Friends and Relationships
Some of our most cherished memories are those that involve interactions with friends, activities and recreation. As parents, we all want our children to have friends. Children with autistic spectrum disorders may experience isolation and exclusion and face greater challenges in the quest to develop social relationships, often due to difficulties in reading social cues. Often it is the parents of children with autism, not the children themselves, who worry about their children's lack of opportunities for social interaction.
As with all children, parents need to be sure that their expectations are the same as their child's. The following resources may help to locate activities in your community and help explain autism to friends and classmates.
Resources-School Age
Web
- Offers doctor-approved, age-appropriate health information for kids.
Best Buddies California Best Buddies ®
- A nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-to-one friendships and integrated employment.
Print/Multimedia (Books, Videos and DVDs)
- Andy & His Yellow Frisbee (Thompson, 1996)
- A is for Autism F is for Friend (Keating-Velasco, 2007)
- Adam's Alternative Sports Day (Weton, 2004)
- Can I Tell You About Aspergers? (Weton, 2003)
- Intricate Minds II: Understanding Elementary Classmates with Asperger Syndrome (grades 3-6) (DVD)
- Play Dates Manual: Facilitating Play Dates for Children with Autism and Typically Developing Peers in Natural Settings (UCSB Koegel Autism Center)
Adolescence
As children grow and enter the world of middle school and high school, parents' anxiety surrounding the issues of social relationships increases almost exponentially. As has been emphasized throughout this website, children with autism are children first who also happen to face the challenges of autism. Similarly, parents will struggle with the same issues that every other parent of an adolescent faces: hormonal changes and awareness of sexuality, growth spurts, moodiness, changes in appetite and sleep patterns, to name only a few. These issues are challenging enough for parents of neurotypical children, so parents of adolescents with autism need to avail themselves of every possible resource to help them navigate the "brave new world" of adolescence and the transition to young adulthood. Remember that this too shall pass, but as with all things, having a well-formulated plan than takes into account your child's strengths will help you to handle the inevitable ups and downs of adolescence.
Resources-Adolescence
Print/Multimedia (Books, Videos, DVDs)
- Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum (Sicile-Kira, 2003)
- Asperger Meets Girl: Happy Endings for Asperger Boys (Griffiths and Jones, 2008)
- Asperger Syndrome & Adolescence: Practical Solutions for School Success (Myles & Adron, 2001, Autism / Aspergers Publishing Company)
- Asperger Syndrome and sexuality from adolescence through adulthood (Henawilt and Attwood, 2005)
- Asperger Syndrome in Adolescence - Living with the Ups, the Downs and in Between (Willey, 2003)
- Autism - Aspergers and Sexuality: Puberty and Beyond (Newport, Jerry, 2003)
- Can I Tell You About Aspergers? (Jude Weton, 2003)
- Intricate Minds: Understanding Classmates with Asperger Syndrome (middle & high school) (DVD)
- Manners for the Real World - Basic Social Skills (Coultervideo behavior) (DVD)
- Straight Talk About Autism - Adolescent Issues (DVD)
Activities
As with so many aspects of parenting, talking to other parents can be a great source of information about community activities for your child. Possible opportunities include sports, horseback riding, martial arts, church, dance, and your local Parks and Recreation Department.
Resources
Web
Family Resource Centers Network of California
- Your local Early Start Family Resource Center may have information and referrals on local recreation and social activities.
- Special Olympics
Challenger Baseball
- Search Challenger Baseball' online
- American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO)Search for a program in your area
- Boy Scouts
- Girl Scouts
Worshiping With a Special-Needs Child
- Worshiping With a Special Needs Child
- Special Needs How one church reached out to these struggling families
- How To Be A Special Needs Church Family
National Organization on DisABILITY
- Nod.org offers a Religion and Disability Program, an interfaith effort urging national faith groups, denominations, local congregations and seminaries to identify and remove barriers of architecture, communications, and attitudes.
Print/Multimedia (Books, Videos, DVDs)
- Yoga for Children with Special Needs (Belts & Belts, 2006) (184310-817-8)
- The Out of Sync Child Has Fun - Activities for Kids with Sensory Processing (Kranowitz, 2006)
Social Skills
- Navigating the Social World (McAfee, 2001) (885477821)
- Social Skills Solutions - a hands on manual for teaching social skills to children with autism (McKinnon & Krempa, 2005)
- Teaching Aspergers Children Social Skills Through Acting - All Their World's a Stage (Stamm, 2004, Future Horizons)
- The New Social Story Book (Gray, 2000, Future Horizons Inc) (188547799X)
- Manners for the Real World - Basic Social Skills - DVD
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