Frequently Needed Answers

Unlike normally developing children kids with autism spectrum find interactions difficult. This is due to autistic social skills deficits which are common to autism spectrum disorder.

A child on the spectrum will always have autistic social skills deficits but the degree or severity of their individual autistic social skills deficits will depend largely on the individual child on the spectrum and where on the autism spectrum they are.

The autistic social skills deficits common to autism spectrum disorder are difficulties with social interactions, communication deficits and deficits with imagination skills.

It is their deficits with social interaction skills that can make a child on the spectrum appear aloof and disinterested, which can hinder making and maintaining friends.

Having poor communication skills and a lack of imagination can mean the child on the spectrum may misunderstand pretend play, be unable to take turns and share.

So how do social skills stories teach children with autism about friendship.

Autism social skills stories were developed originally as an aid to help kids with autism spectrum communicate. Today they are largely used as a means of teaching social interaction skills as well as imagination skills and to address communication difficulties.

Autism social skills stories follow a set pattern of sentence type and use visual images to show in detail a skill or situation the child on the spectrum may be struggling to understand. So for example sharing, typically developing children may not like the idea of sharing, but will understand why they need to share and the consequence of not sharing.

A child on the spectrum will not necessarily understand why they need to share or indeed care to know why the consequence will be of little or no importance to them either. Therefore when deciding how to teach a skill like sharing it is a good idea to use supports that are designed to help a child with autism grasp a skill.

So for example how do social skills stories teach children with autism about friendship and being a good friend. The social skills story will answer the “wh” questions: who, where, why, when and what, as well as give the child with autism an insight into the thoughts and feelings of others. The social skills story acts as a role model, visually showing the autistic youngster how to deal with the skill or situation appropriately.

To learn more about social stories and how they could help your autistic youngster visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

One of the biggest problems for autistic kids is difficulty in social interaction.

This problem is heightened by their difficulties with speech and language. Autism also seems to create problems with the ability to mind read, or being able to tell or guess at what another person might be thinking.

Normally developing children will observe others and guess, through a combination of tone and body language, what the other person may be thinking or feeling.

However in children with autism spectrum disorder this naturally developed skill is missing and so the ability to predict what another is feeling or thinking is not there…

This lack of being able to mind read can lead to social mistakes even for those with high functioning autism….And of cause social mistakes may lead to the person with autism causing hurt feelings, asking inappropriate questions, acting oddly or generally open themselves up to hostility, teasing, bullying and social isolation.

Quite often parents and educators of children with autism spectrum disorder feel unable to communicate and interact with their autistic child.

Sometimes the child on the spectrum may appear not to hear what has been said to them, they will often fail to respond to their name and can sometimes be indifferent to any attempts of communication with them.

By careful observation it can often be determined which way the child communicates, in this ways the educator or parent can build on this strength.

For example, if the child is non-verbal, rather then communicating with them by using words, try using gestures. The child with autism may use some of the following to communicate: crying, taking the adults hand to the thing they want, looking at what they want, reaching, using pictures and echolalia. 

Echolalia is the repetition of other people’s words and is a common with the child on the spectrum. Some autistic kids will constantly repeat a rhyme or something they heard on TV.

Echolalia is a good sign it means speech is developing, in time the child may repeat something that was said to them, like drink or toilet.

Developing communication with your child on the spectrum will be a slow process, but eventually you will make progress.

Autistic kids tend to be visual learners, using pictures and images is a good way to communicate what you are expecting of them or wanting from them.

For, example at dinner time a picture or image of the family sitting around the table and a plate of food will tell the child it is time to eat.

You can introduce autism social skills stories to help with this…A good well written social skills story will have high pictorial content as well as text.

These short pieces of text, normally one page long will have pictorial cues as to what is happening and what the child is expected to do. In time the child on the spectrum will recognize the stories and will naturally re-act in the way the story intends them too.

For example…Dinner time a social skills story may have a picture of the family sitting around the table…a plate, cutlery, maybe a cup, some food…The adult can show the child on the spectrum the story with the colorful images and they can then read the short descriptive pieces of text will pointing to the appropriate image.

…These autism social skills stories are normally printable so they can be used time and time again, in-fact they can be used for every situation you need help with.

These autism social skills stories can become like a best friend to the autistic child giving the clear and precise instructions of how to act in all situations, Plus they are a fantastic communication device for a parent-giving you the tools you need to help communicate with your autistic child.

