Do children with autism have social skills?

Question

Does it depend on where they are on the spectrum if they have social skills or not? I am working with an autistic child and he does seem to interact with other children(kind of). He also knows when I am mad(he closes his eyes and sometimes his ears). He is in the first grade. I observe him a lot and I know when he is in a world of all his own and that nothing I say will even matter. He seems to have a preference to me as well. While we were in line the other day for lunch, he held my wrist and stroked my arm. Refer me to help or tell me what you know. I am interested in knowing more about autism. I was under the impression that they lacked social skills, but do they all lack social skills?

Answer 1

No. not all children with autism "lack" social skills, though some may have more appropriate social skills then others. I work OT in a school, and have kids with minimal social skills to highly attuned social skills. And social skills can also be taught. There are a couple great books out their on autism...My personal favorites are: Exploring The Austism Spectrum; Building Bridges through Sensory Integration; and Sensory Intregration for Diverse Populations (has alot of great info on autism).

Answer 2

Both children and adults with autism typically show difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities. One should keep in mind however, that autism is a spectrum disorder and it affects each individual differently and at varying degrees

Every person with autism is an individual, and like all individuals, has a unique personality and combination of characteristics. Some individuals mildly affected may exhibit only slight delays in language and greater challenges with social interactions. They may have difficulty initiating and/or maintaining a conversation. Their communication is often described as talking at others instead of to them. (For example, monologue on a favorite subject that continues despite attempts by others to interject comments).

People with autism also process and respond to information in unique ways. In some cases, aggressive and/or self-injurious behavior may be present.

A great book to read is Ten Things Your Student With Autism Wishes You Knew by Ellen Notbohm. It can be a real eye opener with working with childern with autism. It can be a great tool for learning techniques for teaching anyone with autism. I think you'll find it quite useful.

You can also check into a local Center for Autism and Realted Diseases(CARD). They will come to the school and work with any staff member on techniques for the child. They will also work with the child's classmates. Services are provided for free. If you go to the link below and don't see a local office in your area, don't be discouraged, they don't have any listed for Florida, but yet there are about 8 different CARD centers throughout the state at different universities.

Answer 3

This is a tricky one, because everyone's perception of 'social skills' can be different. Yes, to some extent and some degree, they are all affected, but how, like you said, depends on the severity of the autism and how it affects each individual person. Typically, kids on the spectrum are known to not want social attention, but that's not always the case. My son has never had the problem with not making eye contact, and he is extremely affectionate. To a fault. Kids with autism take things to the extreme usually, and that can go one way or the other. For my son, he's EXTREMELY affectionate, EXTREMELY sensitive to my feelings. He will go up and hug everyone, which is really scary. He doesn't comprehend the idea of strangers, and I know would go off with anyone. He thinks everyone he meets is his friend. He can't understand when he has a friend over to play, that they have to go home. These are problems with socialization, but not the way we typically think of. His friend, on the other hand, is different, although he's also autistic. He is eight, doesn't understand what a friend is. If he meets a kid, that's his friend. Kids can be mean to him, and five minutes later he's ready to play with them again. He will be friends with kids, as long as things go his way. If another kid wants to play differently, he'll drop them like a hat. He hates adults, in the sense that he can't handle dealing with him. He will not make eye contact with adults unless forced, they cause him severe anxieties. He can't tell when someone is joking with him or really being mean. If someone accidently bumps into him, he takes this as they did it on purpose and jumps on them. These are social issues. But he LOVES having playtime with his friends, and is outside from the time he gets home from school until he has to come in, so autism wasn't even a concept for him as far as any of us were concerned, until we started looking at HOW he played, HOW he perceived things, and started seeing the deficits. People have this misconception that a child with autism will stand on the sidelines not wanting friends, and often that's not true. For some it is, but not all. I try to get people to understand that autism is so much more than social skills, but unless you live with it everyday, it's hard to understand. What you said is very common, in that they can pick and choose who they like and don't like. If they like you, you have it made, but if they don't you might as well forget convincing them otherwise. Feel free to contact me if you'd like, I'd be happy to help you out.

