Autism Social Skills: How to Improve Social Interaction

making eye contact, 

understanding body language, 

taking turns in conversation, and 

recognizing social cues.

When children develop strong social skills, they can form friendships, express their thoughts and emotions effectively, and engage in everyday interactions with confidence.

These abilities play a crucial role in helping them navigate different social situations, from casual conversations to group activities, setting the foundation for meaningful connections.

Autism and social skills

It’s a common misconception that children with autism do not make friends because they are anti-social. This is not the case. Children with autism want to make friends and talk to others, but they don’t always know how to do it properly.

They often struggle with being able to maintain eye contact and understand social interaction.

When someone says a child lacks social skills, it means they do not display expected behavior around other children. This makes it harder to make friends.

For instance, an autistic child might take another child’s toy without asking for permission. This is viewed as negative behavior by most people, but a child with autism might not understand.

What social skills are affected by autism?

Teaching a child with autism social skills can be a challenge sometimes. This is mainly because one of the key symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lack or delay in social and communication skills.

The autism symptoms that affect a child’s social skills are:

• Delays in speech development

• Inability to read non-verbal cues

• Failure to understand the feelings of others

• Difficulty understanding jokes, sarcasm, or teasing

• Unable to carry on a conversation

• Repeats words and phrases over and over (echolalia)

• Gives unrelated answers to questions

  Looking at these symptoms, it is understandable why autism and social interaction can be a challenge. This is why autistic children might not make friends easily at school. At home, playing with their siblings can seem next to impossible.

  What social skills are important for autism?

  Children with autism need the same level of social skills as their neurotypical peers. Social skills are important for children to develop confidence, form friendships, and get along with others.

  Author and autism advocate Temple Grandin strongly believes children should be taught social skills to help them become more independent.

  In an Autism Parenting Magazine interview, Grandin explains that too much alone time for a child on the spectrum is not advisable.

  “I had a tendency to become a recluse in my room, and that wasn’t allowed. If I wanted to play outside for hours experimenting on my kite designs then that was fine. I was not allowed to stay in my room,” she said.

  According to Grandin, social skills are not just important for building relationships, but to develop life skills that kids need as adults. “They need to know how to show up on time, learn discipline and responsibility,” she said.

  On a social level, a list of social skills for autism should include, but not be limited to:

  • Playing with others (sharing, taking turns, pretend play)

  • Talking to others

  • Managing emotions

  • Solving problems

    Once these basic skills are identified, it is easier to develop a plan to improve a child’s social skills.

    Social skills therapy for autism

    Parents can seek help from therapists to teach their children on the autism spectrum useful social skills. Although these experts come from different backgrounds, they share the knowledge and competencies needed to help develop autism social skills.

    Therapists use different teaching strategies to help students cope with common social situations. One strategy is to teach a child with autism how to play, talk, share, and work with other children their age.

    Some sessions are also conducted in a group setting to encourage children to apply what they have learned. Most schools with autism programs also offer social skills training.

    Development strategies and social skills activities for autism

    Therapy sessions and expert interventions can improve the social skills of children with autism. But, it is equally important that parents and caregivers reinforce training at home to achieve the best results.

    Here are some strategies that parents can use to teach social skills.

    Role-play

    Role-playing can help a child learn expected and unexpected behavior in a given scenario. For instance, if a child is going to school for the first time, role-play can help them practice the actual event of going to school.

    Play games together

    Before a child is sent out to play with others, it’s a good idea to “practice” playing with a parent or sibling. Parents can explain how the game works and observe the child’s behavior throughout the game.

    Some games to play are:

    • Kicking a ball back and forth