To obtain downloadable autism social stories, visit: Autism Social Skills Stories – Autism social Training

www.autismsocialstories.com

www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior

www.autismsocialstories.com/school

www.autismsocialstories.com/hygiene

www.autismsocialstories.com/autistic_teens

Generally when looking at the behavior characteristics of autism it shows us that typically before the child’s third birthday the behavior characteristics of autism will begin to become apparent. Parents of kids with ASD will normally have noticed something is not quite right, their child may be displaying odd behaviors and may not have reached milestones.

Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder which affects the brain in individuals. Generally all kids with ASD will have autistic social skills deficits these deficits commonly make up the symptoms of autism.

These autistic social skills deficits are social, communication, imagination and interaction skills deficits and will always be present to a certain degree.

All kids with ASD are different and the degree of autistic social skills deficit will also be different some kids with ASD are low functioning and may never develop speech they may also have other educational disabilities. While at the top end of the autism scale is high functioning and asperger syndrome these individuals are often average or above average intelligence and have often been referred to as “geeks”.

The symptoms of autism can be severe in some cases while in others mild to moderate.

Generally looking at the behavior characteristics of autism WILL also SUGGEST sensory issues in all or some of the senses, sight, touch, smell, taste, and sound.

Kids with ASD view the world in a different way to typically developing children they do not process sensory information in the same manner. The child on the spectrum will not naturally learn social, communication, imagination and interaction skills unlike a typically developing child that will learn naturally the skills needed to function normally. The typically developing youngster learns social skills through their environment and their own senses.

The child on the spectrum does not do this and will need direct teaching of behaviors, social and communication skills. This can be achieved through the use of autistic visual supports such as PECS cards and social stories for autistic children.

Many parents of kids with ASD as well as teachers and other professionals are already using autistic visual supports around the home, school, college and anywhere the individual with autism needs extra support or help to understand or cope.

One of the most significant autistic visual supports available to help kids with ASD is social skills stories. Developed almost twenty years ago social skills stories for autism are now probably one of the best known resources for teaching and re-enforcing social, communication, imagination and interaction skills to children with autism.

Reports suggest children with ASD respond very well to social skills stories for autism because they represent the skill being mastered in a way that children with ASD can understand and remember using appropriate language, and visual representation of the skill.

The internet now makes it easier for parents of kids with ASD as well as teachers and others involved with the care of an child on the spectrum to find and source expertly written social stories for autistic children.

Sites such as www.autismsocialstories.com offer immediate download of social stories for autistic children as well as support for all those involved in the care of an autistic child.

Social skills stories for autism are used to teach behaviors and social skills effectively. They are used to help with the looking at the behavior characteristics of autism by providing concrete support and visual representation of the skill or behavior the child with autism is struggling to master.

Download social skills stories from www.autismsocialstories.com and see for yourself how easy they are to use and how affective they can be.

Other sites offering downloads are:

www.autismsocialstories.com/sensory

www.autismsocialstories.com/school

Social skills stories are used for teaching and helping children with autism to understand social awareness skills, social interactions, communication, expectations, how to deal with routine changes, unfamiliar activities and much more…

The social skills story is a brief descriptive story which uses first person text and images/pictures that provide information regarding a social situation.

When children with autism are given information that helps them understand the expectations of a situation, their problem behaviour within that situation is reduced or minimized.

Social skills teaching with social stories provides a foundation/framework for the child on the spectrum to refer to/follow, thus making the situation more familiar. Typically most children on the spectrum will prefer sameness and will dislike unfamiliarity, to this end the social skills story is a real benefit.

By detailing the skill being addressed the social skills story uses images/pictures and short specific sentences which generally follow a set pattern of sentence type: directive – perspective – control – descriptive.

Social skills teaching with social stories typically needs no formal training stories can be obtained for various skills/situations that the child on the spectrum is struggling with from hygiene issues like puberty to going out and school related issues

A social skills story ia an autism resource which addresses the skill/situation by breaking it down into smaller easier to understand sections, using images and text it will answer the ever important “wh” questions – who, what, why, where and when as well as “HOW” and should also offer an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of considerable weakness in most children with autism.

