Social communication in autistic children
Before you read
In this article, we share general information about some areas of development and the differences that might be seen in autistic children.
Every child with autism is unique and different. While they may share some similar traits, it’s important to know that each child will have their own learning styles, interests and preferences.
This information is designed to help you understand and support your autistic child. Always speak to their therapist/s before introducing any new strategies in the home.
Some of the strategies might be helpful for children without autism or without a diagnosis. We recommend speaking with your child’s early learning centre, your GP and/or your family network for more support.
What is social communication?
Social skills are the skills we use to interact and communicate with other people. When we refer to social communication skills, we mean to include all of the social rules and the communication skills that are important for participating in the world, for forming relationships and maintaining friendships.
Children learn these rules and the skills to adhere to them as they play and watch the adults in the world around them. For children with autism, the rules can be hard to understand and to follow.
Some important social communication skills include:
- Verbal communication — being able to use words for different reasons such as greeting someone, sharing ideas, expressing thoughts and feelings. This can include changing your language for the situation – switching to another dialect or switching between formal and informal language.
- Non-verbal communication — using body language, facial expressions, gestures and eye contact appropriately.
- Emotional regulation — being able to identify, express and manage our own emotions appropriately.
- Recognising the feelings of other people and showing empathy — this involves understanding that another person has different thoughts and feelings to your own (called a ‘theory of mind’).
- Co-operating, sharing and turn-taking.
- Understanding and respecting personal space.
- Following the rules of conversation like initiating interactions, staying on topic and taking turns to speak.
- Being able to interpret someone else’s meaning by considering their words, intonation, facial expressions and body language.
What are some signs of social communication difficulties?
Some of the signs a child might be having difficulties with social communication are listed below. It can be helpful to reframe the concept of misbehaviour and recognise that when a child behaves a certain way, they are communicating something to you. They may be communicating a difference in their development. Recognising that a child is having difficulty in an area of their development is the first step to providing the right support.
- Avoiding making or maintaining eye contact.
- Difficulty interpreting or reading facial expressions, understanding and responding to other people’s emotions.
- Difficulty understanding and participating in imaginative or pretend play.
- Having trouble making and/or maintaining friendships.
- Interpreting jokes, sarcasm and expressions literally.
- Difficulty turn-taking in conversation and in play.
- Inappropriate social responses.
What can families do to help?
Autistic children can find it hard to understand and follow social rules, so these need to be taught explicitly. Here are some things that can help:
- Share social stories — stories that illustrate how to respond in specific social situations.
- Model through play — demonstrate these skills through your own actions and interactions.
- Practice turn-taking — use games or activities that involve turn-taking, and use visuals or a timer to help your child take turns in play or in conversation.
- Role play — play out different social scenarios to help your child practice appropriate responses.
- Scripting — model phrases that your child can say in social scenarios. This is especially helpful for children who use echolalia*.
- Discuss emotions and feelings to help the child take other perspectives.
- Clearly communicate social expectations and rules in different settings.
*Echolalia is the repetition of words or phrases, either immediately after hearing them or at a later time. Some children with autism use echolalia as a form of communication, either to express themselves or as a way of processing language.
Summary
- Social communication involves verbal and non-verbal skills – this includes using words to express thoughts and feelings, understanding facial expressions, gestures, and maintaining appropriate personal space.
- Autistic children may experience challenges with social rules – they may struggle with eye contact, reading emotions, turn-taking, understanding jokes or sarcasm, and forming friendships.
- Recognising social communication difficulties helps provide support – what may seem like misbehaviour can actually signal a child's need for help in understanding social interactions and responding appropriately.
- Families can support social communication through explicit teaching – using social stories, role-playing, modelling interactions, practising turn-taking, and clearly explaining expectations can help children build their skills.
