It is a common assumption that children with ASD are not socially interested. While this may be true for some children, it is not the case for all children with autism. Many children who have ASD are socially interested but may lack the skills to socially interact and communicate with their peers.
Another common misconception is that a child with ASD can be helped socially by placing him or her in a social environment among typically developing peers, such as school or daycare. A core deficit of children with autism is the lack of ability to learn from the environment or at best selective learning. As such, they may not learn how to interact with their peers by just being around them.
When a child who has not developed an interest in peers and also lacks the skills to interact with them is placed among his peers, he may find it aversive to have others trying to interact with him.
Over time, the child may start to isolate himself and his peers may also learn to leave him alone. This effect results in the child with ASD learning that they do not have to interact with peers or that peers are aversive.
When a child who has not developed an interest in peers and also lacks the skills to interact with them is placed among his peers, he may find it aversive to have others trying to interact with him.
Over time, the child may start to isolate himself and his peers may also learn to leave him alone. This effect results in the child with ASD learning that they do not have to interact with peers or that peers are aversive.
Social skills is a nuanced area of deficit that is often not looked into in-depth when addressing challenges faced by children with autism (ASD). Besides the myth that children with autism are not social, priority in developing academic and language skills often leaves social skills not addressed adequately.
Another reason why social skills may not be addressed in depth is the attribution to a child’s individuality, such as being an introvert. There is also the fact that teaching social skills is difficult.
When our goal of therapy for children with ASD is to have them live a fulfilling life with meaningful friendships and connections, teaching social skills is definitely important and should be one of the primary focus.
Social skills and developing social relatedness make a huge impact in developing better attention overall. When a child cares about the people around him and is tuned in to the environment, he would naturally be able to attend better and this leads to better learning behaviours, such as learning from observation. It will also impact many other areas of deficits making it easier for them to be more successful in school, work and life in general.
Overall, they would also be more cued in and pick up more natural language as they pay attention when others are speaking. Ultimately, by developing meaningful friendships, the quality of life will be improved.
The Autism Partnership Method (APM) breaks down social skills into several parts that are interlinked, namely; social awareness, social relatedness, social communication, social interaction, and social learning. Each of these domains needs to be developed in relation to the others.
By increasing their skills in these areas children with autism will interact more readily with peers. We often set up practices for such social interactions by having play dates and social groups.
In our next article, we will explore more about the social skills taxonomy as well as how social skills practice can be explicitly set up during playdates and social groups.
Why do children with ASD have trouble communicating? Spontaneous communication is when communication is initiated voluntarily and is not a form of response. Some children may be non-verbal, while some can be verbal but have trouble speaking spontaneously. These children may have an extensive vocabulary and may be able to speak and respond to questions but […]
A common question parents have when enrolling their child in an ABA therapy program is the location for treatment. Often, parents wonder if having ABA treatment at home is better than the center-based option and vice versa. Additionally, parents may be concerned that they may not have enough resources at home for the therapist to […]
This special FAQ edition will cover some of the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding School Readiness, including a guide on choosing the right program. We also address some parents’ concerns about enrolling in a School Readiness Group Program, such as how a good School Readiness Group Program would benefit your child and know if […]
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