Building autistic social skills
Autism is a developmental disorder which has no known cure. That said THERE ARE plenty of excellent resources which can be used to help those diagnosed autistic.
Characteristically those diagnosed autistic WILL have social and communication difficulties, this is due to social skills deficits which ARE apparent in all people with autism but to varying degrees.
Typically people with autism WILL prefer visual information and teaching, it is therefore believed that resources and teaching styles should be more visual.
This is easily achieved through the use of visual resources for autism such as social skills stories, PECS, picture communication cards and so on…
Using visual resources for autism is beneficial, and typically will need no formal training to implement and use.
For example social skills stories ARE visual resources for autism which ARE used specifically for building autistic social skills and helping to overcome communication and social awareness difficulties.
Having social skills deficits can be challenging for many children on the autism spectrum and can at times even lead to extreme behaviours, even bullying.
So how does the social story work?
The social skills story is a short visual story much like a comic script which is used as a visual framework or step by step detailed plan of the skill or situation that the child on the autism spectrum is finding hard.
Many children on the autism spectrum struggle with the chaos of recess, by implementing a social skills story the child will have a concrete plan of recess. This plan WILL explain what is happening and why, which WILL help the child on the autism spectrum cope and feel more comfortable.
Social skills stories show the skill or situation from the child’s own point of view and use first person text. The social skills story describes the situation using images and short descriptive sentences or words.
The social story should answer the “wh” questions:-who, what, why, when and where. The social skills story should also answer “how” and provide an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in most children on the autism spectrum.
To view and learn more about visual resources for autism like social skills stories for building autistic social skills and to access immediate downloads visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com
Tags: autism spectrum, child on the autism spectrum, Children on the autism spectrum, diagnosed autistic, for autism, on the autism spectrum, people with autism, resources for autism, social skills deficits, Social skills stories, social skills story, social story, those diagnosed autistic, visual resources for autism, with autism