Kids with Autism generally have difficulties with social awareness skills.

Unlike typically developing children that naturally develop social awareness skills through people watching, their peers, parents and the environment.

A distinct lack of social skills can make it difficult for kids with Autism to develop and maintain friendships which in turn could lead to social isolation and in some cases even bullying.

Social skills teaching for kids with Autism WILL help provide your child with the tools he needs to understand and function in social situations.

Kids with Autism have difficulties understanding that not everyone will share their opinion, interests, thoughts and feelings, a child on the spectrum will not pick up on social cues from the other person, this can lead to misunderstandings and confusion for the child on the spectrum.

Social skills teaching for kids with Autism can help teach your child to recognize the feelings of others.

For example tools like flash cards (picture cards) or social stories for autism can help as an intervention strategy to teach social awareness skills. By using flash cards or social stories for autism children with Autism you can help guide your child in most social situations.

Social stories for autism ARE visual which is important for children with Autism. Typically most children with Autism are visual thinkers and learners, this means that they think in pictures, with speech / language as secondary.

The social story looks much like a comic script and acts like a visual plan or framework of the skill or situation, such as making friends, approaching people, starting conversations, sharing and so on all skills that a child on the spectrum may struggle with.

The social story answers the “wh” questions - who, what, where, when and why as well as “HOW” and will offer an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others. They are easy to implement and shoud be editable as no two kids are ever going to be the same and we all use different terminology with our kids.

Social stories for autism can be used for many different situations and skills - for example self-help skills, changes to routines, transitions, learning new skills and so on. To learn more about social stories for autism visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Or http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills
http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

A diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder can come a s a great shock to many parents.

It is thought that an average of 1 in every 150 babies is going to be given a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder before they attend school, this number is astonishing. Research into autism suggests that there is no one reason for autism, and that there is no cure.

While there is no cure for autism spectrum disorder, there are various autism supports and treatments available that can and will help with the symptoms of autism.

Autism supports and treatments can help  with disruptive behaviors, and teach self-help skills that allow for greater independence.  So what are the main symptoms of autism? social awareness deficits, communication difficulties both in verbal and non-verbal communication, imagination skills deficits as well as some stereotypical behaviours and sensory processing issues.

Autism supports and treatments ARE often reffered to as “Intervention Strategies”

Which Intervention Strategies will work for your child is mainy dependant on your child’s own personal abilities. No two children with autism spectrum disorder will ever be the same, and therefore the approach will be different. However one of the most significant treatments of autism is Social Skills Stories and ARE adaptable to suit all.

Social Skills Stories ARE used to help teach social awareness skills, deal with communication difficulties and help the child on the spectrum overcome many of the symptoms of autism that they display.

Social skills stories ARE short descriptive stories which detail a skill or behaviour from the child’s own perspective, breaking the skill or behaviour down into small relevant chunks that the child on the spectrum can understand.

The social story looks much like a comic script with visual images and small pices of first person text. Typically children with autism spectrum disorder ARE visual thinkers, this means that they think in pictures and will gain far more from visual intervention strategies like social  stories, PECS, flash cards and so on.

Commonly visual intervention strategies like the social story will answer the “wh” questions - who, where, why, when and what as well as “HOW” and will also provide an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in most children with autism spectrum disorder.

To implement social skills stories for autism and to learn more about what autism supports and treatments are avauilable visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Alternatively you will find immediate download of socials stories for autism from: http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

Autism is a disorder that affects approx 1 in every 150 people born. The symptoms of autism include: social awareness deficits, communication deficits, imagination deficits, in many stereotypical behaviours and in most autistics sensory processing issues.

The teenage years are for the majority of us our most social years. But for teenagers with autism the teenage years can be stressful and confusing. During adolescents we develop socially what we say and how we act becomes important in the eyes of our peers.

So how do you cope if you don’t really understand the added pressure being an adolescent can bring with it?

Supporting a teenager with autism is very important especially during puberty.

For many teens with ASD using visual supports is beneficial. Typically those with autism ARE visual thinkers and learners, therefore visual supports ARE easier for the teen to understand.

Visual supports have been around for a long time and have been proven to work very well for those with autism. There are many different autism supports such as: social skills stories, PECS, flash cards, visual timetables and so on.

Today I am going to concentrate on probably the most significant of the autism supports - social skills stories for teenagers with autism.

Characteristically social stories ARE used to teach and re-enforce skills and behaviours that the person with autism is struggling with. For example a teen with ASD will have social awareness deficits, which could result in social isolation and misinterpretations of activities or events.

Social stories act like a visual plan or framework of a skill or behaviour that needs teaching or re-enforcing. The social story will break down the skill or behaviour into smaller easier to understand sections, using first person text and visual images / pictures it will describe the skill or situation from the child’s own perspective.