Answer 4

Autism is on a broad spectrum that is why it is often referred to as ASD - autism spectrum disorder.  You have your more involved cases (such as Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, who was unable to live on his own) and mild forms of autism also called Aspergers (which Albert Einstein was thought to have).  Its generally agreed that children on the spectrum have some difficulty with social interaction or social skills.  It doesn't necessarily mean they will not interact with others, they do, but they may do so in ways that are unacceptable or odd.  

For more information on this subject visit the NIMH website:

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publicati...

Answer 5

Why are you working with an autistic child if you don't know anything about it?  If you are in a school, they should be providing you with this kind of training.  All children are different.  If you have a question about the child, you should ask the parents.

Answer 6

I can probably help, I worked as an aid in a school for mentally impaired children, and autism usually means that they're not good at most things but very good at others, anyways, they do have social skills in some matter, for example, they will follow what they see on T.V. Shows such as Maisy, Dora the Explorer, and other shows that are similar. If he doesn't have the capability to speak, eventually he will have to learn hand signs,  and hand signs are definitely the a great way to tell them something, it allows them to understand things in a more processed way, they all have their different ways of working out, I remember this child named Phillip who would stroke my hand too, he would try to hug it and say awww as well and say "Good job Philip." He can still learn social skills, just in a different way, they have to be taught when the appropriate time for hugging is, for example, when I visited them, they were excited and hugged me, that was an appropriate time. When Phillip was walking around the classroom for no reason and tried to hug me, not appropriate. Anyways, you get the idea, hope this helps

Answer 7

I think it depends on the child.  My son is 6, and was diagnosed with classic autism just after he turned 2.  At that time he literally lived in his own world.  He basically stayed in his own room, and hardly even interacted with us, let alone anyone outside his family.  When he went somewhere in public, such as preschool, he would stay in a corner, under a table, or wander around on the outskirts.

After years of intensive intervention, he has turned into a social butterfly in the sense that he loves people.  He wants to be around someone all the time.  He is the polar opposite of what he was.  But he still has MANY social skills problems.  Just because he is social, doesn't mean he knows how to socialize.  He needs constant prompts on how to act appropriately in social situations.

The thing to remember is that no 2 kids with this disorder are the same,which is why it is so hard to treat.  I have a close friend whose daughter is 1 month older than my son, and has received the exact same services for the exact same amount of time as my son, and they have not had the same success that we have.  We were very lucky.

Just stick with it.  If he prefers you, and responds to you, you might get better results from him than others in his life.  Ask his parents what you should do in specific situations.  They will probably be glad of any help you might be able to offer!

Answer 8

My little brother has autism and he also seeks out certain people. He did not begin to show affection until the age of 7, and did not want to interact with anyone but my parents or me.

Some autistics acquire rudimentary social skills and some become social butterfies once they meet someone that they trust. I don't think any of them are born with the ability to socialize they must learn to , but it also depends on the extent of the autism. Some autistic people will never socialize .

Answer 9

Every person alive has social skills of some kind.  An autistic person can develop and refine social skills depending on how they are doing with everything else in life, how high functioning they are, and what kind of rapport they develop with someone else.  You'll just need to watch that this child doesn't become too attached to you and monitor for odd thinking about you.  They can misunderstand what they are feeling, especially when a feeling is brand new or excessive (by their standards.)  This changes as they get older and gain more experiences.

Someone above actually described me when I was younger.  :-)  I thought everyone was my friend or knew more than I did, often did dangerous things like go up to big dogs that were barking and try to pet them, put my hand on a hot woodstove coz my dad's hand was on one, run into oncoming traffic to cross a street to get to someone else, etc. It took till sometime in high school to almost completely do away with this simplistic type of thinking, but even today I still retain it.  When I start a job, I expect everyone shall be my friend or like me. It's just not so though.

Answer 10

It is not a lack of social skills, but rather POOR social skills - especially for the student that you have described (he sounds like he is high functioning or has Aspergers)

Typical children learn social skills (taking turns/playing with others, eye contact, verbal communication exchange, appropriate interactions, etc.) through normal play and observing others.  Often children on the spectrum need to be TAUGHT these skills as they do not come naturally.

Make sure you learn as much as you can about autism...it will make your life and his a lot easier.

When he shuts out the world or clings to you, this may be a sign that he is feeling anxious or overwhelmed.

The world around him is a very scary place with many random acts happening at once.  He most likely has some sensory issues that he is dealing with as well - be observant of his behavior when you enter a noisy area (cafeteria, assembly, fire drill), or if there are too many people in close proximity.  His stroking your arm may be a need for sensory input rather than a sign of affection.  Be sure that your school occupational therapist provides you with some sensory items and that you allow him break throughout the day to fulfill his sensory needs.

A fantastic book:

http://www.out-of-sync-child.com/

Answer 11

It depends, autistic children can (if brought up correctly) function normally in a social situation. however, if they are not brought up correctly and are not taught how to behave and act in social situations then it can cause problems. It also depends on the severity of the autism.

Answer 12

My daughter is autistic, and is 7 years old now. She seeks out the company of certain people each day and is getting to the point where she has conversations with others...which is something she did not do a couple of years ago.

Kids with autism generally don't lack social skils, they have poor social skills or do not know how to read the subtle cues of others in social situations. You and I know when a listener is getting bored through their body language, but the individual with autism often cannot tell when it is time to stop talking.

My daughter also has a habit of getting too close physically to others she does not know, and this is something we are working on...conversely, my friend's autistic son won't get within 10 feet of anyone he doesn't know...so the proxemics issue can go either way I guess.

The Autism Society of America www.asa.org has some good background information on autism, and there are some good Yahoo Groups that deal with autism...I personally like Parenting Autism and Autism Behavior Problems.

Answer 13

It depends on teh degree of autism. Some, who are only mildly autistic, do have a degree of social awareness. Others are completely self-contained and prefer not to interact with anyone on any level. Autism is a very difficult and complicated condition, which is why it is so difficult to deal with. There are no hard and fast rules. A friend of mine has an autistic son - mildly afflicted - and he can be prompted to use social skills (Say Hello, Brian) but doesn't often do so of his own accord.

Answer 14

It does depend on where they are on the spectrum. Some have no social skills while others you would never know they were autistic. They get into a routine and do not like to stray from it. My 9 year old is autistic and when she was younger did not like being held and be around people. Now she hugs even strangers. If you would like to talk to someone about autistic children my husband would be glad to talk to you his sn is [e-mail]

Answer 15

Children with Autism are very special people and know more than most think they know.

If you are interested in working with autistic children or special needs children; pursue it.

This child relates to you.

Not all with autism lack social skills; these children are beautiful and special and aware.

They need special people to work with them and not give up on that particular child.

All must be involved; the parents, teachers, aids to the child and outside resources are available.

Patience, perseverance and knowledge is necessary for all involved with anyone labeled autistic.

They must be treated as any other person because they are a person and a very special one.

They bring joy, happiness, smiles, laughter and so much more.

Treat this child/person as you would any other, they are there, they are aware.

Special needs;  we all have them.

Answer 16

it al depend on the child there is a saying if youve met one autistic child u have met ONE autistic child

autism has such a range its hard to tell what one child can do and one cant

my child is autistic and he can play with certain children

dont ask me y its only a select few they dont do anything different then the other children but its only about 4 children that my child like to imitate (play)

every autistic child is different no one book or person can tell u what to expect but best of luck on your journey to figuring it all out :)

if u have any more questions email me