To learn more about how social skills teaching with social stories can be achieved please visit:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com 

Where you will find relevant information on social stories as well as other appropriate autism resources, such as communication cards, behaviour plans and so on.

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Individuals with autism typically HAVE difficulties with social interactions, such as reduced responsiveness and or a disinterest in other people.

They may appear selfish and rude and be unable to communicate effectively with others. This is due to “The Theory of Mind”, which affects how individuals with autism socially interact, communicate, thinks, act and react to those around them.

For example the characteristics of autism spectrum can include:

Children on the autism spectrum; will not normally adopt the anticipatory posture or raise their hands to be carried or picked up.

Children on the autism spectrum are not normally cuddly babies, in-fact most babies with autism will stiffen or resist being held, they normally avoid snuggling up. They will normally prefer to be held facing outwards with their back to the person holding them.

Infants with autism will sometimes not recognize their own name or be inconsistent in recognizing it.

Probably the most noticeable of the characteristics of autism is the individuals lack of eye contact, a typically developing child will give and maintain eye contact, an infant with autism will look away quickly and avoid eye contact.

A typically developing child may stare into the mother’s eye noticing their own reflection, an infant with autism will show no interest in their reflection and choose not to stare or maintain any eye to eye contact.

Generally children on the autism spectrum will not pay much attention to the typical growing up games like peep-a-boo and pat-a-cake, preferring solitary play.

A distinct lack of social interaction skills can be the first alarm bell for many parents of a child with autism.

All children on the autism spectrum WILL have impaired autism social skills, however the degree of autism social skills will vary dependent on the individual.

Social skills development resources for autism social skills training can be affective, in helping your child on the spectrum better cope and manage their behaviors, thoughts and feelings. One such way is introducing autism social skills resources such as visual intervention strategies.

Probably the most popular of the autism social skills resources is autism social skills stories. These are an excellent proven technique for assisting an infant with autism with the development of social skills.

Autism social skills resources like: Autism social skill stories provide the child on the spectrum with support and an understanding by answering the ever important “wh” questions who, what, where, why and when as well as “HOW”. As well as giving an insight into the thoughts and feelings of others and try to explain what they can expect from other as well as what others will be expecting of them.

Introducing social skills development resources for autism like autism social skills stories early is going to be beneficial; however social stories are flexible and can be introduced at any point.   

Typically most children on the autism spectrum prefer repetition and sameness and will not like any changes to routines or patterns. By introducing social stories you can help the child on the spectrum feel more comfortable with skills and routines making things feel more routine which will reduce stress and meltdowns.

Autism social skills stories HELP teach social skills like using the bathroom, good eating habits, respecting personal space, transitions like starting preschool or school, as well as other skills like saying Hi and thank you and accepting changes to routines.

All helping your autistic infant being accepted within their own peer group as well as within today’s society…

To download autism social stories visit one of our many sites all specializing in autism and asperger social skills stories as well as offering friendly support advice and help

www.autismsocialstories.com

For the vast majority of autistic children social skills ARE either missing or NEED improving.

This is due to the triad of autistic impairments or social skills deficits, which ARE common to autism to varying degrees

The triad of autistic impairments or social skills deficits affect how the child on the spectrum acts, re-acts, thinks and behaves.

Methods for enhancing social skills in autistic children ARE generally visual. This is because most children on the spectrum ARE visual learners and thinkers and will tend to use language secondary.

Visual supports for autism such as: social skills stories, picture communication cards, visual schedules and flash cards etc ARE visual supports which can be introduced simply and need NO formal training to use.

Characteristically children on the spectrum find visual supports for autism beneficial. Social skills stories ARE short descriptive visual supports which describe a skill or situation in terms of the relevant social cues.

The social story looks much like a comic script, using images/pictures and short precise pieces of text. The social story is always from the point of view of the child on the spectrum, using first person text in short sentences.

The social story answers the “wh” questions: who, what, Why, where, and when as well as “HOW” and should also offer an insight wherever possible into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in most autistic children.

Social skills stories CAN be used for a wide variety of situations or skills such as: asking questions, calming down, hygiene issues, self-help skills and so on…

For many children on the spectrum visual supports for autism ARE invaluable and can be treated like visual plans or frameworks to help them cope with and learn skills and behaviours which cause stress and anxiety.

