when their own child or someone else’s child was that “one” child that was causing major disruption among all of the other children at a park or at a playdate. It’s hard to forget those humbling moments when your child is grabbing toys away from other children or randomly hitting others. When grocery store excursions become a flip of the coin between mom and dad to see “who gets to chase him first” or “who gets to sit in the car when she melts down” any parent will feel lost.

Parenting is not for the faint of heart and all children need to learn a host of “do’s and dont’s” as they mature. They need to learn table manners, how to ask for things properly, how to share and play with others and how to behave in public. We could add to this list of course, but the point is that all children need to learn social skills as they develop.

When you have a child with autism, social skills training needs to become more deliberate. The reason for this is that children with autism struggle to understand and succeed at understanding social interaction. There are a number of factors that cause this to be so.

➔ Speech Delays.

Children with autism have delays in speech that can make it difficult to maintain a conversation. They may repeat words or phrases over and over (echolalia), or they may answer questions with completely unrelated responses. This often pushes other children away because they don’t understand them and ultimately this leaves the child with autism isolated.

➔ Non-Verbal (receptive) Language Delays

Another reason that children with autism struggle with communication is that they tend to have difficulty reading non verbal cues. Non verbal cues are facial expressions or body gestures. For example, the look of boredom on a person’s face (facial cue) when they are no longer interested in a conversation might be obvious to most of us but to a person with autism it may go completely unnoticed. A person checking their watch and tapping their foot (body gestures) would give many people the idea that this person is either impatient or in a hurry. A person on the autism spectrum might fail to take notice of these gestures.

Similarly, sarcasm is difficult for children on the autism spectrum to understand. People with autism spectrum disorders tend to see everything in a very literal sense. So, to say something in colloquial language like “oh my goodness….you look so cute I could just eat you up!” might be a very frightening thing to say to someone with ASD. Jokes and teasing are no different. Something that is meant to be playful and innocent might sound scary and threatening to a child with autism who has not been taught about figurative language, joke telling or sarcasm.

This doesn’t mean that you should change the way you speak and avoid telling jokes or using figurative language. What this means is that these are the things that need to be taught deliberately in social skills training for children with autism.

➔ Low Emotional Intelligence

Another common struggle for children with autism is that they often fail to understand the feelings of others. This can lead to the misconception that children with autism are unfeeling or uncaring- but this is not the case. The difficulty for those with ASDs is that it is nearly impossible to think from another person’s perspective and consider how they might feel in various circumstances. The job of identifying and expressing their own emotions is one of the main interventions in social skills training for children with autism because it is such a common deficit with children on the autism spectrum. It is important to teach children with autism to identify and manage their own feelings and emotions first because until they can do that, it is nearly impossible to recognize how someone outside of them might be feeling.

I want to start with an evaluation

What is the goal of my child’s Social Skills Training?

The first goal of social skills training for children with autism should be to bring their social interaction with other children up to the level of their same age peers who are not on the autism spectrum (neurotypical). This is especially true for young learners as it will set the tone for how well they succeed in school, work, community and other social settings that they will encounter.

When social skills intervention occurs early on, a child can build confidence at a much earlier age by learning how to make friends and get along with others. Getting along with others is a springboard for learning other valuable skills like sharing, taking turns, imaginary play and sportsmanship.

Speaking of sportsmanship, it is important to provide opportunities for children with autism to play games where they may win or lose. Children with autism “feel” the happiness and victory of winning and the sadness or frustration of losing with added intensity. This is a great opportunity to teach good sportsmanship or frustration tolerance in social skills training. One way to teach this is to model good sportsmanship. Play a simple game that you may lose, (suggestions- tic, tac, toe, Candyland, Tag or Hide and Seek) and thank the child for a fun game. Congratulate the child for winning. Modeling social skills is teaching social skills.

Playing with others requires social skills training that is focused on a few pivotal skills. These pivotal skills are the skills that make or break the ability for play to continue.

