Quick and easy method to help children with autism to learn interests of other people
Children with autism spectrum disorders, or children whose knowledge of peers is affected by isolation, anxiety or intellectual disability, benefit from colorful and concrete learning materials when we are helping them learn about other people. Whether you are working with one child or a whole room full of kids, you really should try this social skills learning activity. It is quick to set up. I give you PowerPoint templates and you just copy and paste images onto them, add some text, and you are ready to go. This social skills activity is screen-based, and many children seem to never get tired of looking at screens. There are options to print out drawing worksheets as well.
Children with autism and the problem of interrupting
Children with autism spectrum disorder often struggle to understand how to interrupt other people in a tactful manner. Children with ASD’s may have strong interests they feel compelled to share. They may find it very hard to interpret the social cues that indicate that another person might be occupied, preoccupied, or social engaged with another person.
Children on the autism spectrum do often have a good grasp of how computers work. When we are helping children to develop insight and social skills associated with interrupting, it is really helpful to use a certain computer-based metaphor – buffering.
Download the free PowerPoint on Buffering and Interrupting by clicking on the red link right here. It’s a large file – give it a moment to download.
In this engaging set of activities, children explore how they all “fit together” as a group or a class even though they are all different.
The download provides a variety of puzzle sheets. You can either cut them out, or not, depending on how much prep time you have.
The completed, cut-out puzzle pieces can be fitted together by the children on the floor or on the wall. It also makes an attractive and meaningful wall display.
You can introduce the activity using words something like this:
“When we are part of a group, we have to learn how we all fit together. Fitting together well means knowing how you are like the other people and how you are different from them.”
I hope you enjoy this social skills activity for children with (and without) autism.
Many of my social skills resources for children with autism include large visuals that can be used either as accessories during teaching or as wall displays. Below you will find links to eleven of my blog posts which feature large, illustrated panels as part of the kit.
To go to the resource, click on the PICTURE.
Rigidity / Flexibility Panels
These are part of a social skills kit which includes lots of scenario and role play cards.
Dealing with Losing and Disappointment Panels
Tattling and Correcting Panels
These are a part of big free download kit which includes dozens of picture cards
Showing Concern Panels
Silly to Serious Kit
These are part of a big kit that includes dozens of situation and role play cards. Many teachers in autistic support classrooms have found the panels useful for behavioral classroom management. You can put an arrow on one of the four levels and say “We are at this level now.”
Teasing / Bullying Panels
This is part of a larger kit which includes a lot of situation and question cards to help children with autism to deal with the practical and emotional aspects of being teased and bullied.
Components of Listening Panels
There is also a simple worksheet using the same set of visuals.
Reciprocal Conversation Panels
This is part of a kit that includes a card game activity for conversation activities with children on the autism spectrum. It is derived from a concept of RDI.
Compliment Matching Panels
These panels, a sample from the People Points kit I sell, is to help children on the autism spectrum to practice the social skill of giving compliments.
Panels on Relating to Girls
These are part of a kit which includes role play and situation cards for teen boys on the autism spectrum who are learning social skills relating to female peers.
There are literally thousands of videos on YouTube made by people with autism. In this blog, I discuss these videos, and explain how to use them in counseling and social skills work with young people on the autism spectrum.
The amazing world of YouTube videos made by people on the autism spectrum
Please watch the video below, made by a boy with Asperger’s next to his bunk bed. Then come back to this blog, and check out my links to several dozen more terrific videos made by young people on the autism spectrum on topics such as relationships, eye contact, stimming, emotions, and more.
Why you should use YouTube videos made by people with autism for counseling, teaching and your own learning
People with autism are often the best source of information about their own issues and how to deal with them. When looking for authoritative information on what it is like to be autistic, and how to cope, it often makes sense to “ask an Aspie.”
People with autism on YouTube provide good role models for our students and clients. If you are a teacher, speech pathologist, counselor or mental health professional working with young people on the autism spectrum, you are constantly trying to motivate and inspire your students and clients. Many children and teens with ASD are isolated and demoralized. The right YouTube video can really help children with high functioning autism to talk about themselves and work on problems.
Showing YouTube videos in your school or office – or at home, if you are a parent using these videos – is easy and foolproof. In another blog, I provide simple instructions for downloading YouTube videos to your own computer and for making the playback loud enough for a group or a class to hear easily. To learn about this, FOLLOW THIS LINK HERE.
The organization of the YouTube links below
I have organized my links to YouTube videos into a number of somewhat arbitrary categories. I will be adding to this list periodically. If you are aware of particularly useful YouTube videos which I have not listed, or if you have found ways to use YouTube videos which I have not described here, I would be grateful if you could please email me at info [at] AutismTeachingStrategies [dot] com.
