Frequently Needed Answers

Commonly children on the autism spectrum HAVE difficulties WITH AND IN social situations.

The social awareness skills we take for granted – the ability to “read” peoples body and facial expression ARE NOT skills that children on the autism spectrum learn naturally.

A lack of social awareness skills makes it difficult for these children to make and keep friends and can lead to social isolation.

However, using social stories to teach social skills to kids with ASD has proven effective. The social story is typically visual, and as we know the majority of children on the autism spectrum are indeed visual thinkers and learners.

Therefore this type of teaching aid is going to work and give better results.

The social skills story can be adapted to suit all ages and abilities and there is NO formal training needed to be able to use this autism resource.

Introducing social stories

Typically using social stories to teach social skills to kids with ASD is beneficial in all area of social awareness skills teaching for example: making friends, sharing, calming down, Visiting the Dentist and so on…

·         The social story uses first person text and visual images to describe the skill or situation from the child’s own perspective

·         The social story breaks the situation/skill down into smaller easier to understand sections

·         The social skills story acts like a visual plan or framework

·         The social skills story answers the “wh” questions – who, what. why, when and where

·         The social story also explains “HOW”

·         Social stories should aim to also give an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others

·         Social stories should offer possible outcomes

For the vast majority of kids with autis,  social awareness skills ARE very difficult to learn and direct teaching is generally needed, this is what the social skills story WILL DO!

Parents and teachers report success in teaching social awareness skills and a drop in communication difficulties once social skills stories have been introduced.

To learn more about how social stories work and gain immediate access to 100 social skills stories downloads visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com/stories.html

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