Frequently Needed Answers

Receiving a diagnosis of autism

Autism is probably one of the most common developmental disorders with 1 in every 150 children born receiving a diagnosis of autism. There is still as yet no cure for autism and research into its cause continues.

Receiving a diagnosis of autism is always going to be difficult to accept, the autism child will almost certainly have the triad of autistic impairments which are deficits in social, communication, imagination and interaction skills.

So what does the triad of autistic impairments mean to your child? Children on the autistic spectrum do not develop socially in the same way as typically developing children they lack the ability to recognize and read body language and facial expression.

This is often referred to as “mind blindness” or the “theory of mind”. Typically developing children learn how to recognize the thoughts and feelings of other people as they grow by people watching they begin to recognize certain expressions, postures and mannerisms, this ability is missing with children on the autistic spectrum.

Typically developing children are inquisitive and will want to please, copy, mimic and learn social behaviors. The autism child lacks this natural instinct and will need direct teaching of social and communication skills.

Probably one of the most significant issues parents report after receiving a diagnosis of autism is their fear their child will not be accepted socially and will struggle to make friends.

There are now treatments and therapies available to parents over the internet such as social skills stories for autism. First developed almost twenty years ago social skills stories for autism are designed to help children on the autistic spectrum learn and remember social and communication skills from basic every day life skills such as washing, brushing teeth and using the toilet to more complex skills like accepting a new baby into the family, having autism and making friends, buying new shoes, even attending the hospital or dentist.

Parents, teachers and care givers use social stories on a regular basis to teach and re-enforce appropriate social skills and behaviors to children on the autistic spectrum. Written by experts, using appropriate language from the point of view of the child with ASD always written in the first person and visually rich social stories explain the why, what, where and when to the child with ASD.

To find out more about social skills stories for autism like having autism and making friends visit www.autismsocialstories.com and get immediate download to 100 social skills stories for autism as well as excellent customer support.

Autism Spectrum Disorder social skills stories were first developed around twenty years ago as a method for teaching and communicating with individuals on the spectrum.

They were developed to aid communication in both verbal and nonverbal autistics, the goal being that individuals on the autism spectrum were able to use the Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism Social Skills Stories as a tool to help them clarify and understand information and directions.

Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism Social Skills Stories provide the child with Autistic Spectrum Disorder 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 individuals with autism spectrum disorder the  autistic social skills story uses visual cues to show the child with Autistic Spectrum Disorder what is expected of them as well as what they can expect from others.

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

ASD social skills 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 Autistic Spectrum Disorder to understand the “wh” question (who, where, When, what and why)

Research shows us that teaching social skills to children 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 children 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 Autistic Spectrum Disorder 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 autistic social skills story can also be used to help with routine changes, teaching skills and behaviors, explaining rules and so on…

ASD social skills 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 Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism 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

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

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 social skills stories can be used as a tool for inspiring positive behaviours in children with ASD (autism spectrum disorder).

Using autism social skills stories as a plan does not need any formal training, parents, care givers, teachers, teacher’s assistants and so on can use autism social skills stories effectively as a means of inspiring positive behaviours as well as helping to improve social and communication skills.

Research suggests that autism social skills stories are a major proactive behaviour intervention that provides a positive approach in encouraging appropriate social behaviours.

A social story is a short story written in first person language from the ASD individual’s point of view.

We know that children with ASD tend to be visual thinkers and learners. Consequently, the social story was designed to encompass this. Developed twenty years ago as a means of communication, the social story has now evolved into a major intervention strategy in autism.

Studies show inspiring positive behaviour using autism social skills stories has proven very effective and their use has grown dramatically over the last twenty years.

Research also suggests that autism social skills stories have been proven to reduce inappropriate behaviours, for example tantrums, inappropriate vocalizations, as well as reduce social isolation.

Encouraging positive behaviour using autism social skills stories is also beneficial in helping children with ASD understand and learn skills such as sharing, making friends, taking turn, respecting personal space and so on.

Autism social skills stories are beneficial for all individuals with autism spectrum disorder, and are available from sites such as: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Autism social skills stories are user friendly, easy to implement and require no formal training to use. Using visual images and accurate no frill text a social story is much like a visual framework of the skill or behaviour that the ASD individual’s struggling to master, understand, cope with or that needs encouraging.

Autism social skills stories are available over the internet, written by experts that can be downloaded, printed and edited to suit all individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

Visit sites such as: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

A normally developing child learns in several different ways:

Visually…through sight

Auditory…through hearing

kinesthetically …through touch or manipulation.