So for example during puberty our bodies develop and we need to be aware of personal hygiene - a social story can  help explain the need for this, as well as help re-assure the teen with ASD that what is happening to their body is perfectly normal.

The social story for teens with ASD should answer the “wh” questions - who, what, where, when and why as well as “how” and provide an insight into the thoughts and feelings of others which is an area of marked weakness for those with autism.

A social story for teens with ASD should help pave the way for positive behaviours, help with transitions, changes to routines, self - help skills, social awareness deficits, communication deficits and so on.

To find suitable social skills stories for teenagers with autism visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com/autistic_teens

Or http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Autism is a complex neurological disorder which affects on average 1 in every 150 born. Typically the ratio of boys being diagnosed autistic is higher than females at  the ratio 4:1 males being diagnosed autistic.

There are no known cures for autism spectrum disorder BUT there are treatments for autism which can help alleviate many of the symptoms of autism.

The main symptoms of autism being deficits in social awareness, communication difficulties both verbal and non-verbal communication is affected and imagination skills. Typically most autistics also display some sensory processing issues.

Probably some of the most significant treatments for autism available ARE social skills stories, visual social story cards, PECS and flash cards to name a few.

Generally children with autism spectrum disorder will have difficulties in expressing how they feel or what they need, this can cause confusion for parents and teachers, and cause the child much anxiety and stress.

Autism products such as social skills stories and flash cards can be put in place to help the child understand and be understood more effectively.

Social stories ARE autism products which were first introduced around twenty years ago and have grown in use and popularity since there introduction by therapist Carol Gray.

Social stories break down the skill or behaviour into smaller easier to understand sections and use visual images / pictures to show and explain the skill or behaviour from the autistic child’s own perspective.

Much like a comic script conversation the social story is used like a visual plan or framework answering the ever important “WH” questions - who, what, why, when and where as well as “HOW” the social story will also give the child on the spectrum an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others. This is a known area of weakness for most autistics.

As well as providing a visual plan the social skills story, visual social story cards and flash cards ARE also used as a means of communication.

For example flash cards ARE used  as a means of communication providing the child on the spectrum with a  selection of small laminated cards to show or exchange for what ever it is they need. So for example at snack time the child may hand the teacher a card showing the picture of an apple in return the teacher would then give the child an apple and so on.

Autism products such as social skills stories, visual social story cards and folders as well as flash cards are now available for download at http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Looking at Communication Difficulties in Autism - USING VISUAL SUPPORTS

Children with autism have difficulties with communication skills, and will often not develop effective communication . It is believed that up to 50% of children with autism spectrum will NOT develop speech, while others will develop speech slowly.

When we think of speech we are thinking of the body of words and the formation of sounds, as well as the structure and forms used to allow speech.

However with  communication this can be either verbally through speech or non-verbally through gestures, signs and pointing to printed words or symbols.

Typically children with autism spectrum WILL struggle with all forms of communication verbal and non-verbal and will use speech as a secondary language. Children with autism spectrum ARE generally VISUAL thinkers this means that they
think in pictures / images, this is their first language.

It is therefore beneficial for teacher and parents to consider visual information as a means of communication and use speech / words less. Visual communication supports for autism can be in many forms - social stories, visual social story cards,
PECS, flash cards, visual timetables and so on.

As children develop they begin to explore their environment and learn cause and affect - for example a thirsty child may point to his cup, a tired child may raise their arms to be picked up, this is cause and affect.  This inquisitiveness for exploration to learn this cause and affect is typically missing in children with autism.

By the time a non-verbal autistic child starts school chances are they will already have been seen by a  speech therapist. In many cases it will be necessary for the autistic child to learn a new form of communication -  a child that screams and tantrums to
get what they need is not going to “fit in” at school. A new means of communication will be needed to control the need for the screaming - for example visual communication supports for autism such as visual social story cards, PECS and flash cards can be introduced.

Visual social story cards are small laminated cards approx. 8cm by 11cm that can be introduced to help the child learn new skills or understand behaviours that they find difficult to master, for example break time, using the potty, time out and so on.

The social story cards are short visual stories much like a comic script that are used as a visual plan or framework of the skill or behaviour, always from the autistic child’s own perspective and in first person text. The social story cards will describe the skill or behaviour and give possible outcomes.

Visual social story cards answer the “wh” questions - who, what, why, when and where as well as “HOW” and provide an insight into how others may be feeling, which is an area of marked weakness in most autistic children.

To learn more about how social stories can be used to help autisitic children and communication difficulties in autism visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

I often get asked How do I choose a social story for my autistic child?

To begin with you need to understand what a social story is:

Social stories are short visual descriptions of a skill, behaviour, activity or event, written in first person text and always from the autistic child’s own perspective.

