Archive for the ‘Social Skills’ Category

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Adults with High-Functioning Autism and Online Communication

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

Email, instant messaging, and social networking sites (like Facebook) are common tools used by college students both with and without Autism Spectrum Disorders. These forms of computer-mediated communication, or CMC, would appear to complement some of the characteristics of autism nicely. For example, CMC:

  • Removes the need for eye contact
  • Reduces pressure to respond quickly
  • Is fairly structured and predictable

By removing verbal intonation and nonverbal cues – occasional emoticon :) notwithstanding – CMC “levels the playing field” for interpretation (or misinterpretation). However, it also removes some forms of feedback and is subject to emerging social norms, such as how quickly to reply to an email from a new acquaintance.
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Posted in Communication Skills, Social Skills | 1 Comment »

Movie Review – Adam

Friday, September 18th, 2009

Adam

Anyone who is close to someone with high-functioning autism or Asperger’s will not blink an eye at Adam’s (played by Hugh Dancy) peculiar habits. His pantry and freezer are packed with one specific brand of cereal and frozen dinner – his entire diet. He is brilliant at his electronics engineering job, but is oblivious to social overtures by his coworkers and boss. However, this movie is not about Adam’s routines or his social skills (though they both play an undeniably important role.) Adam is a dramatic comedy that honestly portrays the highs and lows of a romantic relationship in which one of the partners happens to have Asperger’s.

The strength of this movie, and why people who know Asperger’s will appreciate it, is that it remains heartfelt and realistic to the end. Adam slowly grows and evolves, but he is doesn’t miraculously learn to not have Asperger’s. Adam will always have trouble with eye contact and anxiety, but the story remains focused on what he does learn and the things he can do. While the happy ending might not be the one you expect, it’s there.

Adam was released July 29th, 2009 to limited theaters. To read more reviews, and watch a trailer, click here.

Posted in Miscellaneous, Social Skills | 1 Comment »

Using Popular Computer Games to Teach Social Skills

Sunday, August 9th, 2009

Video games are a hugely popular source of entertainment for children, teenagers, and adults alike. As technology improves, the complexity of computer games has increased exponentially. Remember Atari Games like Asteroids, where the only objective was to keep your ship in space by shooting at various sized rocks? Now some games are nearly as complex as real life, and in fact, virtual environments aim to mimic real life situations. Capitalizing on this, new computer software programs have been developed to address the core feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD): social skills deficits. These games include:

However, there are other games – commercially available, developed for fun and entertainment, not as a therapeutic tool – that mimic reality and require lots of sophisticated social skills to be successful. The question arises: might popular virtual reality games be a ready-made method of teaching social skills to individuals with ASD?

Why Computer Games?

Many individuals with ASD enjoy playing computer games. They typically excel in technological areas, both because they have strengths in mathematics and computing and because they are often more comfortable with computers than people. Individuals with ASD are often highly visual, and may respond better to actually seeing social situations played out as opposed to simply talking about them.

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Posted in Social Skills | 6 Comments »

Eye Contact and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Thursday, June 4th, 2009

Autism, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR), is primarily a social disorder. Of the many social skills deficits common to people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), one of the most common, and disconcerting, is difficulty making appropriate eye contact. The following article will discuss the importance of eye contact, why eye contact might be difficult for adults with ASD, and some possible treatments and interventions.

Importance of Eye Contact

Have you ever wished someone you were taking to wasn’t wearing sunglasses? Spoken words are only one element of a conversation. The non-verbal aspects, especially eye contact, are equally important. For neuro-typical adults, eye contact is so inherent, they are able to follow complex and unspoken rules unconsciously and automatically, noticing the importance of eye contact only when their conversational partner isn’t playing along.

Eye contact should vary depending on the number of listeners and intentions of the speaker:

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Posted in Communication Skills, Sensory Issues, Social Skills | 1 Comment »

Social Skills and Adults with Asperger’s Disorder

Monday, June 1st, 2009

Asperger’s Disorder is an Autism Spectrum Disorder primarily characterized by a deficit in social interaction. The following article will detail the social skills difficulties experienced by adults with Asperger’s, followed by suggestions for psychosocial interventions.

Impairment in Social Interaction

Individuals with Asperger’s desire social interaction, but they do not know how to appropriately achieve it. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR), the impairments in social interaction experienced by individuals with Asperger’s include:

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Posted in Social Skills | 70 Comments »

Symptoms of Autism in Adults

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

Clinical diagnostic criteria for autism includes: qualitative impairment in social skills, impairment in communication skills, and repetitive or stereotyped behaviors and interests. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR), to receive an autism diagnosis the delays or abnormal functioning must occur prior to age 3 years. Not surprisingly, therefore, many diagnostic checklists exist for identifying children with autism, while what autism looks like in adulthood is rarely discussed.

The adult with high-functioning autism is often misunderstood. Labeled the geek or freak, they typically have average intelligence but are utterly unable to comprehend the social world. The following article will discuss the social, communication, interest, sensory, and academic and vocational symptoms of adults with high-functioning autism.

Social

Autism is a social disorder. For individuals with high-functioning autism, the social world is unpredictable, anxiety provoking, and something they desperately want to be a part of.

Specifically, social symptoms of autism in adults are:

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Posted in Communication Skills, Education/Academic Skills, Employment/Vocational Skills, Restricted/Repetitive Interests, Sensory Issues, Social Skills | 8 Comments »

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