Mainstream schools will normally include a variety of learning techniques, the children will learn visually through reading books and texts. They also learn through listening to their teachers, and through touch or manipulation…for example tech., art, textiles etc…

Kids with autism spectrum special needs students they will nearly always be visual learners. However some kids with autism spectrum may also be kinesthetic learners and may well benefit form their teacher or helper actually guiding their hand while they undertake tasks.

So with that in mind an autism special needs teacher or assistant will need to asses each autistic child individually to determine which method of learning they appear to prefer.

The special needs teacher or assistant will then be able to steer the lesson planning for that child to suit their particular method of learning and therefore build on their individual strengths.

One very important thing to remember when planning lessons for the autistic child is their need for repetition…Autistic children like repetition and sameness. So this needs to be kept in mind when setting lessons.

As with a normally developing child autism learning difficulties, can be enhanced by the introduction and implementation of autism social skills stories…

Autism social skills stories are used as a tool for teaching kids with autism spectrum and special needs vital social information and skills.

By introducing autism social skills stories you will enhance learning skills in the autism special needs student.

Autism learning difficulties…can be helped by these excellent visually rich autism social skills stories. They are easily implemented and can be adapted to suit all children.

To obtain school related autism social skills stories or social stories for all situations, events and abilities. Which can be downloaded immediately and used for teaching kids with autism spectrum please visit:

www.autismsocialstories.com/school

For all other autism social stories visit:

www.autismsocialstories.com

www.autismsocailstories.com/hygiene

www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior

www.autismsocialstories.com/asperger_adolescents

www.autismsocialstories.com/autistic_teens

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

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

Research suggests that 1 in every 150 children born will be on the autism spectrum disorders.

Boys are generally 4 times more likely to be autistic. The reason for this is unconfirmed although there are theories on the reasons.

Some research into autism identifies chemical imbalances in the brain as one of the reasons for autism. These imbalances are believed to be caused by something in our genes. However recent research into autism suggests is not the fault of a single gene (an autism gene) but a combination of genes.

Autism can not be cured but can be treated, medication is given to control some autism symptoms like aggression, seizure, and other related behavior issues connected to autism symptoms.

Autism is a triad of developmental deficits; Autism symptoms:

Social deficits

Communication deficits

Imagination and interaction deficits

Mostly autism is treated with therapies such as, speech therapy, occupational therapy, music therapy, medications, dietary changes and vision therapy.

By the time an autistic child reaches their teens, they should already be receiving regular therapy sessions and have appropriate dietary and medication needs under control.

What are teens with autism like?

Looking at autism and its effects on teenagers, how can they be treated…

…Due to how the brain of an autistic individual processes information a teen with autism may strike you as weird or odd.

Typically autism and its effects on teenagers is similar to those on younger children they will lack eye contact have trouble making and maintaining friendships. Find conversations difficult, prefer to be alone, have difficulties joining in activities and lack imagination.

The autistic teenager may be sensitive to light, touch, sound and smells they may avoid being touched and shrug away from physical closeness making relationships difficult.

The autistic teenager may be passive and withdrawn.

On the other hand they may be aggressive display tantrums, shout and generally be difficult to control which can cause stress within the classroom and home as the autistic teenager grows so does their strength and capabilities to be destructive.

Self harm can become a very real issue in teens with autism.

Many teens with autism may continue to have intellectual and learning problems. They may lack the ability to express their emotions like anger, fear and frustration in ways that are acceptable, they might express themselves in ways that are inappropriate.

Some teens with autism will have trouble with their physically changing body and emotions due to the normal hormonal changes associated with puberty.

Research into autism suggests teenagers with autism respond well to help with social skills training.

Social skills training for teenagers with autism helps reduce the anxieties and explain what is happening to their changing feelings and bodies.

Autism social skills training for teenagers with autism can be done through the use of autism social skills stories.

Autistic teenagers respond well to autism social skills stories finding them clear precise and easy to understand. No matter what the issue implementing an autism social skills story can help alleviate the stress and anxiety felt by the autistic teenager.

Studies into autism and its effects on teenagers showed those teens with implemented social skills stories were socially more able to cope than those without implemented social skills stories.

What are teens with autism like?

Teens with autism can find coping methods and behavioral strategies by using autism social skills stories. The social skills story gives focus to key points and helps the teenager with autism find answers and techniques for those situations the struggle with.

