Posts Tagged ‘child with autism’

CONQUERING social skills issues in children with autism

Friday, May 10th, 2013

Children with autism spectrum do not develop socially in the same manner as typically developing children. ASD (Autism spectrum disorder) is a neurological disorder affecting the way an individual’s brain develops.  

 

Children with an ASD have difficulty making friends and getting on well with their peers.

 

A child with an ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) is far more likely to enjoy unusual interests not shared by their peers, for example an obsession with train timetables, clock mechanisms etc. This can in some cases cause the child to become socially isolated and unable to integrate fully with their peers.

 

All children with autism spectrum will have social skills impairments . However the individual’s social skills impairments will vary between children as no two kids will ever be exactly the same.

 

Having social skills impairments can make it hard for children with autism spectrum to understand how other children are feeling, their emotions, they will be unable to read the other child’s body language or facial expression.

 

Conquering social skills issues in children with autism spectrum can be difficult. However with time and perseverance, as well as autism supports like autism social skills stories  this can be achieved.

 

What are autism social skills stories?

 

A social skills story is a short story that has been written in a specific style and format. A social skills story gives information through visual images and text, providing clear, concise and accurate information about what is happening in a specific social situation.

 

The social skills story answers the “wh” questions – who, where, why, when and what. Showing visually what people do and why they do it, like a role model for the child with autism. This can help relieve anxieties and stress that can surround some social situations, for example making friends, asking questions, sharing, taking turns even respecting personal space, in-fact most social and communications difficulties can be addressed using autism social skills stories .

 

In fact the social skills story acts as a prompt for socially acceptable behaviours and can help the child with autism spectrum understand situations and skills and show them appropriate responses.

 

The social skills story can help children with autism spectrum prepare for routine changes and new situations, which can help reduce negative reactions and behaviours which stem from a lack of social understanding.

 

Conquering social skills issues in children with autism spectrum using autism social skills stories  has already proven successful, today social stories are considered one of the major autism supports and are widely used in homes, schools, colleges and out and about.

 

To learn more about autism supports such as autism social skills stories visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

Where you will also find a vast selection of autism social skills stories  which can be downloaded.

 

OR http://www.autismsocialstories.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grand parenting an autistic child

Thursday, May 2nd, 2013

Grandparents, parents and siblings look to the future with much excitement, when a new baby is born into a family unit, plans are made and everyone gets excited.

 

Most of the time grandparents can breathe a huge sigh of relief when their grandchild is developing normally. However what if that precious grandchild is on the autistic spectrum?

 

The conclusion of autism will undoubtedly be a shock to all family members; this can turn to sadness and grief. All these emotions are perfectly normal. A conclusion of autism is never easy children on the autism spectrum do not develop in the same way as typically growing children.

 

Your first step will naturally be of support for the parents, find out about autism. Find out what a conclusion of autism will mean for the family. There are plenty of sites on the internet and books in your library explaining what is autism

 

So let’s look at what is autism?

 

Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder affecting the brain of the individual. The typical indications of autism are deficits in social, communication both verbal and non-verbal, interaction and imagination deficits. These indications of autism are sometimes referred to as the triad of autistic impairments or autistic social skills deficits.

 

When you scan and read articles you will often see the term triad of autistic impairments or autistic social skills deficits all children on the autism spectrum will have these indications of autism but the degree of deficit will vary between individuals.

 

What role do you take when your grandchild is on the autistic spectrum?

 

You will want to consider what affect the conclusion of autism has had on the rest of the family especially the parents of your autistic grandchild. The parents of your autistic grandchild must cope with autism on a daily bases, this is not going to be easy parenting a child with autism can be extremely stressful.

 

Grand parenting an autistic child maybe confusing and stressful, unlike your other typically developing grandchildren, a child with autism may dislike cuddles; avoid eye contact your autistic grandchild may not want to join in family occasions become distressed sometimes quite out of the blue.

 

However there are treatments and therapies available to help you as the grandparent of an autistic child cope with your autistic grandchild, for example autism social skills stories.

 

Autism social skills stories have a significant impact on the behavior and social skills learning of any autistic child. They were first developed by therapist Carol Gray almost twenty years ago to help parents, grandparents, families and educators of children on the autism spectrum teach and re-enforce good positive behaviors, social, plus communication both verbal and non-verbal skills.

 

Generally written by experts in autism they help guide and teach social skills and positive behaviors to the child with autism.

 

Children on the autism spectrum tend to be visual learners and will respond better to visual cues and prompts for behavior and skills to be taught effectively the autism social skills stories embrace this concept and are visually rich, with appropriate text in language the child with autism can relate too and understand.

 

Grandparents of children on the autism spectrum report significant benefits when using autism social skills stories for their grandchild with autism.

