Frequently Needed Answers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The social skills story WILL ANSWER the “wh” question – who, what, why, when and where as well as “HOW” and WILL ALSO offer an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in most children with autism.

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

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

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

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

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

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/preschool

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/hygiene

Commonly children with autism HAVE difficulties with social interaction and awareness skills and behaviours.

This is mainly due to “social skills deficits” or “The theory of mind” put simply deficits in three main areas of development can be expected:

Social skills

Communication skills

And Imagination skills

The theory of mind – social skills deficits WILL affect each individual differently no two people WILL ever be identical.

There is NO CURE for autism but there are various treatments of autism which help children with autism learn social skills. For example social skills stories, visual social story cards, PECS, flash cards and so on…

In order to help children with autism learn social skills parents and teachers should first observe the child to determine which skills/behaviours that the child with ASD is finding difficult or stressful.

Developed around twenty years ago visual intervention strategies like social stories ARE implemented to teach and re-enforce already learnt skills and behaviours.

A social story is a short descriptive story written to help teach a social skill, for example joining in play, asking questions, sharing and so on…

Typically intervention strategies like social stories need NO formal training to use and can be implemented quite easily.

Commonly social skills stories answer the “wh” questions – who, what, why, when and where as well as “HOW” and WILL offer the chid with ASD an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in most children with autism spectrum disorder.

The social story acts like a VISUAL PLAN OR FRAMEWORK of the skill/behaviour and looks much like a comic script.

All social stories ARE typically written in first person language and in a manner that the ASD child will understand.

The social story will help children with autism learn social skills by showing visually what they can expect and what others will expect of them.

Typically children with autism spectrum disorder ARE visual thinkers and learners which means that they think in images/pictures and will use speech/language as secondary, which makes visual intervention strategies like social skills stories ideal.

To learn more about social stories and how they can benefit your ASD child visit:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Or any of the following sites where you will be able to get downloads of social skills stories:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/preschool

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/hygiene

Social awareness skills ARE not naturally learnt by young people with autism, unlike their typically developing peers children with autism DO NOT people watch and lack the ability to naturally learn skills the rest of us take for granted.

Many young people with autism struggle with friendships and find social interaction difficult to master this can lead to misunderstandings and at times social isolation.

Teaching communication and social skills to young people with autism CAN be achieved using Intervention Strategies like social stories, flash cards, PECS and so on…

Using Intervention Strategies is beneficial and has been prove effective. Typically children with autism spectrum ARE visual thinkers, this means that they think in images and pictures and will use speech/language as secondary.

This means that Visual Intervention Strategies WILL be far easier for them to understand. Visual Intervention Strategies like social stories need NO formal training to use and can be implemented easily.

The autism social story is a short descriptive piece of text that is specifically written to help teach social and communication skills to kids on the spectrum. The autism social story USES visual images/pictures to describe the skill or situation from the autistic child’s own perspective.

It WILL act like a visual plan of framework of the skill or situation, helping children with autism to feel more comfortable with and in the situation, giving them the opportunity to understand what is expected of them and what in return they CAN expect from others.

The autism social story will help teach social and communication skills to kids on the spectrum 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 most children with autism spectrum.

Teaching communication and social skills to young people with autism using flash cards…

Flash cards ARE small laminated cards with images/pictures printed onto the front of them, some also have small amounts of text. The cards CAN be used as an exchange – for example at snack time the card CAN be given to the teacher in exchange for what is printed onto the front of the card – an apple for example and so on…

Flash cards ARE an excellent means of communication they are also useful around the classroom showing where the bathroom is, the pencil tray and so on… The flash card is also used on visual timetables, now and then boards, choices boards and other means of communication.

To learn more and see examples of autism social stories and flash cards visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

Typically ASD students have social skills deficits: this means that they WILL struggle with social awareness, communication and imagination skills. They may also display sensory processing and obsessive behaviours.

The characteristics of social skills deficits ARE common to autism spectrum disorder. Therefore teaching strategies for ASD students should be geared to help the ASD student overcome these difficulties.

Social skills ARE important especially in the classroom or school environment. Teaching social skills to ASD students CAN be achieved using Intervention Strategies.

Intervention Strategies should be visual, research shows us that the majority of those with autism spectrum disorder ARE visual thinkers and learners, this means that they think in pictures and use speech/language as a secondary language.

So using Visual Intervention Strategies is beneficial. There is a wide variety of Visual Intervention Strategies that CAN be used for teaching social skills to ASD students, such as autism social skills stories, communication picture cards, PECS and so on…

Visual Intervention Strategies like autism social skills stories are good teaching strategies for ASD students and CAN be implemented easily and will need NO formal training to use. They ARE simple short descriptive stories normally written to help teach a social, communication, imagination or behaviour.

For example a social story CAN be used to help the student with ASD to develop friendships, ask questions, stay on task, follow school rules, deal with recess and so on.

A social story will follow a set pattern of sentence type and WILL always be written from the ASD students own perspective. It should be Visual and written in word format to allow editing and personalization we all use different terminology and each story should allow for this.

