TEACHING SOCIAL SKILLS TO KIDS WITH ASPERGERS
KEY CONCEPTS: 1. Aspergers kids and teens are often described by their parents as being bright but clueless. 2. Kids with Aspergers often score well within the normal range on standardized tests typically used by schools to evaluate students. These tests usually do not test for social skills. 3. It is often helpful for parents to think of themselves as coaches for their kids. 4. Children/teens with Aspergers can have wide ranges of strengths and weaknesses which can puzzle and frustrate parents and educators. For example, since he can program a computer, why can’t he write a book report? 5. Persons with social-cognitive deficits still desire successful social relationships and companionship. Do not assume that they don’t want to have friends. 6. Poor parenting or role modeling does not cause Aspergers. INTERVENTIONS: 1. An activity notebook: These can be used to document all the activities in a given day. Then parents and youngster together can plan