Talking with others is a pivotal skill that facilitates meeting, getting to know one another and building friendships. A child with autism who has social skills training will learn that it is much easier to join a group of children at play by saying hello and asking to play than it is to stand and watch. The more times that a child successfully communicates and interacts with others, the more likely it is that they will continue to communicate to meet their needs.

Once a child with autism begins to talk with others more often, learning how to share or take turns becomes easier to teach. Teaching children on the spectrum how to share requires an opportunity to play with other children or siblings. So, you can see how important it is to get children with ASDs to talk with others first. Sharing requires a little negotiation, “first you have the ball for five minutes and then I can have the ball.”

In the midst of communication, play and sharing there is bound to be conflict at some point. This is why managing emotions is considered another pivotal social skill for children with autism. When children with autism have difficulties managing their emotions it can be tied in with their inability to express themselves verbally or it can be a deficit in any combination of social, communication, sensory or executive functioning skills (memory, self control, flexibility).

When a child with autism has difficulty managing emotions, they might react to aversive or non-preferred stimuli in any of the following ways.

Run away from the environment. (This can be dangerous in certain settings).
Experience a meltdown similar to a tantrum that would be seen in a toddler. (this is true for some adolescents, even those with high functioning autism)
Become aggressive or self harming
Resort to self stimulatory behavior like hand flapping, rocking or pacing.

The far reaching impact of social skills training

Beyond the pivotal skills of talking, taking turns, sharing, and managing emotions, is the ability to extend those skills into imaginary play and problem solving. These are life enhancing social skills that will develop over time and with exposure to peers and problems.

Pretend play

Pretend play happens best with a group of children who take on various roles and create scenarios and banter back and forth with one another developing a story as they go along.

Problem solving

Problem solving is a life skill that is best developed in a social setting and through interaction with peers. It’s a social skill that requires a little prompting and teaching, but the more a child with autism interacts with other children the more likely they are to encounter situations that will require some negotiation. It could be anything from a small disagreement between two peers or it could be a puzzle that a group of children is trying to solve.

All of these important social skills can be taught in ABA therapy sessions and by inclusion in a social skills group for children with social skill deficits. These social skills intervention groups work the same way an ABA session would by using positive reinforcement and a natural teaching environment. The biggest difference would be that the social skills groups are focused on the group interaction and improving social skills with each child by providing opportunities to respond to situations and resolve potential conflicts as they arise by guiding the children step by step as they learn.

The end goal of social skills training and intervention is to bring children with autism up to the level of their neurotypical peers in order to behave appropriately in public and to make connections with other people at the earliest opportunity possible. These skills will follow them into school, community and workplace settings as they get older.

I want this for my child!

What Kinds of Strategies Are Used for Developing Social Skills?

Social skills intervention for autism should be fun while teaching necessary life skills. Luckily, social skills training is inherently fun because it’s all about getting groups of children together, playing and interacting.

Some social skills training will be targeted for independent activities like going to the dentist or accompanying mom to the grocery store.

Whether your child is learning how to interact socially with peers in a group, one on one or independently in school or community these are some strategies that can be used for teaching social skills.

Role Play

Role Play is a useful strategy for practicing what will take place in a new situation that a child has never encountered before. If a child is going to the first day of school it can help ease any worries with a little first day of school role play. One child can pretend to be the teacher and another can be themselves. Practice introductions and finding a seat and starting the school day. Switch roles and allow the children to get creative and have fun with the role play. If imaginary play is difficult, a facilitator can step in and guide the role play.

Games

Games are always a great tool for teaching rules, turn taking and sportsmanship (as mentioned above). These social skills can be difficult for a child with autism and it may require time and patience to teach them. Some independent practice with a therapist or an adult at home is sometimes helpful to work through and talk through frustrations before getting into a large group setting. In the end, the social skills that are learned through game play are valuable.

Observation

Observation can remove fear of the unknown for children with autism. If a child on the spectrum is going to be exposed to a new setting (school, daycare, park) or a new situation (dentist, airplane, amusement park) it would be worth the time and effort to find ways to observe these new scenarios before the child experiences them.

If they are going to a new school, try stopping by to meet the new teacher, see the classroom, and watch the kids play on the playground.

