Social stories for teenagers with ASD ~ coping with puberty
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010For the majority of teenagers with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) a surge in hormones during puberty, with growing sexuality and changes to their bodies can prove to be very stressful and confusing.
Many teenagers with ASD struggle to understand why their bodies are changing, their friends and the expectations placed on them. For typically developing teenagers these changes although stressful are understood and accepted.
Generally teenagers on the spectrum will have already been introduced to methods such as social stories that help them cope with and learn social and communication skills and behaviours. However during puberty a lot these already learnt skills will change.
For a lot of teenagers on the spectrum puberty can also mean the beginning of seizures, which in themselves can be upsetting and confusing, just to add to this already confusing and stressful time.
Treatments of autism such as visual strategies like social stories reduce anxieties around this period in an autistic teen’s life. Many parents of teenagers on the spectrum use social stories for teenagers with ASD as a good method of explaining and coping with puberty.
Social stories are a visual role model of a skill or situation described from the teenager’s point of view using first person text and visual images showing the key points or social cues. Thus allowing the teenager on the spectrum a chance to rehearse the skill they may be struggling to understand, which will reduce anxieties and stress.
The vast majority of individuals on the spectrum are visual thinkers and learners, meaning they think and talk in pictures. Therefore using visual strategies like social stories for teenagers with ASD is beneficial.
An already stressed out teen is not going to listen, so talk less and use visual strategies like social stories to get your point across or to help.
Consequently, many parents of individuals on the spectrum use autism social skills stories for teenagers with ASD to teach appropriate social and communication skills, as well as a means of explaining puberty and menstruation.
Social stories are used as a tool in autism, a visual explanation, a visual framework showing visually the “wh” questions (who, what, where, when and why). And give the teenager with autism an insight into the emotions and thoughts of those around them, helping them feel more comfortable.
Autism social skills stories for teenagers with ASD are used to explain coping with puberty, about their changing bodies, changes to routines, friends, hygiene issues and other issues that may occur around this time of life.
Social skills stories are useful visual strategies, and can be implemented when teaching things like using deodorant, showering, masturbation and how to deal with aggression.
To learn more about Autism social skills stories for teenagers with ASD and coping with puberty visit us at: http://www.autismsocialstories.com/autistic_teens
Alternatively information can be found at http://www.autismsocialstories.com/asperger_adolescents






