Helpful Toys, Stories Book and etc

Social Skills are always going to be tricky - so much depends on being able to interpret (and its two-way, to generate also) the right gestures, facial expressions, nods and movements of the head, eye contact, inflexion of speech, etc that is normally used to support purely linguistic language.

People on the spectrum have trouble with the non-verbal content of socialisation, and it is not something easy to resolve. Also they may have difficulty processing complex sound environments, such as lots of people talking at once.

There's a tendancy in the UK to try to force socialisation skills using little social stories with speech bubbles and facial expressions that are used ad nausiam by clinicians. You can always acquire some social stories packs, and other aids to socialisation, and lots can be downloaded off websites.

Clever they may be, but I'm doubtful if they really work. They may help children realise what they've got to try to replicate artificially, by whatever contrivances, learned and acted out responses they can. I just don't think it works like a cure.

A book that might help teachers and support workers understand children's experiences with autism, if you can get a copy is "Martian in the Playground - understanding the schoolchild with Asperger's Syndrome" by Clare Sainsbury (Lucky Duck Publishing 2000  ISBN 1 873 942 08 7)

While that might seem a little out of date, it is still a very valid book, because it talks about valid experiences, rather than cramming a book full of theories. Its one of the few books around that actually discusses everyday experiences insted of trying to make it all fit the Triad of Impairments (OK OK I do go on, but.......)

Social Skills are always going to be tricky - so much depends on being able to interpret (and its two-way, to generate also) the right gestures, facial expressions, nods and movements of the head, eye contact, inflexion of speech, etc that is normally used to support purely linguistic language.

People on the spectrum have trouble with the non-verbal content of socialisation, and it is not something easy to resolve. Also they may have difficulty processing complex sound environments, such as lots of people talking at once.

There's a tendancy in the UK to try to force socialisation skills using little social stories with speech bubbles and facial expressions that are used ad nausiam by clinicians. You can always acquire some social stories packs, and other aids to socialisation, and lots can be downloaded off websites.

Clever they may be, but I'm doubtful if they really work. They may help children realise what they've got to try to replicate artificially, by whatever contrivances, learned and acted out responses they can. I just don't think it works like a cure.

A book that might help teachers and support workers understand children's experiences with autism, if you can get a copy is "Martian in the Playground - understanding the schoolchild with Asperger's Syndrome" by Clare Sainsbury (Lucky Duck Publishing 2000  ISBN 1 873 942 08 7)

While that might seem a little out of date, it is still a very valid book, because it talks about valid experiences, rather than cramming a book full of theories. Its one of the few books around that actually discusses everyday experiences insted of trying to make it all fit the Triad of Impairments (OK OK I do go on, but.......)