Autism Social - Autism and Social Impairment

Jan. 13, 2011 - PRLog -- Autism Social

Children with Autism usually display a severe socialisation deficit. This means that they lack social skills and the ability to interact appropriately with others on all social levels.

Children with Autism usually fail to develop social empathy or Theory of Mind - that is they don't see anyone else's point of view and they can't guess what you might be thinking. E.g. if you kick your toe and start to cry, they won't understand why you're crying.

At times they might appear rude because of their inability to use the more subtle aspects of social interaction. We must remember though that for children with Autism social interaction is a cognitive process, rather than being intuitive as it is for the rest of us.

However this doesn't mean that children with Autism lack the desire to have friends or be included socially. They do, they usually just don't know how to go about making friends or being included. Often children with Autism can be observed on the "fringe" of social activities - observing the interactions/play but not physically or verbally joining in. Try Internet #1 - Autism Social @ http://autismcure01.webs.com and live your family life normally right now!

These friendship skills need to be directly taught to children with Autism and role play or video taped scenarios are good tools for teaching these skills. Children can be involved in a guided discussion about what worked and what didn't when trying to be included or make a friend.

While children with Autism are thought to lack empathy towards others, this doesn't mean that they lack feelings of their own. They seem to know when they make a social "faux pas" but don't have the social or emotional ability or the communication skills to repair the situation. Often they'll retreat, hide or meltdown to cover their anxiety over making such a social mistake.

If your child with Autism displays:-
• Inappropriate behaviour choices with unfamiliar people
• Rude/inappropriate language
• Difficulty taking turns
• Aggression in an attempt to be social
• Being on the "fringe" of activities
• Confusion with social "rules"
then direct coaching of social skills and social play may need to be taught. Start with one simple concept and slowly build their social "vocabulary".

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Worry about your child’s future? Not sure what to do to help?
Try Internet #1 - Autism Social @ http://autismcure01.webs.com and live your family life normally right now!