The Real Achilles Heel for Children with Asperger’s
Social Skills are THE big problem.
Example (from Barbara Cooper – therapist):
A 12 year old boy she knew got detention.
Surprised, as he NEVER broke the rules, she asked why . . .
The teacher had paired him with another child and asked them
to interview each other. The teacher said:
“OK get started, but remember no talking.”
(No talking beyond the actual task)
Being a good rule keeper – the boy with Asperger’s refused
to speak.
Took the teacher literally.
The result:
Detention for not doing his work.
And the worst bit?
He told Barbara “I don’t really understand it still. I don’t know
why I had to stay after school.”
Talk about misunderstanding, and unfair punishment.
Children with Asperger’s face these problems dozens of
times per day.
No wonder making friends, pleasing teachers, and getting good
grades is so hard.
However there are strategies to improve social skills.
Barbara revealed 7 when I interviewed her including . . .
*The BIG mistake to avoid when teaching social skills . . .
*A 5 minute exercise to change black & white thinking . . .
*THE best time to start teaching social skills . . .
* The little known friendship secret – an “aha” moment
* How to get your child to talk about their school day . . .
* 2 simple techniques to calm your child quickly . . .
* How to motivate your child to develop social skills
You can get my full interview with Barbara on The Parenting
Asperger’s Forum.
To improving social skills,
Dave Angel