NAVIGATING THE SPECTRUM

Social Skills and Autistic Spectrum Disorders

Social skills are abilities in communication, problem-solving, decision making, self-management, and peer relations that enable us to initiate and maintain positive social relationships with others. A lack of social skills can lead to behavioral problems in school, inattentiveness, peer rejection, emotional difficulties, bullying, difficulty in making friends, aggressiveness, problems in interpersonal relationships, poor self-concept, and depression.

Impairment in social functioning is a central feature of ASD and is well documented in the literature (e.g., Attwood). Typical social skill deficits include difficulties with reciprocity, initiating interactions, maintaining eye contact, sharing enjoyment, empathy, and inferring the interests of others. Children with ASD may exhibit a great interest in connecting to those around them.  However, it is their inability to make these connections that is the hallmark of the disorders.  Parents are particularly disturbed by this.  They are desperate to communicate with their children, to know what their child is thinking and feeling.  

While typical children gather information about other people's cognitive and emotional states based on clues from the environment and other people's facial expression and body language, kids with ASD lack the ability to recognize and understand the thoughts and feelings of others. They also might have trouble showing empathy toward other people.  This is also known as “theory of the mind”.  They are unable to interpret or understand the desires or intentions of others and thereby are unable to predict what to expect of others or what others may expect of them.

Displaying poor social skills can result in rejection by others despite their keen desire to be social.  Individuals with ASD and Asperger's Syndrome can be helped to learn social skills through a structured curriculum.  

What are Therapeutic Social Skills Programs?

Therapeutic social skills programs provide the opportunity for individuals to develop functional skills that can be used in everyday social settings.  Social skills groups teach and reinforce social behaviors.  Therapeutic social skills groups are “curriculum driven” and follow a progression.  They address the following areas of social development:

• Emotional regulation (self-awareness)
• Non-verbal and play skills (social awareness)
• Conversational skills
• Generalizing skills into the community

With reinforcement, repetition in the home, children with ASD can learn and utilize social skills. Parents are key in this process.  They need to not only be aware of what skill is taught in the group, but how it is taught so they can replicate it at home.  Homework is assigned to increase the generalization of skills at home.  Children learn how to label their feelings, how to manage conflict, how to have a conversation, ways to increase their awareness of others and their feelings, how to cope with criticism, how to give a compliment. 

Example of a social skill exercise:  “Regulating Emotions: What do I do when I feel Angry”

Make a Pleasures Book.  Bring into group pictures of things that make you smile and happy.  You can have someone take a picture of something at home or cut out pictures from a magazine.  Bring them to group.  In group we will put these pictures into your own personal book for you to carry with you.  When you recognize “angry” take out the book and look at the pictures. Practice, practice, practice.