If they will be visiting the dentist, try looking up some videos of other children during their visits to the dentist. Make sure (of course) that the videos are positive experiences and that there are simple explanations of what the dentist is doing in the video. The more the child knows before the visit, the less likely they are to fear the visit.

Social Stories

Social Stories are stories that help children with autism learn what to do and what not to do in social situations. Social stories are written in a specific format:

*They are constructed teach perspective

*They present opportunities for responses.

*They reinforce and support what they learn from the stories

*They teach the important role played by other people in situations and how they are handled

*They are reviewed by using partial sentences (fill in the blank) to encourage a child with autism to determine the ideal response to social situations.

Social stories are available in book and video formats and they are increasingly popular in social skills training.

ABA Therapy is the most frequently recommended course of treatment for autism spectrum disorders because it has shown the highest evidence based outcomes. Social skills intervention can be taught using Applied Behavior Analysis. ABA therapy uses positive reinforcement to reduce undesired or inappropriate behaviors while increasing socially appropriate behaviors. ABA focuses on improving specific behaviors such as communication, adaptive learning skills, academics and social skills.

Social Skills Groups

Social skills training can happen in just about any setting and there are opportunities throughout the day that can be utilized as teachable moments for children with autism. But, one of the best places to start is a social skills group that is specifically set up as a safe and accepting environment for children on the autism spectrum.

Kids Club is an after school social skills intervention group that is run by Circle Care Services’s ABA therapists.

At kids Club, children learn how to better

Talk to others
Take turns
Share
Manage emotions
Solve problems

This enables them to

Build confidence
Behave more appropriately
Make new friends

All these skills are practiced and eventually mastered in a setting that is fun and free from any conflict or tension with peers. Parents need not worry that their child is being bullied or isolated. Compassionate Circle Care therapists play with the children using activities and situations that ultimately teach them how to better navigate social situations in their everyday lives.

As your child breaks through barriers that previously kept him from joining in with activities that might be messy or loud or include a lot of friends, he will gain newfound joy.

Learn more form a new group in your New Jersey location or enroll now.

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How Does Autism Affect Social Skills?

cgross · March 5, 2021 · Leave a Comment

Table of contents

Can an autistic child have good social skills?
Social Skills Groups vs. Social Skills Training

People on the autism spectrum have developmental deficits in communication and display some of their most obvious struggles during social interactions with other people. One common struggle is often a lack of interest in social interactions with others. This is a big problem because social skills are primarily learned through regular interactions with others. If a child with autism is continually avoiding interaction with peers, inevitably the child’s social skills will be delayed over time.

Autism comes with its own inherent list of difficulties. In addition to the lack of interest in peers, autism is also well known for causing difficulties with initiating and responding to social interactions. It takes great encouragement to get a child with autism to walk up and introduce themselves to another child and ask them to play. Even if they do, it may be a scripted delivery that was prompted by a supervising adult and they might quickly walk away even if their gesture is accepted by the other child.

The ability to “read” others is a skill that needs to be taught purposefully to a child with autism. Social-emotional curriculum that teaches these skills is equally important as the rest of the academics in school for children with developmental delays such as these. Children on the autism spectrum literally need to be taught with repetition to recognize the difference in facial features between happy, sad, angry, jealous, curious, tired, distracted, bored or whatever the mood might be.

Social stories are used to describe various scenarios and outcomes as teaching tools for how to respond to social situations as appropriate behaviors are taught. These can also be used to display what it looks like to have an appropriate back and forth conversation or understand social cues. Check out these amazing books and activities recommended by our New Jersey autism specialists to improve these areas of difficulty:

There are many other areas that can make social interactions awkward such as sensory sensitivities, inflexibilities with activities or schedules or a refusal to participate in collaborative or imaginary play while in school or some other social setting.

The goal in social skills training while in treatment is to teach socially appropriate skills that will help communication skills and social interaction. At Circle Care, we desire to see that your child with autism is able to regulate his/her emotions, play with peers and communicate back and forth in a positive way that builds social confidence.