Finding appropriate autism social skills stories has been made a whole lot easier with the introduction of sites like www.autismsocialstories.com

Which specialize in autism social skills stories and other resources for teenagers and children on the autism spectrum

 

Having a grandchild with autism can be rewarding, helping them develop vital social skills and live a fulfilling life is not going to be easy, but with the introduction of resources such as autism social skills stories this can be achieved.

 

To learn more about how autism social skills stories can help your grandchild with autism as well as getting immediate download of this essential resource in the treatment of autism visit any of the following sites:

 

www.autismsocialstories.com

 

www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior

 

www.autismsocialstories.com/potty

 

 

 

 

Communication struggles in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Wednesday, April 10th, 2013

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder have social deficiencies these are familiar to autism; it is due to these social deficiencies that the autistic child may be unaware of the rules of social conduct, how to act in public or interactions. Even though all autistic individuals have social deficiencies the level of disability and the combination of symptoms will vary from person to person.

 

Having social deficiencies is familiar to autism and at times can leave the autistic child open to bullying especially at school.

 

For many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder understanding language can also cause problems.

 

Generally kids with autism that display communication difficulties will misunderstand simple directions or questions and may take what is said too literally. For example; metaphors, humour, sarcasm, irony and other figures of speech (such as “watch what you say”) can all be confusing.

 

Due to their social deficiencies sometimes kids with autism can come across as rude or aloof. But while they may appear emotionally flat, the reality is that autistic child is far from unfeeling. What may appear like indifference or insensitivity is actually due to social impairments, the inability to see things as other people do.

 

However using management tactics of autism for communication struggles in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder will be beneficial.

 

There are many management tactics of autism available with social skills stories being probably the most significant for communication struggles in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

 

Social Skills Stories are used effectively by parents, teachers, care givers and other professionals to help improve and teach social, imagination and interaction skills and behaviours as well as addressing communication difficulties in children with autism.

 

Social skills stories are management tactics of autism that are easy to implement and need no formal training to use, they can be downloaded from the internet or provided by your child’s OT, speech therapist and sometimes school.

 

Social skills stories help overcome social deficiencies by communication struggles in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, by helping the child with autism learn appropriate social skills and behaviours.

 

The social skills story provides the child with a step by step visual plan detailing the key points or goals, allowing them a chance to rehearse the skill or behaviour they are struggling with. Which will make the child feel more comfortable with and in the situation they are struggling with and less likely to become stressed or agitated.

 

To find out more about social skills stories for communication struggles in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

How will autism social stories benefit my child with autism?

Tuesday, March 19th, 2013

Autism social stories are normally short, descriptive, visual stories written to help children on the autism spectrum navigate specific situations or skills that they struggle with.

 

The idea of autism social skills stories is to provide the child on the autism spectrum with an opportunity to rehearse social interactions, for example asking questions, having a conversation and making friends – which will help reduce anxiety and confusion.

 

Looking at how will autism social stories benefit my child with autism

 

Research suggests that autism social skills stories which follow a set format can really make a difference to children on the autism spectrum, helping them cope with situations, social skills and behaviours that they do not understand or find stressful.

 

Developed almost twenty years ago to help with communication issues in autistic children, autism skills social stories have grown in popularity and use, today social stories are one of the major autism intervention strategies used to teach social and communication skills.

 

Parents and teachers need no formal training to use autism social stories, which can be implemented fairly easily.

 

Autism social stories can act like a role model or visual plan to the child on the autism spectrum. By breaking the skill or situation down into smaller sections, using first person text and visual images or pictures the social story describes the important “wh” questions  – who, where, why, when and what as well as “how” and gives an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others.

 

Autistic children struggle to see things from another persons perspective, which can cause hurt feelings and misunderstandings, a social skills story can help the autistic child see the other side of things.

 

For example a lot of autistic children do not recognise the need to respect personal space this can be uncomfortable for other children, a social skills story can help explain the need for personal space and the consequence of not respecting another persons personal space i.e. the person may avoid contact etc.

 

Therefore looking at how will autism social stories benefit my child with autism is important with studies showing good results when social skills stories are implemented many parents USE these autism intervention strategies with positive effect.

 

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

 

Other appropriate social stories for a child on the autism spectrum can be found at:http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How do autistic social skills stories teach children with autism about friendship

Wednesday, March 13th, 2013

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A. S. D. Social Skills Stories

Tuesday, March 12th, 2013

A. S. D. social skills stories were first used around twenty years ago as a method for teaching and communicating with children on the spectrum.

They were developed to aid communication in both verbal and nonverbal kids with autism. The goal being that children on the spectrum were able to use the A. S. D. social skills stories as a tool to help them clarify and understand information and directions.