Please be aware that YouTube url links can change as the YouTube sites hosting the videos move the videos or take them down altogether. Kindly email me if you discover that a link no longer works.
Autism Self Description
These videos can be used to help children on the spectrum to learn about their diagnosis and to help them establish a connection with the worldwide community of people with autism.
Alex’s video has gotten 1.4 million views, more than any other autism self-help video I am aware of. He talks about Asperger’s, his particular interests, auditory sensitivity, feelings of isolation, learning disabilities, and his sense of satisfaction about his conditon.
This very short and very funny animation is the first in a series of animations created by a group of teenagers with Asperger’s in England.
This computer animated feature was created by Bob Greenwade, and adult on the autism spectrum. It provides some good information about people with Asperger’s and pokes good-natured fun at some of their quirks.
I really like this young man’s candid and humble description of his childhood experiences with social skills training in public schools and clinical settings.
This young woman provides a positive perspective. On her YouTube channel, you can also view a video of her interviewing renowned Asperger’s expert Tony Attwood.
Autism and Communication
The creators of these videos make interesting comments about their difficulties with conversation
Jonah has made a number of good videos and I provide links to a couple others below. He has very clear recollections of when he was in kindergarten and how his obsessions (his own term) with airplanes distracted him in social situations.
This 14-year-old boy describes his growing realization that others are put off by his style of speaking, which seems linked to his intense interests outside the realm of typical youth culture.
This computer animation, just 30 seconds long, captures the feelings of frustration and isolation at trying to make conversation in a crowded room.
In this second video by Aspie Bob Greenwade, he pokes fun at the tendency of individuals on the spectrum to interrupt and gratuitously correct others in conversation.
Autism and Eye Contact
A great many individuals with autism have posted YouTube videos on the topic of eye contact. Watching them has been a very important learning experience for me. Here are three of my favorite ones.
Matthew Ryan Morin, whose YouTube videos are included also in the Bullying section below, makes articulate comments about eye contact and how he has worked on it.
Arman Khodaie, who has posted dozens of YouTube self-help videos, provides a fascinating analysis of his eye contact challenges and how he has coped with them. He describes being punished by his grandmother for deficient eye contact when he was a child. Mr. Khodaie wears nonprescription glasses because it helps his eyes feel less vulnerable in social situations.
Autism and Sensory Sensitivity
If you are a neurotypical person like me, these videos might really increase your appreciation for how autistic people experience extremes of sound, taste and other senses.
This short video shows a four-year-old on the autism spectrum reacting to the noise in a gym class.
This very short animation, created by the same teens on the spectrum who created the claymation feature I listed earlier in this blog, really opened my eyes into how light and sound is experienced by individuals with autism.
This is another very short feature by the Biomation teens. The narrator describes how she can easily become disgusted when foods are served together. After following this link, you need to forward through a few others in the series to get to this one.
In this video, this young man describes how he needs to wear industrial grade ear protection when he indulges his passion, train watching. In the section below on Fascinations, I provide a link to his YouTube channel where he has posted hundreds of videos of trains.
Autism and Stimming (self-stimulation)
The internet and YouTube provide a forum where autistic people trade information about stimming and offer people without autism a window into their world.
In this video, Matthew provides a demonstration of stimming, which he edited into a montage and set the music of “I like to move it, move it.”
Anabelle has a YouTube channel called “Way to Stim Wednesday.” Each Wednesday, she posted a new video of herself stimming in a different way.
Arman Khodaie has made several videos about stimming. In this one, he assimilates feedback he has received from others who have written him comments. This demonstrates a common practice on YouTube, utilized often by individuals with autism who post videos – dialogue and information exchange, often occurring through “response videos.”
Autism and Anxiety
Many people with autism post videos on this topic. They describe their experiences and offer and solicit advice.
This is Jonah again, the same teenager who made the video under Communication above, talks about how anxiety affects him.
Jonah continues talking about upsetting emotions in this video. This is an excellent video to show to young people who are learning about cognitive behavioral therapy. Jonah has a sound grasp of the link between automatic negative thoughts and anxiety.
Dealing with Bullying
I only have several videos in this series and I am looking for more of them.
Watch this one all the way through. By all means do not miss the part where he acts out the parts of a bully and a mean girl who taunted him about his tics.
This is another very short animation in the Biomation series I cited above. Fast forward through several videos to get to this one.
Autism and Dating / Romantic Relationships
People with autism have posted hundreds of videos on these topics
Laura Paxton provides a clear explanation about the pitfalls of being too persistent in a relationship. In one part of the video, she uses two stuffed animals to demonstrate the risks of being too “clingy.”
Arman Khodaie has posted a number of videos on this topic directed to both males and females on the autism spectrum.
