My ASD Child

"How can I help my 5-year-old AS child (high functioning) to have a better understanding of other people’s feelings? He often seems oblivious to some of the hurtful things he says and does, but I don’t think he does this intentionally." Recognizing and understanding the feelings and thoughts of self and others is often an area of weakness for kids with Asperger’s (AS) and High-Functioning Autism (HFA) – and is essential to successful social interactions. “Neurotypicals” (i.e., children not on the autism spectrum) continually modify their behavior based on the non-verbal feedback they receive from others. For example, they may elaborate on a story if their friend is smiling, looking on intently, or showing other signs of genuine interest. Conversely, if the other person repeatedly looks at her school book, sighs, or looks otherwise disinterested, most neurotypical children notice this non-verbal cue and stop talking or cut the story short. Kids with AS and HFA

"Why is it that children on the autism spectrum seem to prefer objects (e.g., toys, games, digital devices, machines, etc.) rather than relationships with people?"  To answer this question, we must first look at the concept of "weak predictive ability"... If one has the ability to predict, he or she can come up with an educated guess about what may happen in the near or distant future (i.e., some outcome is expected), but this ability is not necessarily based on experience or knowledge. Prediction is a skill that allows us to “generalize” (i.e., since the occurrence of “situation A” resulted in “outcome B,” then a situation similar to “A” will likely result in an outcome similar to “B”).  For example, after observing enough moving objects, a child can understand momentum and, through generalizing, predict the position of a moving target in the near future. Likewise, after seeing enough human faces, a child can generalize (or predict) that human faces

"What are peer-mediated interventions, and how do they work?" A peer-mediated intervention is a technique that has demonstrated effectiveness in teaching social skills to kids with Asperger's (AS) and High-Functioning Autism (HFA). The use of peer mentors is an example of an effective strategy for kids with AS and HFA. Peer-mediated interventions allow parents and teachers to structure the physical and social environment in a manner to promote successful social interactions.  In this approach, peers are systematically trained to make social initiations or respond promptly and appropriately to the initiations of kids with AS and HFA during the course of their school day. Peer mentors should be classmates of the AS or HFA youngster, have age-appropriate social and play skills, have a record of regular attendance, and have a positive history of interactions with the AS or HFA youngster. The use of peer mentors allows the teachers to act as facilitators, rather than