A. S. D. social skills stories provide the child with autism explanations and possible behavior suggestions for situations, skills and behaviors that they may find difficult or confusing.

Used effectively as a tool to teach social and communication skills to kids with autism spectrum disorder the  social story uses visual cues to show the child with autism what is expected of them as well as what they can expect from others.

Kids with autism spectrum disorder have social skills impairments which make social and communication skills difficult to master.

ASD social stories therefore help to teach social and communication skills to individuals with autism spectrum disorder, visually almost like a comic strip script, the skill or behavior in terms of relative social cues and prompts making it easier for the child with autism to understand the “wh” question (who, where, When, what and why)

Research shows us that teaching social skills to kids with autism spectrum disorder is made easier when visual aids are used.  

Consequently, parents with autistic children and teachers use visual tools such as social skills stories for teaching social skills to kids with autism spectrum disorder. The social skills story is visually rich and is used much like a step by step visual plan detailing the skill being mastered.

Showing the child with autism visually possible outcomes, giving focus to the key points, showing the child with autism spectrum disorder how another person may re-act or feel in the situation by describing another’s point of view.

The social skills story can also be used to help with routine changes, teaching skills and behaviors, explaining rules and so on…

ASD social stories use a specifically defined style and format. They are mainly written by experts in autism.

Many parents with autistic children, teachers as well as other professionals use social skills stories for autistic children to teach even the most basic social skills such as tooth brushing to complex social skills like attending a wedding, a birth even explaining how to make friends, have conversations, ask questions and more.

To download A. S. D. social skills stories for autistic children on a variety of issues visit any of the following sites:

http://www.autimsocialstories.com

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/sensory

http://www.autismscoialstories.com/social_skills

 

Autism goals for interaction

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurological disorder affecting the autistic individual’s brain; this can affect how the person with autism spectrum thinks, re-acts, acts and behaves.

 

Autism impairs the autistic individual’s social interactions and communication skills and can cause restricted and repetitive stereotypical behaviors.

 

Typically kids with autism spectrum disorder have difficulties with verbal and non-verbal communication this can impact on their abilities to socially interact.

 

Autism is characterized by several developmental challenges. The autism symptoms can include:  Language may develop slowly or not at all. The autistic child may use words without attaching meaning to them. They may use echolalia, and have poor attention spans.

 

The child with autism will probably prefer to spend time alone rather than with others, shows little interest in making friends, and be less responsive to social cues such as eye contact or smiles.

 

These autism symptoms impact on the autistic individual’s ability to interact effectively and can cause isolation and social blunders. Consequently, when deciding on Autism goals for interactions these autism symptoms should first be looked at.

 

Typically developing children learn social skills such as social interactions naturally through play, from their peers, parents and those around them. This ability is missing in kids with autism spectrum disorder and social skills should be taught directly.

 

Generally kids with autism spectrum disorder rare visual learners and will better understand any social skills teaching when taught and re-enforced visually; this is achievable using visual supports for autism spectrum disorder such as social stories.

 

Using visual supports for autism spectrum disorder can make the implementation of autism goals for interactions much easier. By careful observations parents of autistic children can determine which social interaction skills their child is finding difficult and an appropriate social skills story can be put in place to help them overcome this.

 

Many parents of autistic children use social skills stories to help teach social, communication, imagination and interaction skills with great success rates.

 

The social skills story is visually rich with short appropriate pieces of text set out in a specific format. Developed almost twenty years ago social skills stories are probably the most significant autism tool used to help kids with autism spectrum disorder overcome social interaction difficulties.

 

To find appropriate Autism goals for interactions social skills stories as well as social skills stories for other social skills teaching such as making friends, answering questions, appropriate touching and many more visit any of the following sites and gain immediate downloads:

 

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/preschool

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/Halloween

 

Autism Social Skills Stories – Autism social Training

Tuesday, January 8th, 2013

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Autism social development using autistic social stories

Wednesday, September 5th, 2012

All individuals with autism spectrum disorder will have social impairments or lack the theory of mind, which means they will lack the ability to “mind read”, understand body language and facial expression.  As typically developing beings we take these skills for granted.

Generally social impairments become apparent early in childhood and continue through to adulthood.

For children on the autism spectrum having a distinct lack of social skills can mean social interactions are difficult. They will almost certainly be less likely to approach other children spontaneously, imitate and respond to emotions, and still not grasp the concept of turn taking.

Making and maintaining friendships often proves to be difficult for children with ASD social development is not learnt naturally.

Children on the autism spectrum like typically developing children do need friends…and as a parent or teacher of an autistic child there are ways in which you can help them understand the importance of social development and friendships.

Parents can help their child with autism learn skills such as making friends, sharing and taking turns etc. using autistic social stories.

