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Helping Your Child Overcome Social Impairments
Diagnosis According to the DSM-IV (Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition), children with Autism, Asperger Syndrome and PDD share the same impairment in social interactions "and is manifested in at least two of the following ways:
Parents often feel frustration when dealing with their child's social impairment and are not sure what they can do to help. Some children will be "locked" in their own world and give very little social interaction. Others may have demonstrate some social skills and periodically interact with others, but prefer to stay in solitude as they line up their cars in a row or play with their dinosaurs in their favorite hidden corner. How You Can Help Helping your child develop social skills and learn to interact appropriately with others is not an easy task. It is however, well worth the effort as you develop a closer, more meaningful relationship with him or her. As mentioned before there are many professionals who work with children using techniques like those mentioned above. While professional intervention can be very helpful there is much you can do on your own to give your child much needed help. Here are three easy techniques you can start using today. As you experiment with each of these please remember that you are not likely to see massive changes overnight but will more likely see a slow progression toward the desired results. Give yourself and your child time to learn and adjust to each new level of interaction and keep in mind that there is no single right way to use these ideas. 1. Set aside a time to play with your child and focus on finding ways to create interaction. For example if your child is playing with a car, use another car and crash into his car with it. Say something like, "Uh-oh, we crashed". Don't be surprised or frustrated if your child becomes upset with you. Remember, if your child does get upset or say something to you, then that is an nteraction. Try to turn the interactions into a game. For example when my son was lining cars up bumper-to-bumper my husband sat next to him, grabbed a car from the middle of the line and drove it under his legs as if they were a bridge. My son immediately got up and grabbed the car saying, "Not there!" and put it back in the line. After several repetitions of this it eventually became a game as my husband emphasized that he was driving the car under a bridge and my son began to drive the cars back under the bridge to put them in their place in line. Always remember not to get upset with your child during this time. Overcoming social impairments is very difficult work for a child and even small steps can be a big accomplishment.
2. Spontaneous pretend play. When boring moments come along like waiting at the doctor's office. You can take advantage of the time with a little pretend play. For example pretend your hand is a spider and say something like, "It's going to get you" while walking your hand towards him on your fingertips. Or pretend your going to eat an ice cream cone. See if you can get the child to pick the flavors and eat one with you. Be sure to use hand and body motions appropriate to the illusion and descriptive words to get the child involved if he is slow to respond. Be prepared as once he catches on your child is likely to take over and the results can become pretty silly and fun for everyone. 3. Create a Family Night once a week where the whole family gets together for a fun activity. Try to choose a night that can be consistent from week to week. This way it becomes routine and an evening the family can look forward to. For added enthusiasm and motivation have a special treat at the end of the activity. I recommended letting your children choose the activity and or treat in advance from a list of options. Not only does this add to the excitement and anticipation it also helps develop decision-making skills. Our website includes many ideas for Family/Group Activities which are fun, easy and designed to help develop social skills. Many activities also have side benefits like improving small and gross motor skills. Don't be afraid to re-use favorite activities as children love to repeat things they enjoy and will gain confidence as they improve their performance at a given activity. These activities are also great to use in a small group setting within a classroom.
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