To learn more about visual supports for autism like social skills stories, picture communication cards, visual schedules and flash cards as well as other visual supports visual http://www.autismsocialstories.com

We know that the majority of children with autism spectrum ARE indeed visual thinkers and learners, meaning that they think in images/picture and for the main will better understand visual teachings and information.

It is therefore vital that we aim to teach and provide information more visually. For example using autistic visual supports like flash cards, communication cards and social stories etc…

Access autistic visual supports at:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com  there ARE various supports for children with autism spectrum available on this site.

Typically children on the autism spectrum have difficulties with social awareness and communication and will struggle to make sense of the ever changing and unpredictable world which surrounds them. These difficulties are often a major cause for stress and anxiety in many children on the autism spectrum.

By using visual supports for autism YOU can help your child with ASD better cope and understand things and situations which they find difficult, like for example asking questions, sharing, respecting personal space, asking other kids to play and so on…

Autistic visual supports such as social stories ARE designed to show the child with ASD what to expect and what is expected of them. The social story WILL answer the ever important “wh” questions – who, what, why, when and where as well as “HOW” and should also offer the child on the spectrum an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of considerable weakness in most children with autism.

The often aloof appearance of many children with autism can make them appear selfish, but this is not their intention or the case. This appearance is merely a lack of social awareness skills. Unlike typically developing youngsters the child on the spectrum WILL NOT learn social and communication skills in the normal manner – ie: people watching, from peers and the environment.

For children on the autism spectrum direct teaching is generally needed. This direct teaching is done using autistic visual supports.

Access autistic visual supports to help you teach and calm your child with ASD visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com  where you will find immediate downloads of social stories as well as information on how visual supports for autism work.

You will also be able to access autistic visual supports like: communication cards, flash cards and visual social story cards and folders.

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

Typically kids with autism HAVE deficits in three main areas of development: social, communication (both verbal and non-verbal) and imagination skills and behaviours.

It is because of these deficits many kids with autism HAVE difficulties understanding and accepting the “hidden social rules of everyday life”.

For example a child on the spectrum WILL commonly miss social cues and be unable to interpret body language or facial expression – so it is of no use “tutting” or giving “knowing nod” these hidden social cues WILL usually be missed!

However there are treatments for autism which foster social skills in kids with autism such as social skills stories and picture communication cards.

These treatments for autism ARE normally USED to help the child on the spectrum feel more comfortable with and in situations that they normally struggle with like for example asking questions, sharing, making friends and so on…

Social skills stories ARE short descriptive pieces of text written in a set format which is typically first person text and from the autistic child’s own point of view.

Characteristically children with autism ARE visual thinkers and learners, which means that they find visual information easier to understand and follow, therefore it is believed and proven through research that children with autism respond better to visual teaching.

Consequently, social skills stories and picture communication cards DO FOLLOW this belief and ARE typically visual.

The social skills story USES images and pictures with short pieces of text to visually show the child on the spectrum what is happening and why.

The social skills story does this by answering 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 children with autism.

The social skills story can be adapted to suit individual needs and abilities and are generally written in word format with NO FORMAL training needed to use social skills stories.

Teachers and parents can foster social skills in kids with autism using social stories and picture communication cards. To gain immediate download and learn more about how these treatments for autism work visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com 

OR

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

Children with autism have a variety of deficits which ARE common to autism. However the main deficits associated with the disorder are often referred to social skills deficits.

Characteristically social skills deficits affect three main areas of development: social, communication and imagination skills and behaviours.

 Unlike typically developing kids a child with ASD WILL NOT learn social skills through observation, peers, family and the environment and WILL NEED direct teaching to overcome social skills deficits.

There ARE numerous supports for autism which can be used to teach social skills to kids with autism such as social stories, picture communication cards, flash cards and so on..

These supports for autism ARE commonly referred to Visual Intervention Strategies and by large ARE used to support and teach social, communication and imagination skills and behaviours amongst other uses such as help with hygiene skills, puberty, activities and events the child with ASD may find confusing or stressful.

Many parents and teachers ARE able to teach social skills to kids with autism using Visual Intervention Strategies as they need NO FORMAL training to use and implement and are readily available online from experts like http://www.autismsocialstories.com

A social skills story is a short descriptive almost comic like in appearance story which shows a child with ASD what is happening and why. This WILL help to reduce unwanted stress, anxiety and confusion, which in turn WILL HELP the child with ASD feel more comfortable with and in the situation.