Autism social stories are a strategy used to explain social and communication skills, by answering the important “wh” question who, where, why, when and what as well as giving an insight into the thoughts and feelings of others.

Autism social stories tend to be visual; this is because children with ASD are generally visual thinkers and learners, meaning they think in pictures which makes autistic social stories an ideal strategy. 

Helping autism social development using autistic social stories is beneficial. Autistic social stories are written in the first person, using appropriate language and images in a manner the child with autism can understand. Images are a powerful means of communication which are understood by all, this concept if followed with autistic social stories.

The social story is a visual plan or framework much like a comic strip conversation which can act as a role model for the child with autism, helping them understand the skill or behavior that they are struggling with.

Autism social development using autistic social stories will show your autistic child in a clear helpful manner how, why, where and when they should do something. They will give the appropriate responses the autistic child may expect and also the responses they themselves should expect from others.

Studies show children with ASD respond well to printable autism social stories, with marked improvements in social understanding and behaviors.

To obtain printable autism social stories which you can download and use visit

www.autismsocialstories.com

www.autismsocialstories.com/school

www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior

www.autismsocialstories.com/hygiene

www.autismsocialstories.com/autistic_teens

Handling Your Child with Autism Spectrum’s Behavior

Monday, July 16th, 2012

How do you help your Child with Autism Spectrum deal with difficult and everyday situations?

Autism Spectrum is a complex disorder, which affects mainly boys. There is no cure for Autism, but there are resources available to you as a parent of an Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Living with a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder is stressful; you can’t just spontaneously take the family out for the day, or turn up at school in a new car, or surprise them with a party.

Although these are all normal activities, your other children would love; it undoubtedly will throw your child with Autism Spectrum Disorder into a state of panic, which can cause a tantrum and so on…

Things need proper planning, Thats where Autism social stories come into their own!

They allow the child with Autism Spectrum a chance to rehearse the upcoming event, or practice the already learnt skill.

They also give you the opportunity to express your thoughts and feelings these can easily be added into the social skills story. A social skills story is like a visual plan or framework a constant reminder of how we act.

Handling your child with Autism Spectrum’s behavior using social skills stories will give reassurance and the right social cues. They are constant, repetitive and will act as a kind of security blanket for your child with Autism Spectrum.

The upcoming event, like a new baby, a new puppy, a new pair of shoes even can be discussed, even role played on the first couple of readings of a new story.

You will be giving your child an insight into what will happen, or what already happens, why it happens, what it happens for and how they are meant to act, or what they are meant to do.

Handling your child with Autism Spectrum’s behavior – for example: saying Hi, or excuse me, things we do automatically, but to an autistic mind these things are just silly, why do you want to say Hi to someone you don’t know, or don’t really care for, or even want to.

Politeness is a learnt skill, we learn it and it sticks in our minds, the autistic mind needs a gentle reminder of this skill until it is properly stuck in their, which can take a while!

So let’s take a look at autism social stories, they are with you constantly, a little reminder and a solid  descriptive, straight forward, never deviating, or spontaneous, friend, to help your child with Autism Spectrum feel comfortable with situations, activities and events.

Autism social stories:

Can be a very useful tool they are used to teach social skills to children with Autism Spectrum.

A social skills story is a simple description of an everyday social situation, written from the Autistic a person’s perspective.

Autism social stories are designed to help with social situation as well as normal everyday events and activities.

They are also used to prepare for upcoming changes in the autistic persons routine and help the autistic person deal with other situations that are out of their normal daily routine like for example: a birth, marriage, death or other situation or activity.

The idea behind these Autism social stories is to allow the person to accustom themselves with the up-coming event, or daily activity or situation.

So that the Autistic person is aware of what is going on and can deal with it and the hope is that the social skills story will help with the person’s behavior.

What Are Autism Social Stories Like?

Autism social stories are always written in the first person, in the present tense, and from the autistic person’s point of view.

The social skills story should be written in a way that the child can understand. It should match their level of vocabulary and be as specific as possible, all of our social skills stories are editable and can be personalized quickly and easily.

Once the story has been written a responsible adult, parent, teacher, therapist etc. should read the story with the child at least two to three times before the child is given the story to read themselves.

This is to ensure that the autistic person understands the important elements in the story.

This can be done by re-reading the story and going over the important elements with the autistic person. You may find a check list approach or role playing the situation in conjunction with reading the story helpful.

For younger children who can’t read, or find reading difficult their Mum, Dad, Teacher or adult will need to read the social skills story for them.

The overall effectiveness of each story should be monitored, with the story being tweaked and or changed as the behavior is learnt.

What is the theory behind it?

Autism social stories were created to help autistic people improve their social understanding and interactions.

