5 Easy Ways to Improve Social Skills for Autistic Children

5 Easy Ways to Improve Social Skills for Autistic Children:

Autism is a developmental disorder that can impact the way a person communicates, interacts with the world around them, and manages emotions.

Social skills are formed through regular interactions with people. Since children with autism have a hard time understanding and reading others, social skills often need to be taught differently.

The CDC publishes that symptoms of autism related to social skills and interactions include:

• An inability to “read” others.

• Difficulties with back-and-forth conversations and interactions.

• Poor nonverbal communication skills and behaviors, and difficulty understanding these cues in other people.

• Trouble adjusting behaviors to the situation, often resulting in inappropriate behaviors.

• Lack of interest in peers.

• No desire for imaginary or collaborative play.

• Inflexibility with routines and schedules.

• Sensory sensitivities.

• Difficulty responding to social interactions or initiating them.

1. Model & Practice Desired Behaviors

All children learn behaviors by watching. They often see a behavior and mimic it. Parents can teach children how to behave in social situations by showing them how. With autistic children, parents will typically need to take this a step further. Autistic children often do not understand what they are witnessing, so they need help interpreting the behavior. If parents break down the social interaction and explain it to them, autistic children can get a better grasp on learning these skills. Playing games together at home can help autistic children learn how to take turns, follow the rules, and be a good sport. While playing the game, observe your child’s behavior and talk them through what to expect and what is expected of them. Examples of simple games that can help with social skills include:

• Passing a ball back and forth.

• Simon Says.

• Simple card and board games.

• Hide and seek.

2. Reinforce Positive Behavior & Celebrate Strengths To reinforce positive behaviors and social skills:

• Find a reinforcer that works. It can be edible, visual, tangible, verbal, an activity, or social attention.

• Deliver the reinforcement as soon as possible after the desired behavior — within 5 seconds is best.

• Vary the reinforcers. This can keep things interesting and keep the child engaged longer.

• Change out reinforcers as needed. If one reinforcement technique or reinforcer is not working as well as it has in the past, consider switching it up.

• Slowly back down on using reinforcers after you have achieved success with a particular behavior. Over time, you want to get to a point where the behavior is set, and you no longer need to reinforce it.

• Be patient. Positive behavior changes do not occur overnight. They take time, effort, and practice.

3. Provide Structured Social Interactions Children with autism appreciate structure and stability. Change can be difficult. Routines are important. As a result, it can be easier to teach new skills and enhance social skills when working within a structure that is expected. Parents can set up small, structured social interactions to work on social skills before children need to carry these skills into a larger setting, such as a classroom. During these structured interactions, lay out the expectations clearly up front, so everyone knows what behaviors are anticipated and expected of them. Skills can be taught ahead of time at home and then translated into small group settings with one or two peers initially. These high levels of structure in early interactions can actually encourage an autistic child to be more flexible. They learn how to interact and evolve within the set parameters, and they feel more comfortable in their actions. This gradually allows them to be more flexible in situations with less structure.

4. Talk Through Possible Social Scenarios & Use Visual Aids Prepping an autistic child for social situations is extremely important. These conversations help your child to learn about the world around them and build the tools to interact well in social situations. Talk to your child about potential social situations and events, and how to respond appropriately. It is helpful to offer a visual representation, such as:

• Pictures

• Drawings

• Videos

A visual representation of peer interactions can help autistic children learn what to expect and give them additional resources to model. Verbalize what is happening in these scenes to reinforce accepted social skills and expected behaviors. Social coaching is a form of conversation and visual representation that involves helping the child learn to become more aware of their specific actions and master the social challenges that autism presents. Social coaching can include videotaping interactions and walking through them with the child later. As you watch the videos, identify certain behaviors and offer feedback. 5. Set the Environment for Success Autistic children thrive on structure and routine. They often have sensory issues, such as sensitivity to loud noises or bright lights. Consider both these points when working with your child on social interactions. During teaching moments, keep outside distractions to a minimum. Choose times when your child is most relaxed and apt to want to work with you. Keep room lights dimmed and minimize loud noises to promote learning. Make sure your child is not hungry or overly tired when trying to teach something new. Social communication is most effective when offered in a comfortable setting. Focus on only teaching the specific social skill. It can be difficult for an autistic child to absorb a social lesson if they are focused on something else as well.