Social Skills for your Child with Aspergers


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home | Social Skills

Social Skills for your Child with Aspergers

I get emailed virtually every week without fail by parents wanting to know how to improve the social skills of their child with Aspergers. This is a huge issue for children and their parents; because it's such an essential skill for everyday life (whether at home, school or in the community).

So I've designed the Social Skills Department to give easy-to-follow and practical examples of how to help you child in this area. Whether your child struggles in the way he/she talks to people, needs help in making friendships, cannot pick up social cues or needs help in understanding instructions it's all covered in this section.

My son with Aspergers has a few friends at school, but the kids come from everywhere. My son has never had friends at home, so he just hangs out. Another problem is that he only talks about binoculars. Also, he refuses to read. Any advice please?
Social isolation is a common issue among kids with Asperger's Syndrome. Communication struggles compound the problems these kids have when it comes to making and keeping friends. Specialized interests and the need for precise routine and order make peer relationships difficult. It's hard to "go with the flow" and be part of the gang when the essence of your being is so restricted. Your son could benefit from ... . . . keep reading

My child with Aspergers does not play well with other children. Is there anything I can do to help him?
Playing is learning. Babies play with their fingers early in life, then move on to their toes and before long, they are playing with toys. Each step shows growth, progress. Eventually, the baby will add people to the equation, attempting to share his fun. Children with Asperger's Syndrome develop the early play skills, yet begin to struggle when it's time to involve another person ... . . . keep reading

Even if my child with Aspergers is able to make friends how can I teach him what to do to keep them?
Relationships mean give and take. For most people, making friends and keeping them go hand in hand. For people with Asperger's Syndrome, friendships on all levels can be difficult. Making friends is the easier concept. Human nature is all about making friends. Keeping friends is a whole different ball game ... . . . keep reading

What games are good for teaching my ASD son about relationships that maybe could involve his siblings too?
One of the great truths in life is that there is a teaching opportunity in every situation; there is something to learn from every teaching tool. Any good ABA therapist will tell you that you do . . . keep reading

Do you have Asperger's Syndrome? - Getting a Relationship
This is a video of a young man with Aspergers from Sweden talking about his frustrations with dating. He makes an interesting point that as 75% of people with Aspergesr are male -- the odds are not so good for him to meet a girl with Aspergers. And he wants a girlfriend with Aspergers -- as he feels they will understand him better. He also talks about the fact that girls don't generally approach guys but it's generally the other way around. He says that he doesn't look approachable -- and people have said "you look sad" when he is actually OK. Also he discusses the challenges of interacting with a girl when you have Aspergers. Whilst this video does not provide major answers to the challenge of relationships; it provides fascinating insight as long as you are not offended by one or two swear words! Running Time 10 Minutes 50 Seconds ... . . . keep reading

How do I help my son with Aspergers in his social skills? He needs to interact with other kids and deal with people in the near future once he start's working.
Even though there are several areas of weakness caused by Asperger's, social skills problems are probably the most important. Good social skills mean more than friendships and peer relationships. Social skills are necessary for interaction on the job, dating, and dealing with out people in all aspects of life. Your son can find help with social skills in many different places ... . . . keep reading

Is it best for my child with Aspergers to try to make friends with other children with Aspergers or children who don't have it?
Friendships are very important for healthy children. Children with Asperger's have difficulties in the area of social development, so you should be especially diligent in encouraging your child to make friends with other children. Your child with Asperger's will benefit from befriending both neurotypical children and children with Asperger's Syndrome ... . . . keep reading

How do you teach social behavior in a humorous manner?
This is a wonderful goal, but I do have some cautions for you. Some children with Asperger's have difficulty understanding humour/teasing, so you have to be careful how you do this. You don't want a child to feel ... . . . keep reading

I need skills to help my daughter understand time and the need to be ready at a specific time, e.g. leaving the house to get to school on time. We've got a visual timetable with photos, but it doesn't work at home even though she will follow one at school.
It takes Asperger's kids far longer to get out the door than it takes most kids. They have to prepare by dressing and eating, remembering and finding everything they need, getting into the car, . . . keep reading

I really struggle with my daughter not being able to follow instructions; can she do better at this or is it just the Asperger's?
Children with Aspergers do have problems following instructions. It is especially difficult for them to follow verbal instructions. When using verbal instructions ... . . . keep reading

Do you have any tips for predicting my son's reactions to social settings so we can prepare him for them?
Your son's reactions in social situations depend greatly on his personality, age, maturity level, the type of social situations he encounters, training he has had in the past, and his usual reactions. You (and his teachers) may be ... . . . keep reading

Are there programs or techniques I could follow to help my boy develop better social skills?
Asperger's Syndrome causes what is referred to as "mindblindness" (sometimes called brain blindness). Mindblindness refers to the inability to understand and empathize with the needs, beliefs, and intentions that drive the behaviour of others. Without this ability, children with Aspergers cannot make sense of the world and they go through life making social mistakes, convinced that they are right and others are wrong. They cannot connect their own needs and intentions to positive or negative consequences, at least not without help. Children with Aspergers can learn to overcome mindblindness with ... . . . keep reading

My son is gorgeous, yet can't find a girl friend. Girls will approach him because he's great looking, but disappear as fast as they appear. How can I support him to have a better relationship with girls?
Your son attracts girls, but cannot sustain an ongoing relationship because he doesn't know how to interact appropriately with girls his age. One way to start learning to interact appropriately with the opposite sex is for him to use internet chat rooms, both those for Aspies and general chat rooms, such as MySpace. Other young people with Aspergers will give him advice and he can try it out on girls he meets online. Be sure to use parental controls to limit his access to certain sites, blocking out those that may be harmful to him. Also warn him ... . . . keep reading

How do I get a child with Asperger's to gain an understanding of social cues?
Many children with Asperger's are quiet, withdrawn, unresponsive to others, and have little or no ambition to connect. They have difficulty understanding social cues and misread behaviour, leaving others thinking the person's behaviour is odd. The child with Aspergers wants interactions, but ... . . . keep reading

How do I help my child so that she can make friends and be accepted by other teens?
The years between 12 and 18 can be very difficult for teenagers with Asperger's Syndrome. Friends are difficult to find and keep, are judgmental, and teenagers with Aspergers often become isolated socially. Encourage your daughter to develop a special interest. A special interest may encourage ... . . . keep reading

My son with Aspergers is often rude in the way he talks and we can't get through to him that this is not acceptable. How can we teach him to speak more appropriately?
Children with Asperger's Syndrome can be concise and literal in conversation to the point of rudeness. This is a very common problem. Some are able to ... . . . keep reading

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