Typically autism social skills stories answer the “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 those with autism spectrum disorder.

Therefore teaching social skills to ASD students using social stories is beneficial. Communication picture cards ARE used in a similar manner. They are excellent for promoting communication skills. For example communication picture cards ARE useful at snack time and CAN be used as an exchange by the student with ASD: a card showing a picture CAN be given to the teacher as an exchange for what is on the card, for example an apple and so on..

Communication picture cards ARE also used effectively on Visual timetables, choices boards and around the classroom showing for example where the coat hooks are the bathroom, sink, pencil tray and so on…

To learn more about teaching social skills to ASD students using social stories and communication picture cards visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder can come a s a great shock to many parents.

It is thought that an average of 1 in every 150 babies is going to be given a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder before they attend school, this number is astonishing. Research into autism suggests that there is no one reason for autism, and that there is no cure.

While there is no cure for autism spectrum disorder, there are various autism supports and treatments available that can and will help with the symptoms of autism.

Autism supports and treatments can help  with disruptive behaviors, and teach self-help skills that allow for greater independence.  So what are the main symptoms of autism? social awareness deficits, communication difficulties both in verbal and non-verbal communication, imagination skills deficits as well as some stereotypical behaviours and sensory processing issues.

Autism supports and treatments ARE often reffered to as “Intervention Strategies”

Which Intervention Strategies will work for your child is mainy dependant on your child’s own personal abilities. No two children with autism spectrum disorder will ever be the same, and therefore the approach will be different. However one of the most significant treatments of autism is Social Skills Stories and ARE adaptable to suit all.

Social Skills Stories ARE used to help teach social awareness skills, deal with communication difficulties and help the child on the spectrum overcome many of the symptoms of autism that they display.

Social skills stories ARE short descriptive stories which detail a skill or behaviour from the child’s own perspective, breaking the skill or behaviour down into small relevant chunks that the child on the spectrum can understand.

The social story looks much like a comic script with visual images and small pices of first person text. Typically children with autism spectrum disorder ARE visual thinkers, this means that they think in pictures and will gain far more from visual intervention strategies like social  stories, PECS, flash cards and so on.

Commonly visual intervention strategies like the social story will answer the “wh” questions - who, where, why, when and what as well as “HOW” and will also provide an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in most children with autism spectrum disorder.

To implement social skills stories for autism and to learn more about what autism supports and treatments are avauilable visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Alternatively you will find immediate download of socials stories for autism from: http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

It is important to remember it is more useful to put strategies in place to help prevent inappropriate behaviours before they happen than to try and deal with the behaviour once it has occurred.

It is also important to remember that ALL behaviour displayed by kids with autism is for a reason an internal or external factor NEVER just because as with typically developing children.

Due to the triad of autistic impairments children with autism have a lack of social awareness, communication and imagination skills and behaviours.

It is therefore recommended that because of the triad of autistic impairments that any behaviour management for kids with autism is devised to help the child with ASD understand and cope with skills and behaviours that they struggle to understand and manage.

Help such as visual intervention strategies, which ARE used to help teach social awareness, communication and imagination skills and behaviours.

There are many different positive behaviour supports like visual intervention strategies such as: Social Skills Stories, Visual Social Story Cards, Flash Cards, PECS and so on…

Using Positive behaviour supports for ASD is beneficial.

For example positive behaviour supports for ASD can teach self-help skills, choice and decision making, routine changes, social awareness, communication skills and environmental changes as well as much more.

Probably one of the major strategies used is social skills stories – these are short descriptive pieces of text which can be used to help the child with ASD feel more comfortable with and in a situation.

Social Skills Stories use visual images to help explain a situation, skill, behaviour or event from the child’s own perspective. Typically kids with ASD are visual thinkers and learners; this means that they understand visual information easier than that which is written or spoken.

Noticeably kids with ASD have communication difficulties and find reading facial expressions and body language confusing, this is also due to their social impairments.

Having social impairments can make friendships difficult to build and maintain again positive behaviour supports for ASD can help alleviate this issue and help the child with autism develop friendships.

The social story will help answer the “wh” questions – who, what, why, when and where as well as “HOW” and will provide the child with autism an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness in most autistics.

The social story can act like a visual framework or plan of the skill being taught, it will focus on the key points or cues and suggest possible outcomes for the child with autism to follow.

To learn more about behaviour management for kids with autism and how social skills stories WILL help visit:

http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Typically children with autism ARE visual thinkers and learners which means that they think in pictures and find VISUAL intervention strategies easier to understand.

There is a wide range of visual intervention strategies for autistic students available such as visual support cards, PECS and Autism Social Stories, which can be easily implemented and used in the classroom as well as in the child’s home.

For many students using autistic teaching strategies like autism social stories is beneficial. The autism social story WILL answer the “wh” questions who, where, why, when and what as well as “HOW” and give the autistic child an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area of marked weakness.

Autism social stories ARE visual intervention strategies which were introduced around twenty years ago at first as a means of communication. Today the autism social story has wider uses and is probably the most significant of the autistic teaching strategies.

The social story is always written in first person text and from the point of view of the autistic child, and will generally follow a specific formula of sentence types.

Typically the autism social story will be visual using images or pictures to describe the skill or situation that the autistic child is struggling with in terms of relevant social cues. Used as a role model or visual step by step plan the autism social story CAN BE implemented and USED for situation such as recess, assembly, dinner time, making friends and so on.

These visual intervention strategies for autistic students CAN have a great impact on classroom accommodations, helping the autistic student understand class rules, stay calm, ask questions and stay on task.

Social stories ARE short descriptive pieces of text similar to a comic script conversation and ARE generally written in word format making them easy to edit and personalize, we all use different terminology with our child and therefore being able to edit the social story is important.

To learn more about autistic teaching strategies such as autism social stories and other visual intervention strategies for autistic students like visual support cards visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school_resources

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/preschool

Autism Social Stories are visual intervention strategies representations which use images that explain a social situation like a visual plan or framework. They are designed to help the child with ASD understand a situation or skill they may be struggling with.

In schools teachers use Autism Social Stories as visual intervention strategies which are implemented to help their students with autism grasp the lesson easier, stay on task and have more focus, they encourage positive behaviours and help relieve anxieties.

Autism Social Skills Stories are implemented for example if the child with ASD is having a specific problem or maybe something new is going to happen, a transition or a change in routine.

Autism Social Skills Stories answer the “wh” questions –who, where, why, when and what as well as “HOW” and will offer an insight into the thoughts and feelings of others which is an area of marked weakness in those with autism.

Social Stories are generally written in first person text and from the point of view of the ASD person.  They are generally written in word format to make them easy to edit, no two people will ever be the same and we all use different terminology. Social Stories should also be printable for ease of use and convenience.

Printable Autism Social Skills Stories are generally written by experts although parents can learn how to write them with professional help. That said there is no need for any form of formal training to be able to use Social Stories.

Printable Autism Social skills Stories will typically follow a set pattern of four main sentence types, descriptive, perspective, directive and control sentences.

Autism Social Skills Stories were first introduced twenty years ago to aid communication difficulties in children with autism. Since their introduction Autism Social Stories have developed into a significant visual autism tool which is being implemented and used in the treatment of autism.

To download this significant visual autism tool - printable social skills stories which have been written by experts for the treatment of autism visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

This site also offers other visual intervention strategies designed to help the ASD person understand and cope with situations and skills that they are struggling with visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com and get immediate downloads.

Autism Social Stories can help with issues such as puberty, respecting personal space, sharing, teasing and calming down as well as other situations or skills your child with ASD struggles with.

What is meant by autism learning skills?

There are several methods through which we learn:

Through seeing (visually)

Hearing (auditory),

Touching or manipulating an object (kinesthetically or ‘hands-on’ learning).

An example of these would be, looking at a picture book or reading a textbook, this would be visual learning. Listening to a c.d., or going to a lecture this would be learning through hearing…and pressing buttons to determine how to operate a DVD involves learning kinesthetically, through touch and feel.

Mostly we learn through two or more of these learning skills. How we learn will determine how well we do at school.

Most mainstream schools adopt all of these learning methods, we visually learn through reading books and texts, we learn through listening to our teachers and we learn through practical tasks.

Typically children with autism will generally always be visual learners. Some children with autism will also be kinesthetic learners and may well benefit from their teacher or helper actually guiding their hand while they undertake tasks.

Therefore, it is important that a teacher assess each child on the spectrum within the class to determine which kind of learning skill they prefer. The teacher can then adapt the teaching style to suit the child on the spectrum’s need and build on their strengths.

However one very important thing to remember when assessing a child on the spectrum is their need for repetition and sameness. Keeping this in mind when setting lessons will be of benefit.

Teachers should try and use visual intervention strategies wherever possible. For example a visual timetable should always be in place for the student with autism to refer too.

As with a normally developing child autism learning skills, can be enhanced by following these simple rules. Another good idea is visual intervention strategies such as autism social skills stories. Social stories were first introduced around twenty years ago and have since become one of the most popular visual strategies used to help children with autism learn and overcome difficulties with communication, imagination, social skills and behaviors.

Social stories can help keep the child on the spectrum on task, the social story can also work as an excellent autism resource helping parents, helpers and teachers explain the ever important “wh” questions - who, what, where, when and why as well as “how” giving the child on the spectrum an insight into the thoughts and feelings of others which is a marked difficulty in those with autism.

Using autism social skills stories will benefit the student with autism as they will encompass all autism learning skills, they can be read, auditory, they have appropriate pictures and images plus some text, visual. Plus the social story can be used like a role model or visual plan to practice skills for example recess, assembly and remaining calm.

Plus autism social skills stories can be used with other visual strategies such as the visual timetable, flash cards, PECS and so on, helping to explain and make things more repetitive.