Autism social skills stories can be immediately downloaded to help the teenager with autism cope and manage behaviors including self harm, masturbation, swear words, social kissing, appropriate touching, calming down solutions and personal hygiene issues, as well as various other topics teenagers with autism will find difficult.

For immediate download visit:

www.autismsocialstories.com/autistic_teens

www.autismsocialstories.com/asperger_adolescents

For all other social skills stories visit one of these other sites:

www.autismsocialstories.com

www.autismsocialstories.com/school

www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

www.autismsocialstories.com/howto

www.autismsocialstories.com/hygiene

www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior

www.autismsocialstories.com/potty

www.autismsocialstories.com/valentines_day

www.autismsocialstories.com/mothers_day

www.autismsocialstories.com/christmas

A social skills story is written to help an individual with ASD address social skills deficits and pave the way for a positive social interaction or behaviour.

Children on the autism spectrum do not naturally acquire social and communication skills and lack he ability to interact with others effectively, this is due to social skills deficits. Social skills need to be taught directly through deliberate treatments and intervention strategies.

Teaching children with ASD social skills using intervention strategies

Probably the most significant of the various intervention strategies are autism social skills stories. Autism social skills stories can be easily implemented and used to teach the social and communication skills and behaviours that the child with an ASD is struggling with.

Having social impairments is much like being dropped in a foreign country with no idea where or how to get home or communicate. Children on the autism spectrum will need intervention strategies to acquire functional and age-appropriate social skills, make friendships, and learn communication skills.

We know that the vast majority of children with ASD are visual thinkers and learners, meaning they think in pictures, therefore visual intervention strategies are excellent.

Visual intervention strategies

Social stories ARE visual intervention strategies. Written in first person text and using visual images and pictures to describe the situation or skill in detail, a social skills story breaks the skill into appropriate social cues, following a set formula the social skills story is much like a comic strip conversation for the person with an ASD to follow.

Autism social skills stories provide concrete information on what people in a given situation are doing, thinking or feeling. The social skills story is like a visual plan showing the steps or sequence of events, identifying the significant social cues and their meaning, answering the important “wh” questions – who, what, where, when and why

For a child with an ASD social stories should describe social situations, contexts, and the likely behaviours of others and provide an appropriate behavioural response cue that the child with an ASD can understand.

Therefore teaching children with ASD social skills using intervention strategies LIKE social stories is beneficial.

For children with ASD autism social skills stories act as a VISUAL PLAN OR FRAMEWORK that helps children with autism to understand skills and behaviours that they struggle with.

To learn more about children with ASD and social stories visit:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

http://www.autismsoicalstories.com/behavior

A social story is written to help a person with Autism Spectrum Disorder address social skills deficits and pave the way for a positive social interaction or behaviour.

Children on the spectrum do not naturally acquire social and communication skills and lack he ability to interact with others effectively, this is due to social skills deficits. Social skills need to be taught directly through deliberate treatments and intervention strategies.

Teaching children with Autism Spectrum Disorder social skills using intervention strategies

Probably the most significant of the various intervention strategies are social skills stories. Social skills stories can be easily implemented and used to teach the social and communication skills and behaviours that the child with Autism Spectrum Disorder is struggling with.

Having social impairments is much like being dropped in a foreign country with no idea where or how to get home or communicate. Children on the spectrum will need intervention strategies to acquire functional and age-appropriate social skills, make friendships, and learn communication skills.

We know that the vast majority of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder are visual thinkers and learners, meaning they think in pictures, therefore visual intervention strategies are excellent.

Visual intervention strategies

Social stories ARE visual intervention strategies. Written in first person text and using visual images and pictures to describe the situation or skill in detail, a social skills story break the skill into appropriate social cues, following a set formula the social skills story is much like a comic strip conversation for the person with an Autism Spectrum Disorder to follow.

Social skills stories provide concrete information on what people in a given situation are doing, thinking or feeling. The social skills story is like a visual plan showing the steps or sequence of events, identifying the significant social cues and their meaning, answering the important “wh” questions – who, what, where, when and why

For a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder social stories should describe social situations, contexts, and the likely behaviours of others and provide an appropriate behavioural response cue that the child with Autism Spectrum Disorder can understand.

Therefore teaching children with Autism Spectrum Disorder social skills using intervention strategies LIKE social stories is beneficial.

