Social Skills Activities for Kids with Autism

Social skills activities for kids with autism are crucial to the treatment of autistic disorders including Asperger’s syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder. Children in this spectrum of disorders do not naturally acquire the ability to interact with others. They have to learn these skills intellectually through deliberate treatments and interventions.

View activity ideas for autistic kids.

The process of teaching socially appropriate behavior can be broken down into small, achievable steps. This begins with observation. Parents and caregivers who take time to observe the child engaging in activities, whether appropriate or not, can learn how to approach the development of proper social interaction.

There are many social skills activities for kids with autism that parents and caregivers can develop on their own. They can cater activities to suit the child’s specific needs and interests. Games and stories are excellent selections and it isn’t always necessary to purchase special activities. Some great ideas to consider:

• Social stories
• Relational activities
• Sensory integration activities
• Floortime
• Everyday activities

Carol Gray developed social stories as excellent tools for social development in autistic children. Each story relates to a specific interaction. For example, the child learns how to ask other kids to play through stories that offers systematic instructions. This approach is ideal because they encourage the child to use his or her strengths.

Relational activities encourage the child to reference other people’s faces in very rewarding teaching methods. Simple cause-and-effect activities work really well with this approach. Peek-a-book is a great example because it deliberately prompts the child to look at the other person and it reinforces object permanence. There is an element of cause-and-effect as well. Other relational activities include:

• Interactive Activities
  • Modeling
  • Face games
  • Reading
  • Musical instruments
  • Board games

Imitation is a very important aspect of social interaction. Parents and caregivers can use modeling as a tool to encourage imitation. Modeling activities can include puppet shows that model social interactions or engaging in activities that mirror real-life situations.

Face games include any activity that encourages the autistic child to reference another person’s face. These exercises are applicable to children of various abilities, including high functioning kids with Asperger syndrome. Using cause-and-effect activities is useful. For example, the child touches the parent’s nose and the parent sticks out her tongue.

Board games are extremely effective because they teach many different skills at once. The child learns to wait and to reference others. Board Games encourage listening skills and they can be very rewarding and motivating. These activities have a definite beginning, middle and end. They are visually stimulating and they have patterns of routine that are very appealing.

Music is a wonderful tool that is perfect for teaching social behaviors. Parents and teachers can employ songs for different interactions including circle time, clean-up, sharing, and my turn. This approach works very well because the songs are motivating for many children and they encourage them to follow through behaviorally.

Sensory integration involves engaging the senses. Swinging is an example of a sensory integration activity that is a great tool for interaction. The person swinging the child stops the swing and encourages the child to make eye contact and ask for more. These engaging activities are very rewarding because they help the child work through sensory issues while engaging in a fun activity.

1. Outdoor play sets/playgrounds
2. Textured cloths, blocks
3. Sensory bins
4. Chase, tag, running games

Greenspan’s Floortime offers a systematic approach to introducing play activities and social interaction. There are six steps to the process and each step offers deeper, more complex interactions. The process begins with observation and develops into the child’s ability to initiate play and interaction.

There are countless opportunities to encourage the development of social skills in autistic children. A prime example is mealtime. There are many benefits to making the most of this everyday activity and similar daily events in the child’s routine. Ways to make the most of everyday activities are:

• Stress beginning, middle and end to each activity
• Prompt for eye contact and rewards
• Model appropriate behavior
• Encourage discussion with animated gestures and facial expressions
• Use visual guides like PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System)

Children learn through play and this applies to all children. Autistic kids simply have different ways of playing. When parents and caregivers take time to delve into the child’s interests and sensory needs, they can make important emotional connections. Introducing social activities for autistic children involves learning how the individual child plays. No two children on the autism spectrum are exactly alike, and neither are their interests.

• Preschool Activities for Autistic Children
• Possible Causes of Autism
• Tips for Raising Kids with Autism
• What Is Your Autism Empathy Rating?

• Lesson Plans for Autistic Children
• Adult Autism Symptoms
• Social Skills Activities for Kids with Autism
• Speech Therapy Ideas for Autistic Children
• Famous Autistic People

• Occupational Therapy for Autism
• Activities for Autistic Children
• Gifts for Autistic Children
• Main Page
• Floortime Activities