Social Skills Deficits

Children with autism spectrum disorders have difficulty interacting with others. Poor social skills are a major stumbling block on the road to success for children and adults with autism. Because the ability to get along with other people affects every aspect of a person's life?from school, to home, to the community, to the workplace?children with autism are at a major disadvantage in negotiating the pathways of life. Although some individuals with autism are bright and get good grades in school, many have substantial difficulty working and living independently because of the social deficits associated with autism. Bright children with autism often get into trouble in social situations?either with their peers or their teachers. Teacher comments about a child's behavior often include statements such as: "He is too bright to be acting this way." "She is bright enough to know better." In fact, even bright children with autism often don't "know better." Their understanding of social "rules" is likely to be much weaker than their understanding of math problems, computer software or science experiments. Like the other symptoms of autism, social skills deficits can range from mild to very severe. We can, however, teach children with autism to interact successfully and improve their chances for a happy and successful life.

"In His/Her Own Little World"

Parents of young children with autism often describe their children as being "aloof" or as being "in his/her own little world." Often, young children with autism would rather play by themselves and not be bothered by other children. Some children are even agitated by the presence of others. They may be bothered by the noise or chaos, or they may be upset that other children don't do things in a predictable way, they don't follow the "rules" or they don't do things the "right" way.

In an effort to push peers away and have solitary time, some children with autism engage in negative or inappropriate behavior.

• They remind peers of the "rules" and correct misbehavior.
  
• They act as the classroom or playground "cop."
  

Downward Spiral

Children with autism can get caught in a "downward spiral," a cycle of social rejection and isolation that is self-perpetuating. It can become a downward spiral of isolation because children with autism view social interactions as difficult and unrewarding. They tend to prefer activities they can do alone such as watching television, playing computer games or obsessively studying a narrow area of interest. As a result, they miss opportunities to learn and practice social skills.

Since children with autism don't have the opportunity or the desire to practice social interactions, they sometimes approach peers in odd or inappropriate ways ? ways that are similar to preschool children.

These might include punching, hugging/kissing or withdrawing shyly. A typical child doesn't know how to respond to these unusual social interactions and might move away from the child with autism. Parents or children might think that the child with autism is behaving aggressively or exhibiting frightening behavior. As a result, they are likely to ignore or reject the child with autism.

When children with autism try to interact but are ignored or rejected, they tend to give up. They have little incentive for interacting socially when it results in a painful or unpleasant experience.

This downward spiral results in even more social isolation. When children with autism choose to watch TV or play alone on the computer instead of playing kickball with the neighborhood children, they have little chance to learn and practice appropriate social skills.

As the cycle continues over and over, a downward spiral of social incompetence and rejection has developed.

Imaginative Play and Play With Toys

Children with autism often have unusual ways of playing with toys. They might turn cars over to spin the wheels instead of pushing a car and making engine noises. They might play with a string from a toy instead of the toy itself. Many young children with autism have trouble playing creatively or imaginatively with toys. When children don't know how to play with toys, it limits their ability to play with other children of the same age. In addition to creating social limitations, children who don't play imaginatively miss a major milestone in development. The "work" of childhood is play?children explore through play. They learn to create, think abstractly, practice language and practice social roles through creative and imaginative play.

Creative and imaginative play can be taught to children with autism when teaching social intervention.

Eye Contact

Most children with autism have poor eye contact. Parents and teachers report that the child either looks away or "looks right through you." This is of concern because eye contact generally shows interest and that the child is paying attention.

When children don't make eye contact, it appears that they are not paying attention. Children with autism may have difficulty making eye contact for several reasons. It may be difficult for them to listen and watch at the same time because they are unable to coordinate those two actions. Watching and listening may provide too much sensory stimulation. The child may not even understand the reason for eye contact because of his or her social deficits.

Social Deficits in Older Children

For children with autism, a lack of social interest results in fewer chances to interact, observe and practice social skills. As children with autism get older, they become more interested in having friends. But, because they haven't had the same amount or kind of practice at getting along with others as typically-developing children, they make mistakes and are often "clumsy" at playing or interacting.

When typical two-year-old children get together, they tend to interact physically?communicating greetings by pushing, hugging, grabbing toys, etc. However, as they experience the consequences of these activities, they learn new, more appropriate ways of interacting. Because children with autism miss out on some of these early social learning experiences, they tend to use immature or inappropriate social interactions at an older age when they finally begin to show interest in learning these skills.

It is not uncommon to see a six-year old with autism spectrum disorder greet a peer by pushing or grabbing toys. Pre-adolescents and adolescents are often interested in having a friend, but lack the understanding of the social nuances and engagement skills that allow them to interact appropriately.

A child with mild social difficulties may be able to interact appropriately with adults, but has difficulty knowing how to enter a game with same-age peers. Some children with autism choose to play with younger children but may not be capable of interacting with other children of the same age.

Pre-adolescents and adolescents with autism are more likely to be depressed than typically-developing children of the same age. This depression may be associated with the social rejection and isolation they experience (Klin, Volkmar, & Sparrow, 2000). When these pre-adolescents and adolescents become depressed, they become more isolated and withdrawn, engage in more inappropriate behaviors in the company of peers and subsequently lose even more opportunities to develop social competence.

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