For children with Autism Spectrum Disorder social skills stories act as a VISUAL PLAN OR FRAMEWORK that helps children with autism understand skills and behaviours that they struggle with.

To learn more about children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and social stories visit:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Or http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

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

Hygiene and self-help skills ARE essential life skills. But for many autistic individuals these skills ARE often a neglected, can cause confusion, anxiety and stress.

Typically autistic individuals do not always recognise the need to increase hygiene skills around puberty, the need for regular dental checks or tooth brushing etc. The individual with autism may not perceive their appearance or the social implications of neglecting their own personal hygiene.

Addressing poor hygiene in autistic individuals can be overcome using visual supports, patience and understanding.

For many parents, teachers and other professionals knowing how to support an individual with autism can be difficult and at time stressful. However this can be overcome when parents opt to use visual supports for autism.

It is understood individuals on the spectrum are generally visual thinkers and learners therefore making use of visual supports for autism is beneficial. One such autistic support is autism social skills stories.

Social stories show the individual on the spectrum why and how to perform certain hygiene skills. A social story acts as a role model for the individual on the spectrum to follow; the social skills story will show visually as well as answer the “wh” questions – who, where, why, when and what. The social skills story will also give the autistic person an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others.

Social skills stories are normally written by experts in autism and typically follow a set pattern of sentence types, use first person language and are visually rich, the social skills story is generally easy to edit, personalize and may be printed.

For parents, teachers or care givers needing help with addressing poor hygiene in autistic individuals using autism social skills stories for hygiene will be beneficial.

Social skills stories can be used for a vast majority of situations and skills the autistic person may be struggling with like making friends, having a conversation, shopping, getting a haircut, visiting the dentist, hospital etc.

To learn more about using autism social skills stories for hygiene visit

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

For other social skills stories visit:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

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

Typically kids with autism HAVE deficits in social and communication skills and behaviours, which can often lead to tension, stress and anxiety.

Commonly kids with autism ARE visual thinkers and learners, this means that they think in images and WILL almost certainly use speech/language secondary.

Therefore visual strategies ARE typically of more benefit to the child on the autism spectrum. Probably the most significant of the visual strategies ARE social skills stories.

Teaching kids with autism social skills using social stories as a strategy has proven successful. The social story is written in first person text and uses visual images to describe the skill or situation in a manner that the child on the spectrum can understand and is comfortable with.

The social story WILL typically answer the “wh” questions – who, what, why, when and where as well as “HOW” and should attempt to offer an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others, which is an area of considerable weakness in most kids with autism.

Social stories ACT like a visual plan or framework of the skill or situation being taught or re-enforced. The skill or situation is broken down into smaller sections with images much like a comic script and is then presented from the child’s own perspective.

Teaching kids with autism social skills using social stories CAN HELP with skills such as: making friends, sharing, taking turns, recess, trying new foods, hygiene and self-help skills.

In fact a social story can be introduced for almost any situation or skill the child on the autism spectrum is struggling with.

To learn more about how and when social stories can be used visit:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

The social story needs NO formal training to use.

The social story should typically be written in word format making it easy to edit and personalize.

Social stories ARE typically written by experts and parents of children on the spectrum. To gain immediate downloads of OVER 100 social skills stories visit:

 http://www.autismsocialstories.com

For most children with autism lacking social interaction skills is common. Many children with autism will want to make and have friends but will find this process confusing and stressful.

Lacking social interaction skills is often referred to as the autism triad of impairments but those autism triad of impairments will vary from child to child.

The actual degree a child is affected with the autism triad of impairments will generally depend on the individual’s social development.

Some children with autism on the lower end of the autism scale may have little or no language and may have other related disabilities. On the other end of the autism scale those children with asperger syndrome will often be schooled in mainstream schools and be of average to above average intelligence. This set of individuals will probably desire friendships.

Those children with asperger syndrome or mild autism will probably want friendships but making and maintaining those friendships will be a struggle, unfortunately it is believed around 40% of autistic children in mainstream education will at some point be a victim to bullying.

For most typically developing children recess and break times are a time of fun and a chance to run around and interact with their peers, this is “normal behavior”

However this is not the case with an autistic child, often the sound of the bell can fill them with fear and dread. Autistic children prefer structure, routine and dislike surprises, noises and the unstructured chaos of free time. They find choice making difficult and can sometimes be overwhelmed by recess and break times.

A lot of autistic children find recess confusing, there are a lot of choices to be made, what to play with, who to play with, what to do, so many choices a “typical child” will take for granted and enjoy, this is not the case with an autistic child.