The social skills story WILL ANSWER the “wh” question – who, what, why, when and where 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 with autism.

Characteristically children with autism ARE VISUAL thinkers and learners, which makes social skills stories ideal. The social story should focus on one particular skill or behaviour that the child on the spectrum is struggling with and visually show and explain how and what is required of them and in return what they can expect from others.

A social skills story USES visual images/pictures a long with first person text and will always be written from the point of view of the child on the spectrum.

Children with autism fins social interactions difficult, the social skills story can act like a visual framework or plan which the child on the spectrum can follow and refer to in times of difficulty.

Social skills stories ARE USED in many situations for example: asking questions, joining in play, making friends, recess, getting a haircut, visiting a dentist, going to a birthday party and so on…

Teach social skills to kids with autism using social skills stories by visiting sites like http://www.autismsocialstories.com

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/preschool

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/hygiene

Probably one of the most significant difficulties for children with autism spectrum is a lack of social awareness skills and behaviours, which is referred to as social skills deficits

These deficits ARE made worse due to deficits with communication both verbal and non-verbal. However there are various treatments of autism that CAN help a child on the spectrum OVERCOME many of their own social skills deficits.

Typically developing children WILL learn social awareness skills through observation, peers, family and their environment. This is NOT TRUE for a child on the spectrum this is due to the “theory of mind” a child with autism WILL NOT be able to read another person’s facial expression or body language.

This lack of the theory of mind WILL mean that the child with autism WILL have difficulties determining what is happening the” hidden social rules” which CAN lead to social mistakes and at times even isolation.

There is no cure for autism but the various treatments of autism CAN and WILL help OVERCOME many of the skills your child is struggling with.

Probably one of the most significant treatments of autism is autistic social skills stories which ARE used to help children with autism spectrum understand and learn skills and behaviours that ARE causing them stress or confusion, like for example self-help skills, asking questions, making friends and so on…

Typically autistic social skills stories ARE short descriptive pieces of text that ARE written in first person text and ALWAYS from the autistic individual’s point of view.

Commonly children with autism spectrum ARE VISUAL thinkers and learners this means that they find VISUAL information much easier to use and UNDERSTAND.

Autistic social skills stories ARE VISUAL, the social story USES images /pictures to detail the skill or behaviour in terms of the relevant social cues.

The social story acts like a VISUAL FRAMEWORK OR PLAN of the skill or situation helping to make the child on the spectrum feel more comfortable with and in the situation.

It should also answer the ever important “wh” questions – who, what, why, where and when as well as “HOW” and should offer an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in most children with autism spectrum.

To learn more about autistic social skills stories visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior

To understand what causes autistic behaviour issues it is important to have an understanding of autism.

Autism is a neurological disorder that affects how individuals with autism processes information, thinks, acts, re-acts, behaves and processes sensory input or stimuli. The main symptoms of autism ARE social skills deficits in social awareness skills, communication and imagination skills and behaviours.

It is these social skills deficits that ARE the significant factor in what causes autistic behaviour issues. Typically children on the autism spectrum have communication difficulties and may lack the ability to ask or respond to things which their typically developing peers WILL treat as “normal”

For example recess a typically developing child WILL probably enjoy the freedom of recess but for children on the autism spectrum recess may be uncomfortable, stressful and confusing! This may lead to inappropriate behaviour around recess.

For a child with autism the sheer chaos of recess is upsetting, a child with autism WILL prefer sameness, order and routine and recess is none of these things. Children with autism have difficulties in understanding that not everyone shares their interest or feels that same way they do fully.

By taking a look into what causes autistic behaviour issues we can begin to unravel what it is that our own child with autism may be getting upset or confused by. Careful observation of a child with autism CAN help you to determine exactly what is troubling your child.

There are various supports for autism that WILL help a child on the spectrum OVERCOME many of their social skills deficits. Probably one of the most significant of these supports for autism is social skills stories.

These ARE short descriptive pieces of text that describe a situation or skill in terms of the relevant social cues. We know that the vast majority of individuals with autism ARE VISUAL thinkers and learners which means that they think in pictures and language is used as secondary.

It is important therefore to USE supports for autism which ARE VISUAL like social stories. Social stories for autistic behaviour difficulties focus on a skill, situation or behaviour that the child on the spectrum is struggling with and breaks it down into small easy to understand sections using images/pictures and first person text.