Fascinations and Fantasy
The first several videos deal with the general issue of preferred, fixated interests affecting people with autism. I follow this with a couple videos dealing with fantasy enthrallment, which is a particular interest of mine.
This young man on the autism spectrum, whose video about auditory / light sensitivity I featured earlier in this blog, has posted multitudes of train videos on YouTube.
Watch this video through to the part where he gives a tour of his home and shows us the accessories of his various unusual hobbies.
Tyler McNamer provides abundant insights into how he, and many other people with autism, can be affected by strong involvement in imagination.
This man’s videos receive many views and comments from other people on the autism spectrum. In this video, he reflects on how fantasy and imagination affected him at an earlier age.
Update 1-14-2022: I have free materials on my site on managing fantasy and pretend issues. To access them click HERE.
I hope you enjoy and appreciate these people’s YouTube videos.
In this blog post you can download the materials shown above. The photo shows one of nine panels used for teaching or wall display, and three of thirty-two social skills teaching cards.
Boys with autism face special challenges in understanding and relating to girls
In this blog post, I offer some basic background on issues affecting teenage boys on the autism spectrum pertaining to their relationships with girls, and then I provide some social skills teaching materials for mental health professionals, teachers and speech-language pathologists to use in their work.
Problem 1: Difficulties understanding the interests and perspectives of girls and women
Children on the autism spectrum have challenges with “theory of mind,” that is, understanding what other people might be thinking. This presents particular problems when a boy with high functioning autism is dealing with individuals of the opposite gender. (It is hard enough, after all, for males who do not have autism).
Problem 2: Difficulties with verbal and nonverbal elements of communication
With regard to nonverbal communication, when interacting with girls, boys on the autism spectrum have a tendency to make mistakes with eye contact and personal space. Eye contact errors fall into two categories. First, many boys with high functioning autism find it very difficult to look into the eyes of other people when they are talking. This can cause them a lot of anxiety and break their concentration. Second, boys who are attracted to girls might not understand the negative social impact of staring at girls in a conspicuous manner. Personal space errors can occur when a boy on the autism spectrum gets too close to a girl or touches her in an unwanted manner.
With respect to verbal communication, boys with high functioning autism face many challenges when communicating with girls. They might wish to compliment a girl, but they may not understand the unwritten social rules about bluntly complimenting a girl’s attractive features. Boys on the spectrum might find it overwhelmingly difficult to find common ground in conversation with a girls, and boys might consequently fall back on their preferred interests in conversation.
Problem 3: Difficulties with appearance and hygiene
Right around the time that boys on the autism spectrum may be first feeling attraction to girls, they are in the process of taking over numerous self-care tasks from their parents. Consequently, many teenage boys with ASD have problems with hygiene, attire and grooming. They may have dirty and unkempt hair. They may bathe infrequently or inadequately. Likewise, they often neglect dental hygiene. They may select clothing based on comfort or habit rather than fashion. All of these problems present enormous liabilities when relating to young females, who, compared to young males, are more inclined to be aware of hygiene, smell and appearance.
Problem 4: Fundamental challenges finding compatible romantic partners
Autism affects far more males than females. This, unfortunately, puts young men on the autism spectrum at a statistical disadvantage. Males with autism do, of course, often date and marry females who are not on the spectrum. However, young men with autism often have a special affinity for young women on the spectrum – but relatively few of these females with ASD are out there.
A note about young gay people on the spectrum:
In our work with young men with autism, we of course come into contact with males who are attracted to males. Please be aware that you can modify the materials below to address the needs of this population. And, by the way, there is a terrific, short autobiography by a man with Asperger’s who happens to be gay – Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammett.
How to use the free materials provided in this post:
The image below shows the teaching panels as they might appear if you placed them on the wall in a bulletin board fashion. You could also bind them together to create a simple, nine-page book.
The image below shows several of the cards. You can use these in individual, group or small class-size interventions. Here are some suggestions. First, you could arrange the cards into three piles by card type. Then, you could, by roll of dice, have participants pick from one of of three card types (roll of 1 or 2, or 3 or 4, or 5 or 6 determines which card is selected). Alternatively, shuffle the cards and have participants select them an random.
About role playing in the “Act it out” cards:
The majority of guidance counselors, psychotherapists, special education teachers and speech-language pathologists are females. Working with boys who are trying to learn to relate to girls, you have certain practical advantages if you are female. This allows you to play the role of the “girl” in the role plays I have set up in the “Act it out” cards.