For example a simple game, the autistic child may choose to join in with their peers, but may find comprehending the rules confusing, they may not understand the need for the rules, and then just as they start to understand the rules may change or the game may stop.

The other end to this is those children with autism that will stick rigidly to the rule and this can sometimes take the fun out of the game for the other normally developing children, they may loose interest and unfortunately the autistic child may not understand why this is and become distressed.

Some autistic children can become overwhelmed by noise, which can make recess or break time a painful and stressful time, you may find them pacing up and down in their own little world until recess is over and they can return to the routine and structure of the classroom.

All these factors can make autism and finding friends difficult to say the very least.

So how can you help with the problem of autism and finding friends?

Generally as we discussed earlier kids with autism prefer structure and routine, this can be achieved by the use of autism visual supports such as autism visual schedules and social skills stories, these resources are used in the classroom to add structure and routine the child’s day.

These autism visual supports can also be used to help kids with autism cope with recess and break times taking away some of anxieties they may feel around this time of the day.

The autism visual supports can also be used to help autistic children understand how to maintain friendships, by teaching the autistic child how to use conversation, how to pretend play, how to be kind, respect peoples feelings and personal space, how to share and make choices and so on, all social skills we take for granted, but an autistic child will need to be taught these social skills directly.

Therefore the perfect place to start with autism and making friends is with autism visual supports such as autism visual schedules and social skills stories to teach the autistic child the social skills necessary for making and maintaining friendships and dealing with recess and break times.

You can find appropriate social skills stories and other autism resources for kids with autism for download at:

www.autismsocialstories.com

www.autismsocialstories.com/stories.html

www.autismsocialstories.com/sensory.html

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

Autism is a developmental disorder which has no known cure. That said THERE ARE plenty of excellent resources which can be used to help those diagnosed autistic.

Characteristically those diagnosed autistic WILL have social and communication difficulties, this is due to social skills deficits which ARE apparent in all people with autism but to varying degrees.

Typically people with autism WILL prefer visual information and teaching, it is therefore believed that resources and teaching styles should be more visual.

This is easily achieved through the use of visual resources for autism such as social skills stories, PECS, picture communication cards and so on…

Using visual resources for autism is beneficial, and typically will need no formal training to implement and use.

For example social skills stories ARE visual resources for autism which ARE used specifically for building autistic social skills and helping to overcome communication and social awareness difficulties.

Having social skills deficits can be challenging for many children on the autism spectrum and can at times even lead to extreme behaviours, even bullying.

So how does the social story work?

The social skills story is a short visual story much like a comic script which is used as a visual framework or step by step detailed plan of the skill or situation that the child on the autism spectrum is finding hard.

Many children on the autism spectrum struggle with the chaos of recess, by implementing a social skills story the child will have a concrete plan of recess. This plan WILL explain what is happening and why, which WILL help the child on the autism spectrum cope and feel more comfortable.

Social skills stories show the skill or situation from the child’s own point of view and use first person text. The social skills story describes the situation using images and short descriptive sentences or words.

The social story should answer the “wh” questions:-who, what, why, when and where. The social skills story should also answer “how” and provide an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in most children on the autism spectrum.

To view and learn more about visual resources for autism like social skills stories for building autistic social skills and to access immediate downloads visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

There are some very good resources available that can help children with autism to overcome social skills difficulties.

Adopting successful social skills teaching for children with autism is easier using visual support tools like: PECS, Social Skills Stories, Picture Communication Cards and so on…

We know that predominantly children with autism ARE visual thinkers and learners, which means that they ARE more likely to understand and learn from information that is presented visually.

Therefore it is believed that successful social skills teaching for children with autism is done visually using visual support tools. For example social skills stories use images/pictures to explain how and why.

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

Acting much like a visual step by step plan or framework of the skill or behaviour the social story will allow the child on the autism spectrum to rehearse the skill, reducing any stresses and anxiety.

Social skills stories use first person text in a positive manner and always from the point of view of the child on the autism spectrum.

The social story is easy to implement and needs “NO formal training to use”

The social story can be used for most situations, skills and behaviours such as asking questions and making friends. It can also be used for teaching kids on the spectrum skills like sharing, taking turns, respecting personal space, coping at recess and many other skills including self-help and hygiene skills.

To view appropriate information on adopting successful social skills teaching for children with autism using social stories and picture communication cards visit:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/preschool

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills