Socialization Games for Autistic Teens

Teens on the autism spectrum have many unique challenges with social interactions and understanding social cues. An autistic teen may need help learning how to join and exit a group of teens, how to pick the right friends for his interests or how to display good sportsmanship. According to Elizabeth Laugeson, a UCLA clinical instructor of psychiatry, many autistic teens can learn through observation and parental instruction, but some may need further help.

  1. Role Play

    • Role playing is an extremely valuable tool in helping your autistic teen develop her social skills. Talk to her and find out about situations where she may have trouble with her peers. This could be when she's hosting a group of teens, trying to join a conversation in progress or even having to deal with a reputation for being difficult or unsympathetic. Role play ways that she can deal with each situation where she has trouble. You may want to bring in another person so she can observe the two of you role playing before she practices as well. It's a good way for her to learn how to handle peer pressure, teasing, bullying and arguing. Since your autistic teen tends to think in concrete terms and learns by rote, it's important to give her an actual response that she can trot out under specific circumstances, and role play will help her become comfortable with short comebacks.

    Video Games

    • According to Andy Shih, vice president of scientific affairs at the organization Autism Speaks, video games can help teach social skills, although he cautions that your teen needs to balance his game playing with real-world experience. Playing video games and using apps on his smartphone can help your autistic teen learn more about socialization; there are even games designed to be autism-friendly. Help your teen work on his socialization, teamwork, and sportsmanship skills by buying him a headset and purchasing an online membership so he can play video games with groups of people around the world. Keep in mind that the amount of time your teen spends playing video games should be monitored. A University of Missouri study found that autistic teens have a greater chance of becoming addicted to playing games.

    Ryuu Card Game

    • Inspired by trading card games like Pokemon, Ryuu is set in a fantasy world full of dragons. The cards are designed to teach kids and teens emotional and social skills. The game follows six dragons as they grow up. They face challenges from Dark Forces and receive aid from the invisible Light Forces. The cards help players put a name to emotions and social behavior as they play cards to help each dragon react appropriately to situations. The card game has inspired a CD detailing the world, fan fiction, videos and even an online playing group.

    Organizations

    • If you're worried that your teen isn't being exposed to enough new social occasions, consider searching online for fun activities geared toward autistic teens in your area. For autistic teens and young adults in the Seattle area, there's the Adventure Club run by Blue Compass, a group that also runs camps and other programs for teens and young adults with Asperger's, autism, and ADHD. The Adventure Club meets once a month during the school year to participate in scavenger hunts and mental and physical challenges both in the city and outside of it. Events like this let your teen spend time with teens that have similar interests and let him practice working as a part of a team.

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