It was found that in children and adults with Autism Spectrum, by giving them simple and clear descriptions and instructions, social cues, to appropriate behaviors they were able to manage much better.

However, it is still not clear why Autism social stories work better for children and adults with Autism Spectrum, than picking up social cues from their everyday environment.

Researchers believe this is due to the Theory of mind. Which is basically that autistic people have problems understanding why we do the things we do. They find our lives confusing; they prefer repetition and things to remain the same at all times.

There are a number of ways Autism social stories help improve the Theory of mind.

One theory is that by giving prompts and suggestions to specific social cues and behaviors for situations, using Autism social stories may actually help to improve the autistic person’s problem solving abilities.

Autism social stories are also used to help the autistic person manage certain situations. Which will then help them to deal with tasks, activities and situations that they previously found difficult and confusing or upsetting?

They also help autistic people to understand what is expected of them, and what they can expect from other people.

Do Autism Social Stories Work?

Research has shown that Autism social stories do help reduce problem behaviors. They also help to increase the autistic person’s social awareness, and have been found to help re-enforce an already learnt skill or teach a new one.

Autism social stories are more useful to children with Autism Spectrum and adults who have basic language skills.

Although you can get Autism social stories in audio and pictorial formats. It is not known if Autism social stories work when sign language is used.

There are no known negative effects of Autism social stories reported and it is believed amongst the medical and social professionals that Autism social stories are beneficial to the autistic person.

The belief is that the social skills story can be used to teach the autistic person social skills that he/she would otherwise not know how to use appropriately.

This in itself is a good thing and can help alleviate what could otherwise be stressful situations for parents.

So What Does a Social Skills Story Look Like?

Autism social stories are made from different sentence types.

Descriptive, Perspective, Directive and Control and may also include Affirmative and Co-operative sentences.

Descriptive sentences provide information about specific social settings or situations, for example they provide cues to what the person sees, who is involved, and what happens, For example: At lunch time most of the children will go to the dinner hall.

Perspective sentences describe the feelings, emotions, thoughts, and/or mood of other people. Describing the way a situation is viewed by some body-else, many kids with Autism Spectrum have difficulties understanding how others see things. For example: Usually, when people are happy, they smile. Smiling makes people feel good. 

Directive sentences provide the autistic person with information about what they should try and do, to be successful in the situation. For example: If I stay calm in class, I will learn more.

Recommended Formula For Writing Autism Spectrum Social Stories:

The recommended formula for writing Autism Spectrum Social Stories is: two to five Descriptive sentences for each Directive sentence, which may include Perspective and control sentences. Research shows that many stories which follow this ratio will be successful.

Children especially children with Autism Spectrum respond well to learning through pictures, these children tend to be visual thinkers and learners which means that they use visual images as a first language and speech secondary.

Pictorially rich Autism social stories are thought to be better and easier for the child with Autism Spectrum to understand.

Autism social stories can be designed for all age ranges and abilities.

A good social skills story will help in all areas as long as it is introduced properly as explained earlier, then monitored for its overall effectiveness.

If a story is deemed not to be working, it should be tweaked and then used. If it is still not working, the story should be looked at, is this the right story? Or maybe a different story would best suit the situation.

At http://www.autismsocialstories.com  we aim to provide pictorially rich, specific Autism social stories that can be printed off and used for various ages.

With all of our stories we offer a full money back guarantee.

Please feel free to contact us if you need any more information on Autism social stories at admin@autismsocialstories.com

I hope you found this report helpful and now have a better understanding why Autism social stories work and what they can be used for.

 

Autism objectives for interaction

Friday, June 29th, 2012

Autism spectrum disorder is a pervasive developmental disorder affecting the autistic individual’s brain; which impairs the autistic individual’s social interactions and causes restricted and repetitive stereotypical behaviors.

 

Generally kids on the autism spectrum have difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication which can impact on their abilities to socially interact.

 

Having autism spectrum disorder makes it hard for kids on the autism spectrum to understand and relate to the world we live in, they fail to grasp social skills, which typically developing children and adults will naturally learn.

 

Autism is characterized by several developmental challenges. The autism symptoms can include:  Language may develop slowly or not at all. The autistic child may use words without attaching meaning to them. They may use echolalia, and have poor attention spans.

 

The child with autism will probably prefer to spend time alone rather than with others, shows little interest in making friends, and be less responsive to social cues such as eye contact or smiles.

 

These autism symptoms impact on the autistic individual’s ability to interact effectively and can cause isolation and social blunders. Consequently, when deciding on autism objectives for interactions these autism symptoms should first be looked at.

 

Typically developing children learn social skills such as social interactions naturally through play, from their peers, parents and those around them. This ability is missing in kids on the autism spectrum and social skills should be taught directly.