However you decide to use them they will nevertheless prove to be a valuable asset to autism learning skills.

To obtain school related autism social skills stories that can be downloaded quickly and effortlessly and are all in printable format 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/social_skills

People with autism WILL almost certainly have a lack of social interaction skills such as reduced responsiveness or disinterest in other people.

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

For example some of the autistic characteristics can include:

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

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

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

Probably the most noticeable autistic characteristic is a lack of eye contact, a typically developing child will give and maintain eye contact, Infants with autism will look away quickly and avoid eye contact.

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

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

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

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

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

Probably the most popular visual intervention strategies are autism social skills stories. These are an excellent proven technique for assisting Infants with autism with the development of social skills. Helping to promote and maintain autism social skills.

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

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

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

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

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

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

www.autismsocialstories.com

ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) is a pervasive development disorder which affects more boys than girls.

The symptoms of ASD in children are referred to as the triad of autistic impairments or social skills deficits and are typical to all individuals on the spectrum. ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) affects how individuals on the spectrum process information, think, act, react and behave.

The triad of autistic impairments (social skills deficits) affect three main areas of development: The ASD individuals social, communication and imagination skills and behaviors.

ASD in children is not curable but can be treated effectively with visual intervention strategies such as visual support cards, PECS and social skills stories.

Visual intervention strategies can be implanted and used to help individuals on the spectrum cope with transitions, behaviors, communication skills and social interactions as well as deal with situations and skills they are struggling with.

For example ASD in children can affect how the child with autism makes and maintains friendships. By using visual intervention strategies like social skills stories you are able to help the child with autism to deal with and overcome their social skills deficits.

Social skills stories are made up of four sentence types: perspective, Directive, Descriptive and generally written following a specific pattern, always in first person text and from the ASD individual’s point of view.

The vast majority of ASD children are visual thinkers and learners, which means they think in pictures and find visual information far easier to understand than oral or written instruction.

A social skills story will embrace this concept using visual images and short pieces of structured text, in a friendly consistent manner which ASD children find easy to follow. The social story acts as a role model or visual step by step plan or framework of the skill or situation being mastered.

So for example a social story on making friends would be visual and instructive allowing the ASD child a chance to follow the script or visual framework and see things from another person’s perspective.

Autism social skills stories answer the ever important “wh” questions – who, where, why, when and what as well as “HOW” and give the ASD child an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others, which is an area of marked weakness in most ASD individuals.

Social stories are generally written in word or PDF format and should be easy to edit to make them personal to the ASD child or individual and as we all use different terminology this can also be altered for a smoother read. Autism social skills stories should be printable for convenience and flexibility.

To learn more and get downloads of social stories which can be put in place to help ASD children cope with and learn social, communication and imagination skills and behaviours which they are struggling with visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Autism is a lifelong neurological disorder, which is generally diagnosed before the child
reaches their third birthday.

What are the behaviour characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder…The main characteristics
of autism spectrum disorder are the individual’s deficits in social,
communication both verbal and non-verbal as well as imagination skills.

If you are the parent or teacher of a child on the autism spectrum and are looking for
methods and treatments for autism then read on…

There is “no cure for autism” but there are some very good methods and treatments for autism
which can have a massive impact on your child’s life and help them reach
his/her full potential, as well as deal with their social, communication and
imagination skills deficits.

Some of the treatments for autism available include:

ABA

PECS’s
communication boards

Social Skills Stories

Visual support cards

For the purpose of this article we will be looking at social skills stories and visual support cards.

What are social skills stories?

So what are social skills stories – Quite often you will come across various names for
social skills stories like: autism social stories, social stories and so on,
but whatever you call them they are all relatively similar.

A social skills story will normally follow a formula first defined about twenty years
ago by therapist Carol Gray, to help her communicate with the autistic children
she was caring for. The formula consists of four sentence types

Descriptive

Directive

Perspective

Control

Social skills stories are used to help teach autistic children and adults to overcome
any social skills deficits.

Typically all individuals with an ASD will have deficits in social, communication and
imagination skills, this is a common symptom of autism.

For example a child on the spectrum may have difficulties with following social rules such
as sharing, taking turns, making friends, respecting personal space, having a
conversation, asking questions and so on. Using a social skills story will help
the child on the autism spectrum overcome their difficulties

A parent or teacher of a child on the spectrum can easily implement social stories to help
their child cope with even everyday life skills like using the bathroom and recess;
in-fact social stories have many uses.

What do social stories look like?

A social story is generally written in first person text, using appropriate language and
always from the autistic person’s point of view.

Typically autism social stories are visual.

Generally children with autism tend to be visual thinkers and learners, meaning they think in
pictures. Therefore it is beneficial to use visual intervention strategies such
as social stories.

Using images and text the social skills story acts as a role model or visual step by step plan
describing the situation or skill in terms of relevant social cues. Answering
the ever important “wh” questions – who, where, why, when and what as well as “HOW”
and giving an insight in to the thoughts and feelings of others which is a
marked area of weakness in most children with autism.

