Do you have a child who misses social cues? He lacks observation skills for this social world where he lives. He seems clueless about what to do and what not to do? What is the answer.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!
Effective communication requires preparation. Communication and preparation go hand in hand.
A child needs to understand what is expected socially and behaviorally to function well in this world. She needs to understand verbal and non-verbal communication. Any social deficits she has relates back to communication. For some reason, others are figuring out what to do but she is not. The social and behavioral expectations must be communicated in a way she understands. Some ways to do this:
- Go over the expectations with the child before a situation.
- Start early in your preparation and do it often. Once is not enough!!
- Break down the social situation so it is manageable. Make the directions very concrete with specific action steps.
- Don't try to conquer everything. Prioritize and pick two or three things to tackle, first.
- Once you see progress, work with the child to use the skills in other situations. This may be harder than you think. This is the generalizing process. It will happen but it takes a lot of work.
- A child may need adult support initially to be successful but the help should be backed off as soon as possible. This child is likely to become dependent on the adult to prompt or speak for her.
- Visual supports, power cards and social stories are ways to give her something visual she can refer to in the future. Verbal reminders evaporate after they are given. Unless, she remembers them, the instruction is gone forever.
This is a slow process but it will open up so much of the world to your child as it lowers her anxiety and gives her the information she needs for success!
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