Social stories are written to help the child with autism develop social awareness skills and behaviours as well as social understanding, and better communication skills.

A social skills story can also help the child with autism better understand that not everyone shares their opinions, likes and dislikes and that we all have different objectives, thoughts and feelings.

The social skills story is generally written in word format and can be adapted to suit all needs and abilities. It should also be easy to edit and personalize, as no two individuals will ever be the same and we all use different terminology with our children.

Typically children with autism spectrum are visual thinkers, meaning that they think in pictures and use language as a secondary.

This makes social stories ideal as they ARE predominantly visual and colourful.

Social stories answer the ever important “wh” questions - who, what, why, when and where as well as “HOW” and will offer an insight into how another person may precieve the situation, their emotion and feelings, this is an area of marked weakness in most children with autism spectrum.

Acting as a visual framework or plan the social story can help giude the autistic child, suggesting possible responses and outcomes, promoting positive behaviours.

Social stories and visual social story cards ARE used for ALL situations and skills that the child with autism is struggling with, for example: asking other kids to play, waiting their turn to talk in the classroom, recess, being a good sport and so on.

Many parents find social stories and visual social story cards an excellent tool around puberty, by helping to explain what is happening and what the child / adolescent can expect.

Through observation you should be able to determine which skills and behavours your child is finding challenging and implement an appropriate social story. However if you do not see any improvement after two weeks maybe the story needs tweaking, or perhaps you have read the situation wrong and a different story is needed.

For example a child that has a tamtrum during circle time, may not be having a meltdown due to circle time itself, there could be a number of reasons, such as not getting to show and tell first to, who they are sitting next to. Through observation you should be able to determine the cause of the tantrum and introduce an appropriate story.
To lean more  - How do I choose a social story for my autistic child visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Typically children with autism will have social deficits, these are common in autism and will mean that the child may need direct help to teach them social awareness skills and behaviours.

Social stories are short descriptive stories which give information to individuals that struggle to understand social situations. For example social situations such as: asking questions, respecting personal space and making friends.

They are also used to teach social awareness and help with communication difficulties.

So what does a social skills story look like?

• It should be visual, using visual images and short sentences to describe the skill or situation.

• The autism social skills story should provide positive re-enforcement and information

• The autism social skills story can be used to prepare for upcoming changes, or social situations and events

• The autism social skills story should focus on the key points and remove un-necessary language

• The autism social skills story should be written in first person text and always be from the autistic individuals perspective.

• The autism social story should be portable, printable, editable and easy to implement.

All autistic individuals should be able to use social stories to help them cope with skills and situations that they find difficult.

Modifications can be made to make the social story easier for individuals with autism to use, we all use different terminology, and no two individuals with autism will ever be the same.

How do I use social skills stories with my child?

The social skills story can be easily implemented and needs NO formal training to use.

Typically children on the spectrum are visual thinkers, this means that they think in pictures and will generally use speech as their secondary language. The social story uses images or pictures with small pieces of text to describe a situation or skill.

The skill is broken into small easy to understand sections, and appropriate images are used to visually show the skill in a manner that is easier to comprehend. The social story should answer the ever important “wh” questions - who, what, why, when and where as wll as “HOW” and will offer an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is a marked area of weakness in most children with autism.

After careful observations parents and teachers should be able to determine which activities, skills and behavioours the child on the spectrum is struggling with and an appropriate social story can be introduced.

Parents and teachers can implement the social skills story to help the child on the spectrum learn or to re-enforce a skill. The social story will act like a visual framework or plan of the skill or behaviour.

To learn more about social stories and to obtain appropriate downloads visit:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com
or http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school
http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

Generally kids with autism find social situations confusing due to social skills deficits, all autistic individuals will have social difficulties this is common to autism and due mainly to EACH INDIVIDUALS  own individual social skills deficits.

For the majority of parents with an autistic child, helping their autistic child to develop social skills is a primary focus.

Consequently, many treatments of autism have been researched and developed to help parents teach social skills to their child on the spectrum. 

Teaching social skills to kids with autism can lead to an increase in positive behaviors and self-confidence.

There is a variety of treatments of autism that may be suitable for your child on the spectrum, your G.P. will point you in the right direction and offer advice. For many parents and teachers of autistic kids strategies such as social skills stories help them in teaching and increasing social skills in kids with autism.

An autism social story is a short descriptive story that acts like a visual plan or framework of the situation or skill being developed or taught, the social skills story is almost like a comic script.

The goal of an autism social story is to focus on the key points or social cues of the situation or skill. The social skills story uses first person text and visual images to describe the skill or situation by answering the “wh” questions - who, where, why, when and what as well as “HOW” and will give an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others.

