Tips to Help Autistic Kids Make Friends
Making friends is something many people struggle with at every stage of life. However, friendships are important, as they improve mental health and overall quality of life. Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), struggle to understand social signals more than others. Thus, their behavior and might come across as strange or different from their peers.
This creates challenges in making friends. If your child feels reluctant to engage with others, they need your help for positive autism social interaction and friendships. This guide comprises various autism friendship tips for you to help your child make friends for a more fulfilling life.
Helping Autistic Kids Make Friends: Autism Friendship Tips For Parents
Autism social interactions, even minimal, are a way to heave off emotions and learn and grow. Studies involving autistic children show that positive friendships and a low risk of depression and anxiety go hand in hand.
Needless to say, you must prioritize supporting and encouraging your child with autism to form friendships from a young age. While it may seem overwhelming, there are many effective steps you can take. From how to meet autistic friends to at-home learning, here are some tips for parents of autistic kids to help them make friends.
Fortify the habit of ‘taking turns’ through practice and play.
Abstract rules of social skills for autistic children do not come easy. Instead, concrete guidelines through play-based practice allow positive social interaction, even in the case of high-functioning autism and friendships. One example of a specific habit pertaining to social interactions is taking turns.
Children with autism spectrum disorder usually lack impulse control and a subconscious understanding of other children’s needs along with theirs—hence the difficulty in waiting for their turn. However, you can help them learn this. Look up social activities for autistic kids that involve taking turns.
Set the rule from the get-go: they have to wait their turn to talk, hold, eat, or whatever action the game involves.
Not only does this practice strengthen the quality of patience, but also helps them be more aware of others and their needs. Moving forward and entering various social situations, they will have more fulfilling, constructive interactions with their peers.
Help them understand ‘friendship’ in real-life scenarios.
A great way to help your child improve peer relationships is to first familiarize them with the concept of friendship. Talk to them about what a friend is, preferably in real-life scenarios with siblings, other children in the family, or kids around your family (e.g. neighbors, classmates, etc.)
For helping autistic kids make friends, you can familiarize them with ‘friendship’ by:
As your child gains a better understanding of friendship, it’s also smart to let them know who is not a friend (aside from strangers). Discuss adults who are not considered friends, and children who bully or behave negatively towards them aren’t their ‘friends’.
Encourage recognizing and expressing emotions.
How to make friends as an autistic person? Understanding emotions, showing appropriate responses, empathy, and expressing emotions—all these are vital aspects of friendship building from a young age. Since autistic children often find it challenging to recognize emotions as well as express appropriate emotions, there is a significant barrier in their efforts to be friends and maintain friendships with others.
Helping your child learn complex emotions is an effective way to help them make friends. You can work on emotions with your child in everyday life with these autism friendship tips:
