Valentine’s Day is around the corner. But, for teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a day focused on relationships and filled with social interaction can create an array of emotional confusion.
From understanding non-verbal social cues and holding “successful” conversations to dealing with anxiety, making friends and dating – it is imperative that teens on the spectrum learn social skills and social relatedness. Not only will learning social skills better enable them to relate to their peers while in school, it sets them up for future success when it comes to living independently, holding a job, and building relationships.
Jill McGrale Maher, M.A., BCBA, LABA, Program Director at Behavioral Concepts (BCI), a company of behavioral clinicians specializing in the care of children with ASD throughout Central Massachusetts, explained, “It’s important to first identify your older child’s fears and deficits in the area of social skills in order to help untangle the emotions involved.”
McGrale Maher offers four key tips for parents of teens with ASD:
• Teach your teen about different situations that may happen on Valentine’s Day by role playing the exchange of Valentine’s cards or treats.
• Discuss the purpose behind Valentine’s Day and provide more detail. Role-play and rehearse everything including personal space, eye-contact, voice volume, and turn taking.
• Several days prior to a Valentine’s Day event, role-play and rehearse exactly what is expected. It can be very helpful in alleviating anxiety to actually visit where the event will take place as well.
• For teens who may have a date, review everything including hygiene, manners, what to say, conversation starters, endings, and how to save a conversation. Again, roleplay as much as you can.
According to McGrale Maher, “Social skills deficits are one of the first indicators of ASD. Additionally, evidence clearly indicates that when young adults with ASD are not successful in life and work situations, it is almost always due to a lack of social skills.”
Fitchburg and Worcester After School Programs Focus on Social Skills
BCI has developed After School and Saturday programs to teach social skills to children and teens, with the goal of imparting skills to ensure a happy, successful, blended life in the community.
Social skills programming encompasses social pragmatics, group working skills, play skills, imitation, observational skills, perspective taking skills, how to act in a variety of situations, relationship development, self-awareness, and self-management. The teen social skills programs are more expansive and include dealing with frustration, anger and anxiety, advanced conversational skills, reading non-verbal cues, building and maintaining relationships, dealing with family and school demands, and decision making.
After identifying and assessing each child’s current social skills, the children are divided into three group levels. Typically, level one is for young children, level two for ages eight to 11 years-old, and level three is for teens. The after-school sessions run a minimum of two hours, and Saturday morning and afternoon sessions are each three hours long. The Fitchburg program has capacity for 30 students, while Worcester can accommodate 60 students.
For more information about BCI’s After School and Saturday programs, visit bciaba.com
About BCI
Behavioral Concepts (BCI) provides Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services to children with autism and their families in central Massachusetts. We identify and facilitate effective personalized instruction that allows children to discover more, learn more, and be more – increasing their independence and enhancing their quality of life at home, in school, and in the community. BCI is a Massachusetts Department of Public Health approved provider of specialty ABA services for early intervention. BCI also provides center, home-based, and afterschool services through private and public health insurance. The organization was founded in 2002 by Dr. Jeffrey R. Robinson. Further information on BCI is available at http://bciaba.com.
BCI is part of the Learn It family of companies, a national organization dedicated to helping all children succeed in school and life. Learn more at http://learnitsystems.com/family.
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