Social stories are used for a wide variety of situations and skills that the child may be finding difficult to master or is causing stresses, for example: A shopping trip; meeting new people; recess; school dinner; assembly even a trip to the dentist. Any of these situations can be dealt with using a simple autism social story.

The autism social story can be used to help practice skills and behaviors, manage negative behaviors, explain changes to routines and make confusing or stressful events and situations understandable by allowing the child with autism a chance to rehearse the skill or situation in advance.

Typically kids with autism are visual thinkers; this means that they will have more successes using visual information rather than written or spoken direction and information.

Increasing social skills in kids with autism is effective using direct teaching such as: autism visual supports like social skills stories. A social skills story can make an otherwise confusing or stressful skill or situation more routine.

For a child with autism having a step by step action plan in the form of a simple autism social story; that they can read and understand that is visually rich and easy to follow, can be a tremendous benefit and reduce their fears and sensitivities.

Increasing social skills goals for kids with autism such as tooth brushing, hygiene, asking questions and calming down can all be tackled using social stories as a strategy.

To learn more about using social stories as a strategy and how they are used to benefit a child with autism visit:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

Other sites that offer social skills stories can be found at:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school_resources

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/preschool

A diagnosis of autism spectrum can be upsetting for many parents all of a sudden your world is upside down. However a diagnosis of autism spectrum need not be met with fear. Autism spectrum is more common than you probably thought with 1 in every 150 babies born being given a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.

As with typically developing children, all children with autism will also develop at varying rates, with no two kids on the spectrum having the same autism characteristics.

Some children with Low functioning autism may have other problems such as little or no speech, seizures and will normally have educational difficulties.

Those children with autism characteristics such as asperger syndrome will have average or above intelligence, however their speech may still develop slowly but will develop. This set of individuals are often referred to as the little professor or geeks!

However typical to all children with autism ARE “The Triad of Autistic Impairments” or social skills deficits.

Each individual’s deficits will vary, some kids on the spectrum may display severe social deficits whilst others may display less severe social deficits and be able to function quite well socially.

There is no cure for autism spectrum but there are various treatments for autism that will help teach social and communication skills to children with autism

Significantly many treatments for autism use visual information, this is because typically kids on the spectrum ARE visual thinkers and learners, meaning they think in pictures and language/speech is secondary.

Typically most kids on the spectrum find treatments for autism like social skills stories, visual social story cards and flash cards beneficial.

Probably one the major concerns for many parents of children with autism spectrum is their child’s difficulty with social development skills and behaviors for example making friends, asking questions, respecting personal space and so on.

A social skills story acts like a visual framework or plan of the skill or behavior that the child with ASD is struggling with. So for example id the child with ASD is struggling to approach and make friends with their peers the social story can outline the appropriate social cues and help guide the child with ASD to make friends.

For parents of children with autism spectrum, caregivers, autistic educators and other professionals using social skills stories as a strategy that will help teach social and communication skills to children with autism can be a real help.

Using social skills stories as a strategy that will help teach social and communication skills to children with autism was first introduced almost twenty years ago and has since proven to be one of the major jumps forward in the treatment of autism.

Autism social skills stories are short, descriptive and visually rich. The social story will generally follow a set formula of sentence type and will always be from the perspective of the autistic child.

The social story will answer the “wh” questions – who, what, where, when and why as well as “HOW” and will offer the autistic child an insight into the thoughts feelings and emotions of others, which is an area of marked weakness in most ASD kids.

Autism social skills stories are an effective tool strategy that will help teach social and communication skills to children with autism. Typically written in word format to make personalization and editing simple the social story also needs to be portable for convenience

Giving key focus to the vital points the social cues autism social skills stories are much like a comic strip, showing a detailed visual step by step plan of the skill or behavior being taught or re-enforced.

For immediate download of autism social skills stories that will help teach and re-enforce social, communication, imagination and interaction skills to ASD kids visit one of the following sites where you will find autism social skills stories and visual support cards for children and young people with ASD

www.autismsocialstories.com

www.autismsocialstories.com/visual_aids

www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

Children with autism spectrum disorder have social awareness deficits as well as communication difficulties this can make even simple social skills like holding a conversation difficult and at times VERY STRESSFUL!

Therefore Teaching Social Awareness Skills and Behaviours for children with autism should be based upon the child strengths.

Typically children with autism spectrum disorder are VISUAL thinkers and learners, this means they use VISUAL information as their first language, they think in pictures and images.

Strategies can be put in place for teaching social awareness skills and behaviours for children with autism spectrum disorder that WILL help the child cope with the social awareness deficits and communication difficulties that they struggle with.

Therefore any of the strategies you choose to use should be visual such as “Autism Social Skills Stories” and “Visual Social Story Cards” both these strategies use visual information to teach the child with ASD essential social and communication skills.