Example of autism social story

Emily has difficulties with sharing and will display inappropriate behaviours and
tantrums.

So looking at an example of autism social story for Emily; Emily’s main problem is
tantrums when she does not get her own way…

Therefore we would start a story for Emily giving focus to the key points…

Line one: My name is Emily I am six years of age; (This is a descriptive sentence, it is
describing who the story is about in this case Emily).

A small image maybe added here or an actual photo showing Emily.

Line two: Every day I like to play with the toys in the classroom; (This is also descriptive,
it describes what Emily likes to do, in this case playing with the toys in the
classroom).

Again another image or small photo of Emily is added. The image or photo could be of Emily in
the classroom playing with the toys etc.

And this is how the story is built up; the next two sentences would be perspective
sentences.

Again with appropriate images or pictures, and slowly the story starts to take shape.

There is no need for any formal teaching to use social stories.

All autism social stories should be editable, we all use different terminology and no two
children are the same. Therefore it is really important that parents and
teachers are able to edit the social story to make it relevant to their own
child on the spectrum.

You can learn more about social stories and how they are used, as well as get downloads
of social skills stories visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Visual support cards

Another great autism resource is visual support cards. Similar to social stories the
visual support cards can help support social and communication deficits.

For example many children on the spectrum have difficulties with both verbal and non-verbal
communication, and many children on the spectrum will never develop speech.

The visual support card is used as a means of communication. Children with autism spectrum
have difficulties with communication and can become distressed and confused relatively
quickly. It is important to remember with children on the spectrum to speak
less and use other means of communication like visual intervention strategies
such as visual support cards.

A child with an ASD can use the visual support card to help them understand what is expected
of them as well as what they are expecting of others.

For example

Teachers can use visual support cards on the student’s visual timetable, choices board even
around the classroom to label areas and objects like the toilet, pencil tray,
computers and so on helping the child with an ASD quickly identify what is
required, reducing anxiety and stress.

To learn more about visual support cards and see some examples visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com/visual_aids

For other methods and treatments for autism like autism social stories which can have a massive
impact on the lives of children with autism spectrum and help them reach his/her full potential visit: http://www.autismsocialstories

Research
does suggest that the increase in recognizing the autistic spectrum disorder signs and symptoms in children, and
diagnosis of Autism spectrum syndrome
has increased.

As
with typically developing children, each
child on the spectrum is different. And the degree and complexity of autistic symptoms will vary from child to
child.

However
all children with autistic spectrum
disorder will generally display the following autistic signs and symptoms:

Communication problems

Social interaction problems

Imagination difficulties

Behavior issues

It
is also apparent that many children with autism spectrum can also be very sensitive to their environment; you
may hear this referred to as sensory processing issues in autism.

For
example sensory processing issues in autism may affect one or all of the senses;
bright light, noises even background noises, smell, the feel of some materials
and so are all too much to bare for some children with autism spectrum.

Sometimes
within the mainstream classroom an
autistic child can be viewed by their normally developing peers as “odd or
weird”, which can lead to social isolation
and sometimes even bullying.

For
teachers of children with special needs, some possible considerations for the autism classroom should include visual
intervention strategies.

First
within the autism classroom…it is
important to remember that an autistic child
is more likely to be a visual learner. Consequently, visual intervention
strategies are important, for example a visual timetable, visual support cards,
social stories and so on…

A visual timetable…will provide a child on
the spectrum with a clear precise instructions and structure as to what is
expected lessons/activities throughout the day.

Try and keep changes to routines or
lessons to a minimal,
children with autistic spectrum disorder do not like changes.

If
possible tell your autistic student
in advance of any possible changes, to give them plenty of warning. Springing a
change on an autistic student should wherever possible be avoided.

It
would be a good idea to consider within the autism classroom a “Time out” or “Quiet spot” for use by
the autistic student when necessary. Try to avoid other children in the class
using this space if your autistic student is in there!

It is also important to remember that
children with autism spectrum do not read facial expressions or body language. So avoid the obvious,
frown or the “shhh”. Children with autism spectrum will not be able to read
these signs.

It
is also important to remember a child on the spectrum will not understand jokes
or subtle hints and clues. You will need to think literal.

Your
autistic student may also not
interpret themselves as included when you address the class, so it is well to
remember to address them by name. The “everybody”
or “everyone” phrases may well get lost, and the student with autism will not
naturally think that includes them.

Try
using visual intervention strategies and
clues during lessons, children with autism respond better to visual lesson
prompts.

Try
using autism social skills stories during the school day for all
occasions the autistic student is struggling with, for example PE, assembly,
asking questions, recess and so on…

Visual prompts such as autism social
skills stories provide clear structure
to situations, skills, behaviors and transitions. The social story can act
like a role model or visual plan to help support
the student with autism.

As
well as being visual autism social skills stories also have text that can be shared
with the child on the spectrum allowing
them to understand what is expected
of them as well as what they can expect from others. The social story answers
the “wh” questions – who, where, why, when and what as well as “HOW” and gives
an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others which is an area
of marked weakness in most children with autistic spectrum disorder.