 

Generally kids on the autism spectrum are visual learners and will better understand any social skills teaching when taught and re-enforced visually. This is achievable using visual support tools for autism such as social stories.

 

Using visual support tools for autism can make the implementation of autism objectives for interactions much easier. By careful observations parents of autistic children can determine which social interaction skills their child is finding difficult and an appropriate social skills story can be put in place to help them overcome this.

 

Many parents of autistic children use autistic social skills stories to help teach social, communication, imagination and interaction skills with great success rates.

 

The social skills story is visually rich with short appropriate pieces of text set out in a specific format. Developed almost twenty years ago autistic social skills stories are probably the most significant autism tool used to help kids on the autism spectrum overcome social interaction difficulties.

 

To find appropriate autism objectives for interactions autistic social skills stories as well as autistic social skills stories for other social skills teaching such as making friends, answering questions, appropriate touching and many more visit any of the following sites and gain immediate downloads:

 

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school_resources

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/preschool

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior     

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/Halloween

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resources and children with autism

Thursday, June 28th, 2012

Autism is one of the most common developmental disorders yet still it is misunderstood.

 

There is no cure for autism, raising a child with autism spectrum is probably one of the toughest challenges a parent could face, the physical and emotional challenges faced can be overwhelming.

 

Unfortunately, the typical symptoms of autism can be severe in some children which undoubtedly will have an affect on the autistic child’s entire family.

 

Although there is nothing that can be done to reverse autism, there are strategies parents of children on the autism spectrum can use to help with the typical symptoms of autism.

 

Research has shown parents of children on the autism spectrum suffer more stress than parents of children with learning disabilities.

 

Therefore finding the right resources for children on the autism spectrum is essential.

 

Which resources and children with autism are available and how can you access them quickly and easily?

 

Parents of children on the autism spectrum are using resources for children on the autism spectrum such as autistic social skills stories.

 

Studies into the use of resources and children with autism; show that there is a significant improvement in teaching autism social skills and good behaviors to children on the autism spectrum, once autistic social skills stories have been introduced.

 

Autistic social skills stories are used effectively for teaching autism social skills and behaviors to children on the autism spectrum; written by experts in autistic behaviors, autistic social skills stories can help an autistic child learn vital social skills and appropriate behaviors.

 

The social story is typically written in first person text and will normally have visual images/pictures which show the child with autism what is happening and why.

 

The social story aims to answer the ever important “wh” questions- who, what, why, when and where as well as “HOW” and will offer the child with autism an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of considerable weakness in most children on the spectrum.

 

Consequently, parents of children on the autism spectrum are able to find better coping methods, which can in turn help alleviate some of the stress parents find themselves under.

 

Therefore, teaching autism social skills and good behaviors to children on the autism spectrum by using this valuable autism resource can be very beneficial.

 

The internet now makes finding this autism resource much easier and less time consuming.

 

To download autistic social skills stories that help parents of children on the autism spectrum find better coping methods, for behaviors such as screaming or even autistic stimming visit a good autism resource site such as:

 

www.autismsocialstories.com

 

 

 

 

Social Skills Management for Kids with Autism

Saturday, June 2nd, 2012

Many children with an ASD can be genuinely bewildered and overwhelmed in social situations. This is due to social skills deficits which are a common characteristic of autism and are always present in varying degrees.

There is no cure for autism but there are various treatments of autism which can help children with an ASD overcome and deal with their individual social skills deficits such as picture communication cards, visual social story cards and autism social skills stories.

The common characteristics of autism are also displayed in the ASD child by repetitive and stereotypical behaviour patterns which can cause isolation and at times even bullying. For example many kids with autism display rigid behaviours and can become distressed and anxious when a routing is altered or changed.

For many kids with repetitive and stereotypical behaviour patterns can be helped and eased using visual intervention strategies like social skills stories, for example visiting Grandma, transitions, moving, shopping trips and so on.

The autism social story is a short descriptive story which focuses on a skill or behaviour that the child with autism is struggling to understand or cope with.

The autism social story breaks the skill or situation up into smaller easier to understand sections and uses visual images to show the child with autism what to expect and also what is expected of them.

Typically autism social skills stories should answer the “wh” questions – who, what, why, when and where as well as “how” and should aim on giving the child with autism an insight into the thoughts, feeling s and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in most kids with autism.

Tools for Social Skills Management for Kids with Autism using intervention strategies like social stories, picture communication cards and visual social story cards can be found at: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Here you will find other Tools for Social Skills Management for Kids with Autism such as visual schedules, behaviour plans, now and next boards, flash cards, activities booklets a parent page with craft ideas and much more

Visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Amazing Craft Ideas for Your Child with Autism

Saturday, June 2nd, 2012

Autism is a complex neurological disorder which affects more boys than girls. The characteristics of autism vary from person to person but the common characteristics of autism present in ALL autistic individuals are deficits in social awareness, communication and imagination skills as well as stereotypical and repetitive patterns of behaviour.

