Archive for the ‘Social Skills and Development’ Category

Maintaining Social Skills Over the Summer

Summer is a time for relaxation and fun, however certain skills acquired during the school year can be lost if they are not practiced consistently over the course of the entire year. One of the first things parents should identify, are IEP goals targeted by school staff to be maintained over...

Planning Ahead to Maintain Skills During Summer Vacation

Summer is coming and it’s time to start preparations. We know most children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) benefit from a structured schedule and environment, so much so that they usually know their schedule better than the adults who care for them. But what happens come summer? Schedules...

Study Demonstrates That Children with Autism Can Learn to Stand Up to Bullies

The Autism Research Group, along with the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, published a study in the current issue of the journal “Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders” on teaching children with autism to detect and respond to lies told by others attempting to bully them. A research...

Summer Break and Skills Development: The Heat Is On

You work hard to make sure your child is progressing toward his goals and to effectively manage an interdisciplinary team and your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) during the course of the year. That work requires significant resources (fiscal, emotional, and temporal), the...

Summer Programs for Adolescents and Young Adults

Summer vacation is a time ripe with opportunities for growth – a time to catch-up on academic learning, strengthen executive functioning, and improve social and communication competence. Opportunities abound during the summer months to engage in learning outside of the traditional classroom by...

Summer Vacation: A Prime Opportunity to Develop Social Skills for the Workplace

For many students, the end of the school year represents a time to relax, celebrate the change of pace, and enjoy leisure time. However, each year, there are many individuals who approach the end of the school year and find that this is a time of transition; a time for entering the unfamiliar world...

Summertime Games and Simple Strategies to Reinforce Social Skills

Summertime is fun time for most children. School routines give way to relaxation, perhaps at summer day or sleep away camp – and there’s no studying. While most typically developing children welcome this, it can become problematic for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). That’s why...

Helping Children with Social Skills Difficulties: The Benefits of Extended School Year Instruction

While it may feel like we are still trying to dig out from recent winter storms and stay warm, spring time is fast approaching. Over the next several months, parents and special education teams once again will begin to consider children’s needs for the summer and next school year. Many children...

Understanding Unintentional Injury for Children with ASD

Summer is a time for relaxation and fun, however certain skills acquired during the school year can be lost if they are not practiced consistently over the course of the entire year. One of the first things parents should identify, are IEP goals targeted by school staff to be maintained over...

Use Social Apps to Keep Skills Sharp Over the Summer

Summertime can be a welcome break from school for many students, who will cram as much sleeping in and having fun as they can into a few short months before the school year resumes. But the intrinsic break in routine can also spell disaster for some kids on the Autism spectrum or with other social...