Autism Social Skills Stories – These are short visually descriptive stories which are much like a comic script showing a skill or behaviour in step by step format.

For example – “I like to talk, I like to talk to my friends and I like to talk to my family”.

The social skills story breaks the skill or behaviour into smaller relevant sections (the social cues) and uses first person text as well as pictures or images to detail the skill or behaviour from the child’s own perspective.

The social skills story will act as a visual framework showing what the child can expect and how they will be expected to act. It will answer the “wh” question – who, where, why, when and what as well as “HOW” and will also offer an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in most children on the spectrum.

Visual Social Story Cards – These are small laminated cards generally about 8 x 11 cm in size.

The visual social story cards work in the same manner as social stories but they break the skill even further into sections, each section is on a separate card with image, the cards are flipped over to reveal the individual steps of the skill or behaviour.

The visual social story cards can be used in the same manner as regular social stories to teach and re-enforce social awareness skills and communication difficulties.

To learn more about strategies that can be put in place to help your child with ASD learn social awareness skills and deal with their communication difficulties visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

It is important to remember it is more useful to put strategies in place to help prevent inappropriate behaviours before they happen than to try and deal with the behaviour once it has occurred.

It is also important to remember that ALL behaviour displayed by kids with autism is for a reason an internal or external factor NEVER just because as with typically developing children.

Due to the triad of autistic impairments children with autism have a lack of social awareness, communication and imagination skills and behaviours.

It is therefore recommended that because of the triad of autistic impairments that any behaviour management for kids with autism is devised to help the child with ASD understand and cope with skills and behaviours that they struggle to understand and manage.

Help such as visual intervention strategies, which ARE used to help teach social awareness, communication and imagination skills and behaviours.

There are many different positive behaviour supports like visual intervention strategies such as: Social Skills Stories, Visual Social Story Cards, Flash Cards, PECS and so on…

Using Positive behaviour supports for ASD is beneficial.

For example positive behaviour supports for ASD can teach self-help skills, choice and decision making, routine changes, social awareness, communication skills and environmental changes as well as much more.

Probably one of the major strategies used is social skills stories – these are short descriptive pieces of text which can be used to help the child with ASD feel more comfortable with and in a situation.

Social Skills Stories use visual images to help explain a situation, skill, behaviour or event from the child’s own perspective. Typically kids with ASD are visual thinkers and learners; this means that they understand visual information easier than that which is written or spoken.

Noticeably kids with ASD have communication difficulties and find reading facial expressions and body language confusing, this is also due to their social impairments.

Having social impairments can make friendships difficult to build and maintain again positive behaviour supports for ASD can help alleviate this issue and help the child with autism develop friendships.

The social story will help answer the “wh” questions – who, what, why, when and where as well as “HOW” and will provide the child with autism an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in most autistics.

The social story can act like a visual framework or plan of the skill being taught, it will focus on the key points or cues and suggest possible outcomes for the child with autism to follow.

To learn more about behaviour management for kids with autism and how social skills stories WILL help visit:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

There are various tools that can be used to teach social skills for children with autism, probably one of the most significant of these is the social skills story.

Teaching social skills for children with autism using social stories

Social stories are used as a tool for aiding communication and teaching social skills. The social skills story is typically written in first person text, always from the point of view of the autistic child, and will use images to help describe the skill or behaviour in terms of relevant social cues.

The social skills story will provide accurate information, with no hidden extras. Social stories for children with autism answer the ever important “wh” questions – who, what, where, when and why as well as “HOW” and will offer an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in most autistic children.

The characteristics of autism

A lack of appropriate social skills is one of the characteristics of autism. Many parents struggle daily to teach “everyday” life skills such as appropriate hygiene as well as other skills like making friends and social awareness skills to their autistic child.

Teaching social skills for children with autism using social stories is beneficial. The social skills story acts like a visual framework or visual plan of the skill, helping the child to understand what is happening, why and what is expected of them.

Download: social stories for autism

While many sites offer downloads of social stories for autism, they may not always be colourful, editable and easy to implement.

At http://www.autismsocialstories.com you will not only find downloads of 100’s of well written social stories, the social stories are also colourful, editable, convenient and easy to implement.

To learn more about social stories for autism and how they can benefit your child visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

For many families with children on the spectrum using visual supports WILL give their child relief from many of the social awareness and communication skills that they struggle to understand and cope with.

However for some families finding appropriate visual supports for autism can be an issue.  There are many different visual supports for autism available, choosing the right support for your child on the spectrum can be challenging!

Looking at How to Download Visual Supports for your Child on the Spectrum

1.       Autism Social Skills Stories

Autism Social Skills Stories are short descriptive stories that can help explain visually how and why something happens. For example some children with autism may struggle to make friends or ask other children to play. A social story can help the child on the spectrum learn how to approach other children, what they may expect and in turn what the child on the spectrum should expect.