Just like a typically developing child the child with autism will want to have fun and “play” but unlike a typically developing child this is sometimes difficult, “play” does not come naturally to most autistic individuals.

Therefor when thinking about Amazing Craft Ideas for Your Child with Autism it is probably a good idea to think outside the box! No two children with autism are the same and what holds the attention of one child might not hold the attention of another as with any child.

Movement based activities can work quite well for children with autism for example – spinning, running, twirling and so on, kids with autism can be very sensitive to sensory stimulation. Try creating activities based around movement for example bouncing on a trampoline (inside and out). Or try swinging on a swing, in a hammock or try using a blanket to swing your ASD child.

Many kids with autism like to build things for example using Lego. Try engaging your ASD child in putting together a puzzle.

Other Amazing Craft Ideas for Your Child with Autism can also be viewed at: http://www.autismsocialstories.com/fun_activities_to_do_with_your_autistic_child.html

Typically children on the autism spectrum are visual thinkers and learners therefor they find visual activities, information and projects more interesting and generally greater successes are often achievable.

This applies to learning social awareness and communication skills also, a child with autism WILL better understand visual teaching methods and tools. For example an ASD child that is sensitive to sensory stimulation may find social stories useful when it comes to situations like hair washing, brushing their teeth, getting a haircut, visiting the dentist and so on…

Such social stories can be found at: http://www.autismsocialstories.com/hygiene.html

As well as at http://www.autismsocialstories.com

There is also for immediate download 33 Amazing Craft Ideas for Your Child with Autism including:

  • There Candy Crafts
  • Dried Flowers
  • Making Gifts
  • How to make a scarecrow
  • How to make homemade ice cream
  • How to make homemade stickers
  • Making handmade paper
  • Making homemade potpurri
  • Making jewellery
  • Sea shell crafts
  • Trash Art

Ready for immediate download as well as other tools for autism such as social stories, visual social story cards, picture communication cards, now and next boards, visual schedules, behaviour charts and more…

Visit for social stories:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Visual social story cards:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/visual.html

Picture communication cards:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/cards.html

Now and next and visual schedules:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/now.html

Behaviour plans:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/behaviour.html

Just check out the sitemap down the side of the page for articles, information, flash cards, parent tools and more…

Using Social Stories to Teach Social Skills

Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

Social stories ARE short descriptive pieces of text that will normally follow a set pattern of sentence type.

Social stories can HELP TEACH social and communication skills to children with autism and related conditions.

Developed around twenty years ago to aid communication social skills stories ARE now one of the major strategies used in teaching and supporting children with autism and related conditions.

The social story WILL answer the “wh” questions – who, what, why, when and where as well as “HOW” and will give an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in most people on the autism spectrum.

Typically people on the autism spectrum ARE VISUAL thinkers and learners, this means that they tend to think in pictures and WILL find VISUAL information much easier to understand.

Therefore, using social stories to teach social skills is beneficial. The social story WILL act like a visual framework or step by step plan of the skills or behaviour and allow the child with autism to prepare and feel more comfortable with and in the situation.

By detailing the important social cues and giving possible answers and outcomes the social story WILL give the child with autism more confidence and reduce stress and confusion.

Characteristically children with autism HAVE social skills deficits, the social story can help to address these effectively.

Always written in first person text and from the point of view of the autistic child the social story is easy to implement and needs no formal training to use.

Visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com where you will find information on using social stories to teach social skills and downloads.

Alternatively visual any of the following sites for downloads of social skills stories

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior

Download and Use Autistic Supports with Your Child on the Spectrum

Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

It is common for those with autism to have deficits in social awareness sills and behaviours.  This is due to the Triad of Autistic Impairments or social skills deficits.

The Triad of Autistic Impairments or social skills deficits means the person’s social, communication and imagination skills are missing or not developed sufficiently.

This can cause many difficulties for those with autism, for example lacking social and communication skills can make it hard for them to make friends, ask questions and join in with play.

The majority of children on the autism spectrum ARE visual thinkers and learners which means that they think in pictures and find visual information easier to understand. It is therefore a good idea to use visual autistic supports with your child on the autism spectrum.

There are various visual autistic supports available like social skills stories, PECS, picture communication cards and so on…

Download and use autistic supports with your child on the autism spectrum from sites like:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com where you will find various supports for autism which can be used effectively and with no need for any formal training.

Autistic supports such as social skills stories are designed to help you teach and re-enforce skills and behaviours that the child with autism is struggling with.

The social story WILL ACT like a visual plan or framework of the skill by 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 those with autism.