Explore our autism social groups

Can an autistic child have good social skills?

There is such a broad spectrum of the ways that autism will present itself in each child, and so the definition of “good” will differ from one child to the next. The best way to put this is to say that all children on the autism spectrum are capable of learning and improving their social skills. This is true because social skills are something that can be taught and positively reinforced at home, at school and during ABA treatment sessions.

When children with autism are properly taught and positively reinforced for appropriate social skills, they will make improvements. Over time they will continue to repeat those appropriate social behaviors as they interact with others.

There are some fairly simple suggestions for teaching social skills that you can integrate throughout your daily routine. These suggestions can be done by any parent or teacher. All that is needed is a learning opportunity to share with your child.

1) Model and Explain

The first is simply to model and explain social interactions. Children are observant and they learn by watching what is going on around them. At each opportunity, explain social situations that you experience. Explain the communication, facial expressions, tone of voice, gestures, body language and any questions. You may find out rather quickly that your child does not understand sarcasm, manipulation or nuances in the conversation without explaining more than once or explaining in another way if the first explanation fails.

2) Present Social Scenarios

Another way to teach social skills is to present social scenarios. You can either make up your own scenarios or use movies, books, comic strips or social skills curriculum that is specifically created for teaching these skills.

Role playing is a way to act out certain situations and practice skills in a non judgmental environment. This might be difficult for a child on the spectrum who is not fond of imaginary play, but it can also afford an opportunity to practice engaging in more imaginary play while working on social skills.

3) Participate in Social Skills Groups

Lastly, support groups are great sources of information and encouragement for frustrated parents and good social skills practice for children on the spectrum. Social skills groups usually combine the two groups simultaneously- while the child is in social skills training with peers, the parents are usually chatting in their own support circle in another room. This is a benefit for everyone. No matter where on the spectrum your child is diagnosed, there is hope for improved social skills. Social skills are learned by modeling and teaching your child, using positive reinforcement and exposing your child to peers and social settings over time to practice those skills. As they grow and learn, their social skills will improve to the extent that they have been taught, positively reinforced and exposed to social settings.

Who are the therapists at Circle Care?

Trying to decide between a social skills group or social skills training? Here are some general concepts that are taught in each setting:

Social Skills Groups vs. Social Skills Training

Social Skills Training with ABA Therapist (all of these skills are worked on independently with therapist)	Social Skills Group (all of these skills are worked on with peers in a group setting)
Accepting the likes and dislikes of others Asking for help Communicating clearly Complimenting others Being encouraging to others Following directions Being a good listener Being an active participant Conflict resolution Sharing Staying on task Taking turns Using a quiet voice Waiting patiently	Sharing details about yourself Expected and unexpected behaviors Tattling versus reporting Personal space Thinking with your eyes Complimenting others Body language Joining a group Conversing without interruption Telling jokes Whole body listening Self control Taking turns sharing

There are benefits to both types of social skills instruction. The individualized instruction with an ABA therapist provides valuable one to one instruction for your child and the social skills group provides exposure to peer group settings. Peer group settings are wonderful places to practice social skills that your child has learned about during 1:1 instruction. This will better prepare him for the social challenges he faces at school, a restaurant, a library, a store or standing at a bus stop. An added benefit of a peer group setting is that everyone is working toward the same goal of learning socially appropriate behavior in a safe and non judgmental environment.

Social skills require practice in social settings. Your child might feel uncomfortable at first, but with your encouragement and help and with the staff at Circle Care we can come together to support your child through any fear or apprehension they might have about interacting with other people in a social group.

We at Circle Care Services New Jersey, incorporate social skills training as part of our ABA treatment plans.

Also, we offer social skills groups for our children so that they can

Get to know one another
Get encouragement and guidance as they practice their newfound skills.
Get social interaction prompts and facilitation by trained specialists.

Let us help you and your child to improve the quality of life with greater communication skills and improved social skills. These are skills that will carry on into your child’s adult lives to serve him/her well. We can’t wait to hear from you and we can’t wait to introduce you to some of our other families here in New Jersey.

Help me improve my child’s social skills