The social story uses visual images and first person text in an almost comic like fashion answering the “wh” questions – who, what, why, when and where as well as “HOW” and will offer an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in most children with autism.

To learn more about Autism Social Skills Stories visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

2.       Visual Social Story Cards

Just like a social story the visual social story cards are short specifically written cards that offer a child on the spectrum ways of coping with skills and behaviours that they are struggling to master.

The visual social story card is a small laminated card generally 8 x 11, each card has an appropriate image and short sentence to describe what is happening from the autistic child’s point of view.

To learn more about Visual Social Story Cards visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

3.       Visual Flash Cards

Visual Flash Cards and used as a means of communication. The cards are generally 9 x 13 in size and will display a printed picture on the front with a short written description. The visual flash cards can be used in many different ways as an exchange, on a visual timetable and as communication aids.

Visual flash cards are very handy to re-enforce skills for example snack time at school a card can be exchanged in return for the appropriate treat or snack and so on…

To learn more about Visual Flash Cards visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com/visual_aids

There are many other visual supports for autism available, but these are our top tips and will generally be sufficient for the majority of children with autism.

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/visual_aids

The Festive Season is here once more, for the majority of us it is the season of fun and festivities, but for many families with an ASD child Christmas can be fraught with stress and anxiety.

For many children on the spectrum Christmas time is more likely to be filled with difficulties, stresses and anxiety. Their routines can be disrupted and the stability they rely on can go out the window, and be replaced by the sheer chaos of Christmas.

And as any parent of an autistic child knows no matter how small the changes are they can be difficult for the ASD child to cope with.

For many families with an ASD child Christmas and all its sensory overloads is dreaded. However there ARE Intervention Strategies designed to help children on the spectrum deal with many of the issues surrounding Christmas.

Intervention Strategies such as social skills stories, visual social story cards, flash cards, PECS and other strategies ARE used to help children on the spectrum at Christmas time.

These Intervention Strategies can help with skills, behaviours and activities such as decorating the Christmas tree. Many autistic children fail to understand why a tree is decorated.  Consequently Intervention Strategies like social stories ARE used to explain why in a way the child on the spectrum can understand.

For many families Christmas with an ASD child is stressful, intervention strategies can HELP remove some of the stress by helping the autistic child gain a better understanding of Christmas.

Social skills stories are short descriptive pieces of text, written from the point of view of the child on the spectrum, and using visual images or pictures to show the situation or skill much like a comic strip.

Using visual images is known to work with children on the spectrum as they are mainly visual thinkers and learners, meaning they think in pictures, making visual intervention strategies like social skills stories excellent resources to use.

Many situations and skills can be addressed using social skills stories, a good social story will act as a role model or visual plan, breaking the situation down into smaller sections showing in a concise manner the “wh” questions – who, where, when, why and what, plus “How” as well as giving an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others all helping to reduce anxieties, stress ad confusion.

A social story may be edited and personalized for convenience, to learn more about Christmas with an autistic child and how social stories for Christmas can help visit:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/christmas

Other social stories can be downloaded from:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

where you will find information and a selection of social stories for Christmas with your autistic child. Other social stories can be found at: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

For many children on the autism spectrum Christmas may be a time for stress and anxiety, with the on-going chaos and sensory overload the Festive Season provides.

However there are strategies that parents of autistic children can put in place to help their child cope.

Typically children with autism spectrum disorder ARE visual thinkers and learners; this means that they use speech/language secondary and visual information as a primary means of communication.

So how does this help us at Christmas!

Generally for children on the autism spectrum Christmas is unpredictable, and it is this unpredictability that CAN cause the most distress.  

Using VISUAL autistic supports can help.

Characteristically children with autism spectrum disorder prefer structure and routines and dislike changes. Visual autistic supports CAN help balance the unpredictability of Christmas and make the Festive Season more predictable and structured.

Commonly parents of autistic children struggle to find suitable supports for Christmas and autism spectrum disorder. However, the internet NOW makes it a lot easier for parents to source suitable information and autism supports.

Using autism supports for Christmas

Visual Timetables:  Can be used to show a count-down to Christmas, the visual timetable can be used to help the child with ASD visually see what is happening each day on the run up to Christmas, for example buying the tree, putting up the tree, decorating the house, a school play, party and so on.

Photos:  Show your child with ASD photographs of last year and how you celebrated to remind them of how the Festive Season is going to be.

Visual Social Story Cards:  Can be introduced to help the child with ASD deal with changes to routines, learning new skills and coping with unpredictability. Visual social story cards ARE small laminated story cards which act like a framework of a skill or situation for example the school play. The story card can help the child to understand what is happening and what is expected of them.