Typically a child on the spectrum
will struggle to follow rules and engage in social activities; again a social story
can help overcome these difficulties.

Parents and teachers may
find it useful to explain what autism is to others before their child is labeled
“odd or weird”. Although a diagnosis of
Autism spectrum syndrome is far more common today information about autism is
not common and many teachers find themselves inadequately prepared for
teaching a student with autism.

It can also be helpful
when explaining what autism is to
remember autism is a neurological disorder not a mental illness and affects how
the individual on the spectrum processes information, thinks and acts.

Treatments
for autism can help alleviate some of the Autistic Spectrum Disorder Signs and Symptoms

For more advice on what
autism is… and to download autism social
skills stories, and other visual intervention strategies such as visual support
cards visit:

www.autismsocialstories.com

www.autismsocialstories.com/preschool

www.autismsocialstories.com/school

Autism Spectrum Syndrome disability

Autism Spectrum Syndrome disability is unfortunately misunderstood. The term autism spectrum disorder is an umbrella term used to cover a wide range of conditions. It is believed that around 25% of people with ASD will have accompanying learning disabilities.  Regardless of functioning, typically all people with an Autism Spectrum Syndrome disability will almost certainly have difficulties with social skills, imagination skills, behaviors and display communication difficulties, this is often called the triad of autistic impairments or social skills deficits.

Autism Spectrum Syndrome is a life-long condition that is either present from birth or from early childhood.

Listed below are a few of the autism characteristics that may be present in children with autism. However, typically those with high functioning autism or Asperger syndrome may only display a few of the autism characteristics listed behaviors while others on the lower end of the autism scale may display all the behaviors.

Having Autism Spectrum Disorder can mean:

• Being unable to cope appropriately with social situations.
• Self-stimulating behavior, often referred to as “stimming” this can include behaviors such as: flicking fingers, flapping arms, rocking back and forth and in some cases self-injury like head banging or slapping.
• Communication difficulties – this can include asking questions, joining in conversations an finding appropriate topics of conversation.
• Obsessions with certain facts or objects; for example timetables.
• Asking questions they already know answers to.
• Obsession with a routine that if broken may cause distress, this is a known area of weakness in children with autism
• Difficulty forming relationships with others -  making friends can be difficult for children on the spectrum
• Misunderstanding people’s feelings and emotions - difficulties with “mind reading” or reading peoples facial expression and body language is lacking in children on the spectrum
• Problems with creativity and imagination are also a cause for concern in children on the spectrum. Typically children with autism are not spontaneous and will struggle with make believe and spontaneity preferring rigid learnt responses.
• Typically many children on the spectrum will have a short concentration span.

Many autistic people are naturally gifted in certain areas, many autistic people are extremely gifted when using their hands constructing, painting and in music.

Those individuals with Asperger syndrome tend to be on the higher end of the autism scale. This set of individuals with Aspeger syndrome are generally average or above average intelligence.  Those individuals on the lower end of the autism scale may also display learning disabilities, this set of individuals may have poor communication skills and in many cases language may never develop.

In the classroom typically a student with autistic spectrum disorder may have difficulties forming social relationships and following school rules. This can cause issues within the classroom for teachers and other students. A student with autistic spectrum disorder may need extra support in school to help them cope. This help can come in the form of visual intervention strategies like: PECS, visual support cards, flash cards, social skills stories, visual timetables, now and next boards and so on…

Looking into what is Asperger Syndrome?
What is Asperger Syndrome?

Asperger syndrome has been described as “high functioning Autism.”
People with Asperger Syndrome will generally not have any learning disability. In many cases a child with Asperger Syndrome may not receive a diagnosis until they are older. Unlike a diagnosis of autism which is generally given before the child reaches three years of age. Indeed some people can go through their whole lives having Asperger Syndrome and not receive a diagnosis, until they are in their 40’s or older.

Asperger syndrome was first identified by Hans Asperger in the 1940’s; some of the characteristics of Asperger syndrome are:

• Lack of empathy
• Naive, inappropriate one sided interactions
• Little or no ability to form friendships
• Pedantic or repetitive speech
• Poor non verbal communication
• Intense absorption in certain subjects
• Clumsy and ill coordinated movements and odd postures.

It is also apparent that those individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome also display the triad of autistic impairments – social skills deficits, as with individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

• Social communication: knowing what to say to other people and understanding what they are saying to you.
• Social understanding: knowing what to do when you are with others or behaving inappropriately (apparently oblivious to social rules).
• Imagination: pretend play, make believe and fantasy.

People with Asperger’s Syndrome will generally fulfill their potential and may go on to university, have a job and live a relatively “normal” life, get married and have a family.

 Overcoming the triad of autistic impairment – social skills deficits can be as difficult for the individual with Asperger’s as it can be for those individuals with mild an lower functioning autism

Therefore overcoming social skills deficits can become a primary focus for all people with ASD and their families. Overcoming social skills deficits can be achieved using autism supports like visual intervention strategies such as social skills stories and visual support cards.