The social story should be written from the child’s own perspective, in first person text and in a manner the child with autism can understand. It should be use images or pictures to show visually what is happening and why, this is important.

Generally social skills stories are written in word format to make editing easy, none of us typically use the same terminology and no two children are ever going to be the same, so the ability to edit is important.

Download and use autistic supports with your child on the spectrum such as social skills stories by visiting:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com where you will also find picture communication cards and other supports for autism which can be used to help your child on the spectrum cope with and feel more comfortable in situations that he/she is finding stressful or confusing.

 

 

 

Motivating an ASD student

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

Motivating an ASD student can be at times stressful and difficult. A student with ASD WILL NOT process information in the same manner as a typically developing student, this means that the student with ASD may think, act, re-act and behave very differently to the other students.

A child with autism spectrum WILL almost certainly have deficits in three main areas of development: social, communication (verbal and non-verbal) and imagination. These deficits can make teaching difficult.

There are various supports which CAN be used to HELP a child with autism spectrum cope and better understand skills and situations that they may or are struggling with.

Motivating an ASD student using visual supports like social skills stories, picture communication cards and flash cards is beneficial.

These visual supports for the ASD student can be easily implemented and are readily available from sites like

http://www.autimsocialstories.com/school

 Typically social skills stories ARE short descriptive pieces of text which look almost like a comic script conversation. The social story WILL answer 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 considerable weakness in most children with autism.

The social story should always be written from the point of view of the ASD student and use first person text, it should always adopt a manner that the child with autism can relate to and better understand.

Generally social skills stories ARE visually rich using images and pictures to help explain to the child with autism spectrum what’s happening and why.

The social story should be editable as no two children with autism will ever be the same and we all use different terminology, therefore editing is often needed.

For more information on social skills stories for students with autism and communication cards please visit:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

Where you will find immediate downloads of social skills stories for students with autism and related conditions.

General social stories can be downloaded from

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

 

Autism Behaviour Supports and Techniques

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

The main difficulties experienced by those on the autism spectrum are deficits in three main areas of development: social awareness, communication (verbal and non-verbal) also imagination skills.

It is these deficits which ARE common to all those on the autism spectrum in varying degrees, depending on the individuals own abilities.

Children with autism ARE typically visual thinkers and learners which means that VISUAL SUPPORTS are going to be easier for the child on the autism spectrum to USE and UNDERSTAND.

There is no known cure for autism but there ARE significant “Autism Behaviour Supports and Techniques” available which ARE visual and can be easily implemented.

For example – Autism Behaviour Supports and Techniques like:

Autism Social Skills Stories, Visual Social Story Cards, Communication Cards, PECS and so on…

All of these ARE visual supports which can be used to help the child on the autism spectrum OVERCOME their own individual challenges and deficits.

Autism Social Skills Stories - USE images/pictures and can act like a visual plan/framework of the skill or behaviour being tackled. For example a social story can be implemented to help the child with autism cope with group activities, learn appropriate social skills like asking questions, respecting personal space, taking turns and so on…

The social story WILL answer 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 those on the autism spectrum.

Autism Social Skills Stories ARE normally written in first person text and WILL usually be written from the perspective of the child with autism. The social story should also be written in word format to make editing and printing easier.

No two children with autism WILL ever be the same and we all use different terminology with our kids, therefore editing and personalization ARE important.

To learn more about Autism Behaviour Supports and Techniques such as Autism Social Skills Stories, Visual Social Story Cards and Communication Cards visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior

 

Autistic Supports

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Autistic supports ARE used to help people with autism learn or remember social and communication skills and behaviours.

There ARE various supports for autism, but probably the most significant of the autistic supports ARE VISUAL.

Typically people with autism ARE VISUAL thinkers and learners this means that they USE visual images/pictures as their first language and speech/ words as secondary.

Therefore it is commonly believed that the most BENEFICIAL autistic supports ARE VISUAL. For example:

Social stories

Visual social story cards and folders

PECS

Communication cards – flash cards

…And so on…

For the purpose of this article we are looking at SOCIAL STORIES

Social stories for autism ARE visual autistic supports which were first introduced around twenty years ago to teach communication skills to children with autism spectrum disorder.

Today social stories for autism ARE widely used by teachers and parents to not only teach but re-enforce social, communication and imagination skills and behaviours.

A social story is a short descriptive story which looks much like a comic script. The social story WILL describe a skill or situation from the perspective of the child with autism.

Social stories for autism ARE visual autistic supports that use images/pictures to detail what is happening and why. Acting like a visual framework or plan the social story WILL answer 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 considerable weakness in most kids with autism.

To learn more about social stories for autism visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com and get immediate downloads of 100 social stories for kids with autism

Autistic social skills

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

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