Autism social skills stories:  Probably the most significant of the autism supports for Christmas. Autism social skills stories answer the “wh” questions – who, what, where, when and why as well as “ HOW” and offer an insight into the thoughts and feelings of others. The social skills story is a short descriptive story from the autistic child’s point of view which uses visual images to show how and why something is happening and how the autistic child can deal with this, as well as what other people will be expecting of them.

Visual flash cards - PECS:  These can be used to help communication difficulties during the festive season.

There are of cause other visual autistic supports that can be sourced on  the internet.

Christmas need not be too stressful once the right visual autistic supports are put in place. To find suitable autistic supports like: Autism social skills stories for Christmas as well as visual social story cards visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com/christmas

These Autism social skills stories for Christmas CAN be edited, personalized, downloaded and printed for convenience.

Visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com/christmas

For the majority of us Christmas is a time of great joy, festivities, family gatherings and fun.

But for many children with autism spectrum disorder Christmas is a time for stress and confusion.

With the sheer chaos that surrounds the Festive Season, changes to routines at home, at school, behaviours and an overload of sensor stimulation many autistic children WILL suffer “meltdowns”, stress and anxiety.

Intervention Strategies like Autism social skills stories for Christmas with autism CAN help your child cope with this sensory nightmare!

Social stories ARE Intervention Strategies written to help children with autism spectrum disorder deal with situations, behaviours and skills that they struggle to understand or master, like for example The Christmas Holidays.

Typically written in first person text and always from the point of view of the autistic child a social skills story will aim to answer the “WH” questions -  who, what, why, when and where as well as “HOW”.

The social skills story will also offer the child on the spectrum an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness for many children with autism spectrum disorder.

Generally autistic children ARE visual thinkers and learners which means that they think in pictures, making visual supports like autism social skills stories beneficial.

A social skills story for Christmas, WILL benefit your child by giving them a visual framework or plan of some of the activities that they are finding difficult.

For example maybe you are concerned that the family Christmas tree may cause sensory overload to your child on the spectrum. By introducing a simple social skills story for Christmas you can help your child accept the Christmas tree without them feeling anxious or stressed.

Social stories for Christmas with autism should be editable and easy to personalize, making them convenient and portable, which means that you can take them to Grannies and feel more relaxed knowing you have a means to help calm and reassure your child on the spectrum should you need to.

To learn more about visual supports like autism social skills stories and how they CAN help your autistic child visit:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/christmas

Generally “normally” developing teenagers learn social skills through observation and parental instruction; this is not the case for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

Typically adolescents with autism spectrum disorder lack The Theory of mind and can find social skills difficult to master without direct teaching.

What is The Theory of mind – simply put The Theory is the ability to predict another person’s thoughts or emotions through observation – “reading facial expression, gestures, body language and speech inflection”

For teenagers with autism this is a skill that they lack, and therefore need help to learn.

Social skills teaching for teenagers with autism is necessary and can be achieved through Intervention Strategies like social stories.

We all need basic social skills, this is especially important during puberty. For teens with autism puberty can be very confusing, Intervention Strategies like social stories can help alleviate some of the difficulties and stress surrounding this time in the teens life.

A social story is like a visual framework of a skill or behaviour set out in terms of the relevant social cues. So for example a social story can be used to teach personal hygiene rules, personal space, no touching, transitions and so on, in-fact almost any skill the teenager with autism is struggling with.

For teens with autism puberty is confusing, a changing body and feelings can add up to anxieties which can lead to meltdowns and isolation. By putting social stories in-place for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder you can help them make sense of this period in their lives.

Social stories are short descriptive stories that use visual images/pictures to describe a skill or situation from the autistic teens point of view. The social story will answer the “wh” questions – who, what, where, when and why as well as “HOW” and will provide autistic teens an insight into what other people may be feeling or thinking.

Social skills teaching for teenagers with autism using social stories is beneficial to learn more about how social stories for teens with autism can help your adolescent visit:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/autistic_teens

Where you will find information on social stories as well as have the chance to download social stories for teens with autism on puberty and other issues the teen may be facing.

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/autistic_teens

Social stories are a Visual Intervention Strategy that can be used to help teach children with autism social, communication and imagination skills and behaviours.

Typically children with autism lack the “Theory of Mind”, which means that they do not have the ability to see things from another person’s perspective or understand their beliefs and emotions. A child on the spectrum will also struggle with social awareness skills and will lack the ability to read situations and decide what is going on.

The majority of children with autism ARE visual thinkers and learners, this means that they think in pictures. Consequently, using a Visual Intervention Strategy to help them overcome their social awareness deficits and lack of Theory of Mind…

Visual social stories for children with autism are Visual Intervention Strategies that use images/pictures to describe a skill or situation from the autistic child’s own point of view.

