Social Skills

Description:

• Social communication skills consist of the ability to vary speech style, take the perspective of others, understand and appropriately use the rules for verbal and nonverbal communication, and use the structural aspects of language (e.g., vocabulary, syntax, and phonology). Social communication skills are essential for language expression and comprehension in both spoken and written modalities.

Activities:

• Have your child practice greeting others around the dinner table while using appropriate body positioning.

• Have your child take turns sharing events that happened throughout the day (i.e. Tell me three things you did today.).

• Have your child call a relative or friend and practice asking questions, responding to questions, and maintaining a topic of conversation.

• Have your child answer a series of "Would You Rather" questions (i.e. Would you rather win 1 million dollar or travel around the world? Why?).

Resources:

1. Hellos and Goodbyes – Teaching Children to Use Greetings: https://www.handyhandouts.com/viewHandout.aspx?hh_number=283&nfp_title=Hellos+and+Goodbyes+%e2%80%93+Teaching+Children+to+Use+Greetings

2. Sharing – An Important Social Skill! https://www.handyhandouts.com/viewHandout.aspx?hh_number=284&nfp_title=Sharing+%e2%80%93+An+Important+Social+Skill!

3. Pardon My Interruption: https://www.handyhandouts.com/viewHandout.aspx?hh_number=299&nfp_title=Pardon+My+Interruption%e2%80%a6

4. Understanding Facial Expressions: https://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/448_ReadMyFace.pdf

5. Helping Children Understand & Deal with Emotions: https://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/390_UnderstandFeelings.pdf

6. Emotional Self- Regulation: A Skill that Benefits Everyone: https://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/585_SelfRegulation.pdf

7. Understand Sarcasm: https://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/588_UnderstandingSarcasm.pdf

8. Creating an Autism Sensitive Environment at Home: https://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/437_AutismEnvironment.pdf

9. Figurative Language: https://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/336_TypesofFigurativeLang.pdf

10. Encourage Social Successes at home: https://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/105_parentscanhelpsocial.pdf