Promoting Social Competence in Children with Asperger's and HFA
"My child (high functioning autistic) is currently struggling to have good relationships with his peers? He is mostly disliked because he is frequently aggressive and disruptive." One of the traits of young people on the autism spectrum is social unresponsiveness (social avoidance behavior). Social unresponsiveness is fear of, or withdrawal from, people or social situations. This becomes a problem when it interferes with relationships with peers, in social situations, or other aspects of a youngster’s life. Symptoms of social unresponsiveness may appear as part of the child’s overall personality or as a situation-specific response to a particular stressor. Many kids with Asperger’s (AS) and High-Functioning Autism (HFA) are especially susceptible to self-consciousness in social situations that make them feel exposed or psychologically unprotected. Social unresponsiveness can also develop as an ongoing reaction to repeated failure, mistreatment, or rejection by p