The social skills story CAN act much like a visual plan or framework of the skill allowing the child on the spectrum a chance to rehearse the skill. So going back to our recess example earlier, introducing a social story for recess WILL HELP the child with autism prepare for and understand recess. The social skills story can be looked at each day before recess, helping the child with autism feel more comfortable once recess arrives.

The social skills story CAN BE USED for a wide variety of difficulties, such as self-help skills, communication deficits, hygiene skills, behaviours and many more, in-fact almost anything the child with autism is finding hard.

Typically social stories answer the ever important “wh” question – who, what, why, where and when 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 individuals with autism.

To learn more about social stories for autistic behaviour difficulties visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior

Or

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

Typically children with autism spectrum disorder ARE visual thinkers and learners, which means that they think in pictures and use speech / language as secondary.

Having this knowledge can make teaching the ASD student much easier. Visual Intervention Strategies like social stories for ASD students ARE used with great affect.

A social story is written to describe a situation, skill or behaviour in terms of the relevant social cues. The social story is typically always written from the ASD students perspective and will give an accurate description of the skill, situation or behaviour.

The goal of the social stories for ASD students is to help the student feel more comfortable with and in the situation. Social stories for ASD students ARE written to help children with autism spectrum manage their own behaviour during a specific social situation by describing and answering the “wh” questions where the activity will take place, when it will occur, what will happen, who is involved, and why the child should behave in a certain way.

The social story will also give the child on the spectrum an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in most kids with ASD.

Social stories should ideally follow a specific sentence pattern of: Descriptive, Directive, Perspective and Control sentences in a defined manner.

Social stories for ASD students should USE visual images / pictures and be editable, no two kids with ASD will ever be the same and we all use different terminology within our own classroom, therefore editability is important to personalize and make the story relevant to each child on the spectrum.

When the social story is first implemented, the teacher must be certain that the ASD student understands the social story and the skill being taught. Once the teacher has read through the story a few times with the child the ASD student can then read the story independently, read it aloud to an adult, or listen as the adult reads the story. The most appropriate method is dependent upon the individual abilities and needs of the ASD student.

Visual Intervention Strategies like social stories for ASD students can be used for various situations and skills for example: Recess, Assembley, Shared reading, Taking turns, Asking other kids to play, Circle Time and so on. For a full list available for immediate download visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

Alternativelly visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com
http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

Individuals with autism ARE typically “Visual Thinkers - Visual Learners”, this means that they think in pictures and images and use speech / words as a secondary language.

“I think in pictures. Words are like a second language to me…when somebody speaks to me, his words are instantly translated into pictures… One of the most profound mysteries of autism has been the remarkable ability of most autistic people to excel at visual spatial skills while performing so poorly at verbal skills.” (Grandin, 1995).

Therefore presenting information and guidance visually will have a much better impact on individuals with autism.  There are a number of visual supports for autism which WILL help your child on the spectrum learn skills and behaviours that they find confusing, stressful or simply do not understand.

Autistic Visual Supports like: Social Skills Stories, Communication Picture Cards (flash cards), PECS and so on CAN be quickly and easily implemented and need NO formal training to use.

Social Skills Stories are short descriptive visual representations of a skill or behaviour. The social story breaks the skill down into smaller components, removes and un-necessary fluff or language and explains How and why something happens.

The social story answers the “wh” questions - who, what, where, why and when and provides an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in most individuals with autism.

Autistic Visual Supports - Communication Picture Cards (flash cards) ARE small laminated cards depicting an image or skill. For eample the Communication Picture Cards can be USED as an exchange -  the child with ASD hands over a picture card in retuen for the item on the card  -for example an apple at snack time and so on.

The Communication Picture Cards are also USED on visual timetables, as pointers around the home or in school, on chices boards, now and next boards and as a communication tool.

Both Social Skills Stories and Communication Picture Cards ARE available from: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

To learn more about Autistic Visual Supports and how they can benefit your child with ASD visit today and download Social Skills Stories which can be adapted to suit individual needs, no two children are the smane and we all use different terminology with our kids, therefore it is important that the social story you choose is editable.

Visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com
http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills
http://www.autismsocialstories.com/autistic_teens
http://www.autismsocialstories.com/asperger_adolescents

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

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

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

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

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