One in sixty-eight children are born with autism. That means that in America alone, more than 3.5 million people live with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A common characteristic among people living with an ASD is a persistent impairment in social communications and interactions. However, this does not mean that children with autism should be excluded from the typical classroom due to a social impairment. Rather, the classroom should be inclusive and teach social skills to all students, not only those with autism. The bottom line is that you will have children with an ASD in your classroom, and many of them will have trouble communicating and interacting with their peers. Typical students, however, usually are unable to interact with autistic children as well. Due to this fact, I plan to teach social skills to my entire classroom, not only to those with autism. This can be accomplished through a variety of strategies. Perhaps the simplest way is to create social stories for students to read/listen to and practice with a classmate. Another way is to create play groups. This can be done both inside and outside of the classroom. The goal of play groups is to teach proper social responses such as, “May I have that” and “Here you go.” Perhaps my favorite strategy, however, is assigning peer buddies/tutors. Research suggests that students learn best from their peers, so why shouldn’t we let them learn social skills from others as well? This promotes communication skills in all students and will lead to a better learning experience throughout the school year.
Social Story Apps:
Play Groups:
Peer Buddies/Tutors:
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