Autism, Social & Emotional Development & Strategies to Implement in the Classroom

Making Friends

• Some kids with autism don't feel a need to develop close relationships, while others crave them but lack the skills necessary to sustain them. Either way, a teacher can foster social relationships in the classroom. Help your child's teacher understand your child's deficits. For example, perhaps she doesn't make eye contact or she talks obsessively about her special interests. Kids with autism need explicit instruction to learn the basic social skills that most children intuitively learn, according to Sally Ozonoff, co-author of "A Parent's Guide to Asperger Syndrome & High-Functioning Autism." Encourage the teacher to offer direct instruction on making friends. She can say things like, "Say hi to Carrie and tell her your name," or "When you are talking to your friends, look at their faces." The teacher can also place a time limit on the discussion of one topic. She can say something like, "Brian is going to talk about dinosaurs for two minutes and then we'll let someone else have a turn."

Self-Regulation

• Kids with autism struggle with self-regulation, especially in a busy classroom setting. They may lose track of their homework, have difficulty listening to directions or experience meltdowns because of sensory overload. They may have intense emotional outbursts and have difficulty calming down. Kids with autism are often described as "emotionally brittle." Teachers can help by setting up a calm, predictable environment. Let your child's teacher know about your child's triggers and signs of sensory overload, such as hand-flapping, pacing or grumbling. Create visual schedules so your child knows exactly what to expect throughout the day. When your child doesn't know what to do, suggest the following sequence of steps, according to Michael D. Powers, co-author of "Asperger Syndrome & Your Child: A Parent's Guide": Watch other kids to figure out what to do, ask another child for help or ask a teacher for help. Encourage your child's teacher to help your child recognize when she's becoming upset and offer strategies to calm down.

Communication

• Communication difficulties are one of the three hallmarks of autism disorders, and they play a big role in your child's social and emotional development. Some children with autism have very limited oral language, while others have highly developed vocabularies, but might not understand the pragmatics of language. Help your child's teacher understand your child's particular communication challenges. The pre-verbal child can use signs or visuals to express her needs and wants. Verbal children might need encouragement to ask for help. They might also need directions repeated. You might wonder how communication plays into social and emotional development. One of the basic requirements for self-esteem is the ability to understand others and express needs and wants.

Perspective Taking

• Most kids with autism have difficulty understanding and empathizing with another person's feelings or behaviors. They may also negatively misinterpret someone's actions. If your child experiences these challenges, suggest a few structured activities about reading body language and facial expressions, as well as ongoing casual experiences. For example, the teacher could display a poster of facial expressions or have a group discussion on the topic. Games, such as charades, that require kids to read body language can also help. Board games help kids with autism learn the art of turn taking. Kids with autism don't understand jokes or sarcasm. They often take teasing literally and become offended. Teach your child to ask for clarification when he assumes someone is being mean to him. Questions such as, "Are you trying to tease me," can help kids clarify another child's intent, suggests Powers.