by Janine Culotta

Created on: June 30, 2009

Teaching social skills to Autistic and high functioning Autistic children requires getting on the level of the child and trying to understand how they tick. There are many books written on the topic. "Navigating the Social World" for severely Autisic Children ,as well as, books for the rest of the spectum of disorders, will give step by step "social stories" to practice and learn. Tony Attwood is the foremost expert on the subject of Aspergers Syndrome and his books are the best place to begin when trying to deal with this type of challenge. We have to begin with the idea that the affected child may have all kinds of sensory problems. This may affect their ability to feel a comfort level. Therefore,surroundings play a significant role in helping them open up. Children with Aspergersare very comfortable in their own rooms(or what they know), so when they are there, they are very "normal". When they find themselves in crowded, noisy, hot or cold places(school) this may become the prescription for over-load. This may cause them to melt down or withdraw, in which case, it will be difficult to socialize with them. If they are in school, I have discovered that a few minutes in a quiet dark room is a great place to recharge from those overwhelming feelings.

The book the "The Hidden Gifts of the Introverted Child" explains that introverts are wired differently than extroverts. They go through three additional thinking processes than extroverts. This means their processing skills are slower,but more thorough,than that of their extroverted peers. This may be why Asperger kids are so"rote" in their learning. They like everything spelled out and orderly, so they can memorize, almost like a computer program. Once they learn something, they will never forget and they may bedogmatic, they love structure. They love to follow rules and will rarely overstep their boundaries.

That being said, they have a disconnect socially, many times because they may have special interests in things that may not be of interest to others. They are comforted by their special interest, mostly, so the trick is to relate to them through their special interest. They can be ridged in their own ideas, so it is difficult to relate to what others might think..because they cannot process information on the fly, like extroverts can.

Animals can help bring them to a relationship place because they are non-verbal. Trying to relate through use of an animal can help the afflicted

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