About the “Fix the Thought” cards:
Here is a suggestion on how to use these cards. Introduce these cards by saying something like this: “Certain thoughts and beliefs can lead to all kinds of upsetting emotions and make these bad feelings much worse. If you can notice them and fight them, you can feel less upset.” Then, you, the adult, can try holding the card over your head and say, “Let’s pretend I am a person having this thought.” Then, you act out the role of someone having the thought, and ask the participants to give you advice and tell you what better alternative thoughts you might try.
I wish you well in your work helping boys on the autism spectrum to understand and relate to females.
Joel Shaul, LCSW
FYI: A great activity to go with this resource:
Using girl magazines and other media to help boys with ASD learn about girls
Click HERE for an illustrated description of this method.
Don’t miss these other free social & emotional skills games, worksheets and teaching / therapy resources for children & teens with ASD:
Children with autism spectrum disorders often suffer quite a lot from being teased and bullied. I have designed some materials to help them to learn some coping skills in this area. This is not intended to serve as an entire curriculum or to function as a classroom’s primary response to the problem of teasing and bullying. Obviously, preventing cruel children from victimizing vulnerable peers on the autism spectrum is the main problem to solve.
The materials I provide here are to help with:
*Increasing repertoire of functional responses to teasing and bullying
*Increasing ability to distinguish “friendly” from “mean” teasing and to distinguish intentional from unintentional harm
*Increasing ability to cope with anger, anxiety, sadness and other emotions associated with being teased and bullied
How to use the six illustrated panels:
The panels are designed to be used in several different ways. First, they are to be displayed while using the cards to help children know how to respond to the questions and challenges on the cards. Second, you might consider posting them on your wall as a bulletin board if you decide to not use the cards. Finally, you can use them in small groups to hold up one at a time as instructional aids when you are dealing with this topic.
How to use the cards:
There are three kinds of cards:
1. ” What to do?” cards: These cards describe hypothetical kids in a variety of problem scenarios, and the person drawing the card has to figure out possible solutions. There is often more than one answer.
2. “What about you?” cards: These cards require the person drawing them to carry out a variety of brief learning tasks or to reflect on their own experience with teasing and bullying.
3. “What to think?” cards: Each card contains a thought bubble featuring a particular thought or belief that can increase the harm caused by the unkindness of peers. The task is to try to counter the harmful thought with one or more “antidote thoughts.” (These cognitive behavioral therapy concepts in reference to children with autism are explained in a series of other blog posts with useful downloads.) A good way to use these cards is for you, the adult, to play the role of a child who endorses the thought in the thought bubble. The child(ren) then have to talk you out of this way of thinking.
Options on using the cards:
*You can shuffle up the cards and have kids draw them at random.
*You can keep the cards in three separate piles and have kids draw from one pile or the other based on how they roll a dice.
*You can select and discard cards and distribute the cards within the deck strategically so that the participants will draw cards that help them with their most difficult issues.
*If you don’t wish to use the cards, I invite you nevertheless to borrow the content of the cards in your own therapy/teaching. I tried to cover a lot of issues that affect children with ASD in reference to teasing and bullying.
This social skills topic is going to be really hard work both for your clients with ASD and for you as well. I hope these free social skills materials help. Good luck with it.
There are times when insisting on eye contact runs contrary to our goals in teaching and counseling when we are helping kids on the autism spectrum with social skills.
Teachers, mental health professionals and speech and language therapists all work hard to help children on the autism spectrum to improve their use of face and eye contact. However, when we rigidly insist on eye contact, we actually risk diminishing engagement in our social skill teaching activities.
All of us who are experienced in teaching young people with ASD becomes aware of this dilemma. Children with ASD ought to enhance their orientation towards others strategically in order to get more useful information during conversation. But for so many kids on the autism spectrum, practicing this social skill comes at the price of increased distress and anxiety – and decreased attention to your social skills learning activity!
Brian R. King, LCSW, a psychotherapist with autism, provides some useful insights and advice on this topic in his book, Strategies for Building Successful Relationships with People on the Autism Spectrum. As an individual with ASD, he finds prolonged eye contact uncomfortable and actually a hindrance to communication. He notes that blind people function quite adequately in conversation without the benefit of eye contact.
I have devised here a series of visuals to suggest alternatives to traditional face-to-face teaching when we are counseling and teaching children with autism spectrum disorders.
I hope you find these ideas helpful.
Joel Shaul, LCSW
This is more or less the way I was trained as a psychotherapist thirty years ago.
Here is one alternative. The child with autism may be able to concentrate better on what you are saying.
Here, you are dispensing with most eye contact and both you and the child with ASD are looking at the same computer screen, IPAD or other instructional visual
In my own work, I keep on hand dozens of meaningful visuals. For some kids on the spectrum, it is more productive to teach by having us both look at the same object than for us to look at each others’ eyes.
Quick and easy method to help children with autism to learn interests of other people
I hope you enjoy enjoy this activity.