 Looking at visual intervention strategies – autism supports

 Generally people with ASD are visual thinkers and learners, which means they think and learn in pictures. Consequently, visual intervention strategies are beneficial because they use visual means of communication, such as images, pictures, graphs and so on.

 An individual on the spectrum will be better able to understand and follow instruction and information when it is presented visually, rather than written or oral command. Strategies such as social stories use visual images along with appropriate first person text to explain a situation or skill that the individual on the spectrum is struggling with.

 For example: Autism and making friends, generally children on the spectrum struggle to make and maintain friendships. A social story can act as a role model or step by step plan showing children on the spectrum the social rules they are expected to follow when attempting to make friends, like for example how to approach another child, how to start a conversation and so on…

For many children with autism social stories are a life line, helping them overcome many difficulties. Many parents trust social stories to help them overcome hurdles such as puberty, relationships, and transitions etc…

 Social skills stories can answer the ever important “wh” questions – who, where, why, when and what as well as “HOW” and offer an insight into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of others this is a marked area of weakness for many children with autism.

 Generally social skills stories are in word format making them easy to edit, no two individuals with autism are ever the same and we all use different terminology, therefore social stories need to be editable. They should also be easy to print making them portable and convenient to use anywhere and anytime.

 To learn more about social skills stories and how they benefit children with Autism Spectrum Syndrome disability, as well as other autism supports like visual support cards visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/visual_aids

Looking into Autism communication and what it means for your child on the spectrum

All children with autism will have communication difficulties with both verbal and non-verbal communication this is a common symptom of autism.

Did you realize that up to 50 percent of children with autism may never develop speech! And that many others will only develop early communication skills.

Research shows us that autistic children rarely engage in effective communication.

Looking at communication….

When we think of speech – language we refer to the body of words, the formations of sounds, as well as the structures and forms used to construct speech. 

Communication on the other hand can occur either verbally through speech or non-verbally through the use of spoken words, gestures, signs, or by pointing to printed words or symbols.

To communicate effectively, we must firstly be able to understand why we need to communicate with others, have the desire to communicate, have somebody to communicate with, have something to communicate about, and have a means of expressing ourselves.

With typically developing children we will no doubt notice them go through some stages of communication. For example as a typically developing child grows he/she will begin to explore his/her environment and start to understand the cause and effect around them.

For example when they are thirsty they can point to the fridge or a cup…When they are wanting a cuddle or are tired they may raise both hands to picked up.

However this is not the case with a child on the spectrum. So taking a closer look into autism communication, a child with autism spectrum is rarely inquisitive, and typically will show a lack of interest in their surroundings.

A child with autism spectrum will also lack effective eye contact which will make learning communication very difficult.

By the time a non-verbal autistic child starts school, they may already have seen a speech therapist to establish a program to aid with the development of effective communication.

The speech therapist will need to determine some appropriate objectives and goals, a base level of communication will be established by carefully observing the child within the school setting. 

In certain cases it may be necessary for the child on the spectrum to learn a new form of communication. For example the child may cry or scream when they need something and this is their form of communication. But this is not going to be effective in a classroom full of children. Consequently, a new form of communication will need to be established.

Research shows us that the vast majority of both verbal and non-verbal autistic children are visual thinkers and learners, and will respond better to visual communication and information.

Consequently, visual intervention strategies should be introduced, such as visual support cards, PECS, flash cards and social skills stories. These visual intervention strategies can be used as a form of autism communication with verbal and non-verbal autistic children.

Autism social stories are short but descriptive pieces of text with appropriate pictures and images to support the story – or instruction. So for example if the new skill is to help the autistic child understand the need for quiet reading at school, the appropriate autism social story would be selected and implemented.

The autism social skills story can be used as a role model and visual step by step plan. Using images or pictures the autism social skills story will show the reason why the children are expected to be silent, who is expecting them to be silent and why, as well as the consequence of not being quiet and the consequent or reward for being quiet.

In other words the a social story gives the answers to the important “wh” questions – who, where, why, when and what as well as “HOW” and will also give the child with autism an insight into the thoughts and feelings of others, which is a marked area of difficulty in most children with autism spectrum.

Autistic children tend to be visual learners, which is why studies have shown that autism social stories are an excellent aid in developing good foundations for behavior and social skills for autistic children and adults.

Social skills stories are considered an excellent tool for helping develop communication skills in children with autism spectrum.

A good source of this excellent tool for helping develop communication skills in children with autism spectrum can be found at:

www.autismsocialstories.com

www.autismsocialstories.com/school

www.autismsocialstories.com/behavior

www.autismsocialstories.com/autistic_teens

www.autismsocialstories.com/hygiene

www.autismsocialstories.com/howto

Autistic Spectrum Disorder is a common neurological disorder which affects the way a person interacts, thinks, behaves and communicates with other people.

Research into this common neurological disorder shows four times more boys than girls are diagnosed autistic, with the majority being diagnosed autistic by the time they reach the age of three.

