social skills

Enhancing your child’s social skills can help foster friendships and participation in the community

Social skills may not come naturally for children with autism. Learning how to engage with
others and interact in new experiences can be very challenging. Practicing social skills can
make these opportunities less stressful or overwhelming.

During social skill sessions, children receive explicit instruction and the chance to then practice
with their peers. For example, instead of telling a child to be friendly when meeting someone
new, a social skills leader can give concrete direction such as, smile, say hello, and make eye
contact when meeting someone new. The children can then put the instruction into action by
practicing greeting one another.

Social skills sessions can help children better understand what to expect in certain social
situations, allow them to ask questions about social cues, and hopefully feel more comfortable
in their everyday interactions.

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