2. Jean Piaget‟s cognitive developmental theory
Albert Bendura‟s Social Learning theory
Lev Vygotsky‟s Socio-Cultural approach
L.Alan Sroufe „s Socioemotional development approach
Tansactional model approach
Hall, 2013
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3. Social skills can suggest how children explore their social and
learning environments. This helps them develop interpersonal
skills and learning-related skills.
Social skills are extremely crucial for children from early on
for children for their success in school and in their adulthood.
Research has shown that good social skills ensure academic
achievement and high self-esteem amongst children, which
impacts their lifelong learning and positive interaction with
their peers and others in the society.
In contrast, children who lack in their social skills usually
have behavior problems, poor academic performance, and
difficulty in having and maintaining friendships or
relationships. Hall, 2013
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4. These skills help an individual to carry out him/herself well in a
social setting.
These skills are inter- related to children‟s social development.
These skills ensure them their acceptance by the peers and the
society.
Research documents that one requires good interpersonal skills in life
from childhood to adolescence and life beyond.
Children with ASD lack in the interpersonal skills.
Hall, 2013
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5. •Learning-related skills involve patience and
responsibility in all the learning tasks and
settings. These skills develop with peer
interaction. These are related to children‟s
classroom performance and success.
• Children with ASD have a great difficulty in
developing learning-related skills. Hall, 2013
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6. Learning-related skills are much needed for learning
and achievement throughout one‟s childhood to
adolescence.
Research has shown much evidence how these
skills have guaranteed success for students in their
learning.
Research has also proven that these skills are
essential for success amongst adolescents in their
academic achievements .
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7. Neuro-research has shown that there is a significant
relationship between social skills development and
brain development in the frontal lobe, where
executive functioning, self monitoring, and working
memory takes place. Hall, 2013
During the preschool years, prefrontal cortex
develops rapidly amongst children between ages 3 to
6, so do their social skills.
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8. Children grow up in different environments that
influence their prefrontal cortex development.
Research has shown that children who grow up in
poverty and environmental stress, have different
pattern and social skill development.
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9. Research studies have witnessed that parents play a very
large role in the overall development of their children. Apart
from good care and upbringing, two most significant factors
that guarantee steady social skills development are:
1. parental warmth
2. sensitivity
Unlike typical infants, children with ASD lack in
emotional expression due to overgrowth in the frontal
and temporal lopes and the amygdala. Thus, these
children with ASD are unable to respond to stimuli to
parental warmth.
Hall, 2013
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10. As children mature to turn into adolescents their ability
to express feelings and understand emotions of others
improves. Thus, they are able to develop friendships
with peers or establish relationships.
By adolescence, individuals are able to self-regulate
their feelings, emotions, and actions. Those who are
unable to self-regulate themselves, they may have
difficulty in peer interaction, which can significantly
impact them socially, behaviorally, and academically.
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11. Those individuals affected with Autism Spectrum
Disorders (ASD) mostly do not exhibit typical
developmental pattern in the areas of social
interaction, cognition, and language that are vital
for appropriate social communication. Thus,
causing absence or delay of social skills amongst
individuals depending on where they are on the
autism spectrum. Hall, 2013
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12. Social Communication
Social Initiation
Social Reciprocity
Social Cognition
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13. Toddlers with ASD are unable to reach the normal
milestone of communicating by sound or expression by
age one.
Mildly affected children might display slight language
delays, yet have difficulty in carrying on a conversation
as they may keep going on in too much of detail on a
topic of their choice and not let others comment or
speak. Hall, 2013
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14. A child not showing any interest or engaging in any
ordinary interactive games with others.
A child does not look into the face of his parents or
caregivers. Hall, 2013
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15. Key Deficits in Social Reciprocity
Children with autism often are unable to read the cues,
intentions, feelings, and perspectives of others, leading
to a deficit in social reciprocity. Example:
Parent smile at their child with all their love and
affection but the child with ASD cannot smile back.
Children, who are verbal but are on the autism spectrum,
do not understand the cues that the person they are
speaking to is not absolutely interested in that subject.
There is no “give and take” conversation going between
them. Hall, 2013
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16. A high functioning verbal student having difficulty to answer
a basic (“wh”) comprehension question after reading an
adapted text/story.
A non-verbal student who may be unable to answer a basic
(“wh”) comprehension question after an adapted text/story
read to him/her, using a communication device.
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18. Hall, L. J. (2013). Autism Spectrum Disorder: From Theory to Practice
(2nd ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook.
Websites
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2012/03/lego-build-autism-awareness/
Autism Awareness ribbon symbol
http://www.autismspeaks.org/
Autism Speaks
http://images.google.com/
Google Images for the ribbon symbol
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