The term “Autistic Spectrum Disorder” is an umbrella term which covers a wide variety of spectrum disorders, from low functioning autism where the child will almost certainly have other difficulties such as seizures and in most cases educational difficulties.

To those individuals on the other end of the Autistic Spectrum Disorder scale with conditions such as Asperger’s syndrome or high functioning autism. This set of autistic individuals tend to be of average or above average intelligence, this set of autistic individuals are normally schooled in mainstream education and generally go on to lead relatively “normal” lives.

As with typically developing children no two children with an autistic spectrum disorder will ever be the same. However, common to all spectrum disorders are deficits with social, imagination and communication skills and behaviours, known as the triad of autistic impairments.

The triad of autistic impairments or more commonly referred to as social skills deficits make social interactions difficult for children on the spectrum, which can make a child on the spectrum appear rude and aloof, which is not the case, autism may be referred to as “social blindness”.

Having social skills deficits can cause communication difficulties for kids with autism, which can hinder friendships and can cause stress and misunderstandings.

For kids with autism social skills are difficult to learn and for many parents teaching their child on the spectrum social skills can become a primary focus.

Social skills are necessary for independent living, as typically developing beings we naturally learn social and communication skills. This ability is missing in children with autism; therefore social skills need to be taught directly. 

Typically children with autism are visual thinkers and learners, meaning they think in pictures. Consequently, visual information (visual intervention strategies) is better understood rather than spoken or written information.

Visual intervention strategies can help the child with ASD understand the social and communication skills that they are struggling with.

Probably the most popular visual intervention strategies ARE social stories. Developed around twenty years by therapist Carol Gray, social stories are significant treatments of autism which need no formal training to use and can be implemented easily and effectively.

Social stories are short descriptive stories much like a comic script with visual images showing a skill or behaviour in a manner that is easily understood by a child with ASD.

The social skills story breaks down the skill or behaviour into small easy to understand sections.

Using images and first person text the social skills story acts like a visual plan or role model for the child with ASD.

By answering the “wh” questions - who, where, why, when and what, as well as “HOW” and by providing the child with ASD an insight into emotions, thoughts and feelings of those others involved, and suggest possible outcomes.

As well as detailing what to expect from others and in return what they expect in return from the child, all helping to make the child with ASD more comfortable with and in the situation.

For kids with autism social skills are difficult to learn, BUT social stories ARE shown to help significantly with social and communication difficulties, giving positive results.

To learn more about how social stories can be implemented to help your child with ASD learn the social and communication skills they may be struggling with visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com/social_skills

OR http://www.autismsocialstories.com

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/school

http://www.autismsocialstories.com/preschool

Children with autism spectrum disorder have deficits in social and communication skills this are common symptoms of autism.

It is also a common misinterpretation of the symptoms of autism to assume children with an ASD do not want to engage in social interchanges. Children with an ASD do not deliberately alienate themselves from other, rather they lack the appropriate social and communication skills needed to make and maintain friendships.

For children with autism social skills deficits can mean they lack the ability to function in social setting appropriately and can misunderstand situations which can cause stress and anxiety to the child on the spectrum and those around them.

A child on the spectrum will be unable to read facial expression or body language and may not use language appropriately.

For many parents this lack of social and communication skills can become a primary focus. Therefore treatments of autism which can help address deficits in social and communication skills are a paramount importance in many families with an autistic child.

There are various treatments of autism available, however many families with an autistic child use treatments of autism which are “visual”. We do know that the vast majority of children with autism spectrum disorder are visual thinkers and learners which means they think in pictures.

Social stories are such visual intervention strategies, developed around twenty years ago to help aid communication difficulties in ASD children, and since developed into one of the primary treatments of autism, used to develop and encourage social and communication skills and behaviours in ASD children.

Social stories are short descriptive pieces of first person text, which follow a specific pattern of sentence type.

Social stories for ASD children are visual intervention strategies which use visual images or pictures to show the child on the spectrum “HOW” to perform or manage a skill or situation that they are struggling with; for example hygiene issues, asking questions, controlling anger, making friends and so on.

Acting like a visual plan or role model of the skill or situation in a manner the child on the spectrum can understand. Social stories are generally easy to edit and personalize, no two children are ever the same and different terminology is used within families therefore editable social stories are more beneficial.

Social stories answer the ever important “wh” questions – who, where, why, when and what as well as give an insight into the thoughts and feelings of others which is something autistic children have difficulty with.

The social story will help with transitions, changes to routines, learning new skills and re-enforcing already learnt skills and behaviours. There is no formal training needed to use social stories, to find a suitable social story for your child’s need visit http://www.autismsocialstories.com

This set of social stories are short descriptive visual intervention strategies which have are currently being used in homes, schools and colleges with good success rates. To find out more about this visual intervention strategy and how it can help your child on the spectrum as well as gain downloads of social stories for ASD children visit: http://www.autismsocialstories.com

Or visit http://www.insideautisticminds.com