Articles that focus on basic social interaction, guidance on ways to help people on the spectrum connect with other people (especially making friends), sharing interests, understanding social cues, reactions, nonverbal cues, other people’s feelings, body language, facial expressions.
Tired of working on social skills and feeling like it’s not clicking? Stuck in a rut? Maybe it’s time to consider what else might be impacting you or your child’s ability to take his/her hard-earned skills and use them (successfully!) in everyday life. I frequently hear frustration with regard to the rate of progress or […]
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Video games, social media, and technology are becoming an increasingly large part of our children’s lives. Digital play is now the most common type of play engaged in by younger children. Recent studies suggest that kids under the age of eight spend about 2.5 hours per day with screen media. For kids five and under, […]
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The breezes of summer are leaving us and are being replaced by the crisp air of autumn. The trees once green and full of leaves are now bearing bright reds, oranges, and gold. Transition is a wonderful time to reflect on the memories of the past and look forward to the excitement of the future. […]
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Costumes? Candy? Frightening décor? Halloween seems like it should be fun for all, but this holiday can be stressful for families with kiddos on the autism spectrum. Here are some tips to make Halloween a little less scary for your family: Costume Concerns Let your child get used to the costume. You can practice having […]
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Earth Day will soon be here! It serves as a reminder to care for the Earth every day and teach our children to do the same. A powerful way to get kids to appreciate and care for Mother Earth is to get them outside and build their love of nature. Kids enjoy the fun and […]
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Social skills can be broadly defined as the ability to develop and maintain relationships. Deficits in social skills are a core feature for children, as well as adults with autism. For school-age children with high-functioning autism, limitations in social skills adversely impact conversation skills, peer acceptance, and self-perception. Available research indicates that children with autism […]
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Welcome back to Social Skills Corner. This month we will give you five excellent ways to help your child transition from school to summer break. We will begin with an example which many parents can relate to: Susan was not looking forward to June because she knew she would need to find something for her […]
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Is saying hello or waving “hi” hard for your child to do? Does your child ask you questions about something you shared with him/her? Will your child ask another child to play? These may be some of the challenges your child with autism faces every day, and they impact the ability to make friends. Thankfully, […]
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Friendships have an important role to play in our overall well-being and quality of life. Unfortunately, many children with autism do not establish friendships and continue to have difficulties doing so once they get into their teen years. A recent study in the Journal of Autism, reported that teenagers and adults who have a diagnosis […]
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Kids with autism usually struggle socially and often find the teen years especially difficult. Anxiety and depression can emerge or worsen, along with a sense of helplessness, worthlessness and loneliness. Mental health professionals often refer these teens to social skills groups. These groups teach lessons about how to “appropriately” interact in a neurotypical (NT) world. […]
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