As “normally” developing individuals we have the “Theory of Mind” we can predict what another person may be feeling or thinking by reading their body and facial expression.

For a child on the spectrum a social story can act like a visual framework or step by step plan of the skill or situation that they are struggling with. The social story WILL help guide them and teach them in a gentle reassuring manner how to act in the situation.

Visual social stories for children with autism answer the “wh” questions – who, what, where, when and why as well as “HOW” and will offer an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in most autistic children.

Many parents of autistic children report their child shows improvement in social awareness skills and communication difficulties once social stories are introduced.

There is no need for any formal training to use social stories, downloadable social stories can be edited and personalized. No two individuals on the spectrum are ever going to be the same and we all use different terminology with our child, therefore the ability to edit social stories is beneficial.

Visual social story cards are also used with autistic children with great effect. These are ready made and laminated small cards. Each card has a section of the social story on it and can be presented either on a key ring or in a small 8×6 inch folder.

To learn more about social stories for your child on the spectrum visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Here you will find various social stories for download, as well as visual social story cards on key rings and in folders as well as visual flash cards.

Other sites offering downloadable social stories are:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skill

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school_resources

Typically children with autism are visual thinkers and learners, which means that they think in images/pictures.

Therefore visual information and teaching/learning strategies ARE found to be more beneficial.

There are various forms of visual supports for autism – for example visual social stories, visual social story cards, flash cards, PECS and many more.

These are probably the most significant of the visual supports for autism and generally need no formal training to use.

Many parents and teachers of children with autism find supports like visual social stories a real help and report less stress and meltdowns after social stories or other visual supports have been introduced.

What is a visual social story?

A visual social story is a short descriptive story detailing with images/pictures a skill, situation or behaviour that the child on the spectrum is struggling with – for example making friends, playing games, taking turns and so on.

The visual social story WILL answer the “wh” questions who, what, where, when and why as well as “HOW” and will offer an insight into the thoughts and feelings of others which is an area of marked weakness in most children with autism.

The visual social story is much like a visual framework or step by step plan of the skill, situation or behaviour. Typically visual social stories are written in first person text and will always be from the autistic child’s own point of view.

A social story can be introduced for most situations. We all use different terminology with our child, therefore the social story ought to be editable and easy to personalize making it relevant for any child on the spectrum.

To learn more about visual supports for autism including visual social stories, visual social story cards and flash cards visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

For most parents, one of the most trying times in their lives is during their child’s teenage years. “The teenage years” and dealing with autistic teenagers is not easy!

When puberty hits, young adults go through serious changes in their bodies and minds, and parents have little or no control over many situations. In an autistic child, puberty is no different. Although your autistic child is not experiencing puberty in quite the same ways as others his or her age, major hormonal changes still occur in the body. This can lead to extreme results, and this can be either good or bad depending on how your child reacts to the new hormone levels.

One of the scariest side effects of changes for autistic teenagers is the onset of seizures.

Many autistic individuals experience seizures from birth right through to adulthood. However, even if your ASD child does not suffer from these episodes, he or she may begin to experience seizures during puberty and afterwards, due to the new levels of hormones in their body.

Almost a quarter of autistic children experience seizures, but many go undetected because they are not textbook versions of seizures.

If you recognize that your ASD child is experiencing a seizure, you should contact your G.P., he/she will be able to prescribe medications or treatments which will help your autistic teen.

However, if the seizures are subconsciously happening, you and your child may not realize it. The result of these small hidden seizures can be a loss in function, which can be disruptive, especially if you child was improving before puberty. Regular check-ups during puberty, therefore, are extremely important.

The changes many autistic children go through are not necessarily be a bad thing. New hormone levels in the body and the other changes associated with puberty can help your autistic child grow and succeed in areas he or she normally had no skill or interest.

Many parents report that their teen’s behavior improved, and that learning in social settings has become easier.

The important thing about puberty is to learn to monitor the changes in your ASD child very carefully and to ask your doctor lots of questions.

Remember that puberty is a difficult experience for any young adult, and so it will be even more difficult for autistic individuals.

Try using supports for autism and puberty with your aspie teen. Supports like social stories ARE effective around this time of life.

Typically an aspie teen may not understand what is happening to them and CAN become withdrawn, stressed and feel isolated.

The benefit of using supports for autism and puberty like social skills stories for teenagers with autism is that the social story CAN become like a friend (a visual plan or framework) detailing to the teen with autism exactly what is happening and why as well as giving them possible outcomes and suggest behaviors

The social story will answer the “wh questions – who, what, why, where and when” as well as “HOW” and will offer the teen with autism an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in many autistic individuals.

To learn more about The teenage years – dealing with autistic teenagers with supports for autism and puberty like social skills stories for teenagers with autism visit:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/autistic_teens

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/asperger_adolescents

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/hygiene

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