Here are some ways that you can start practicing social skills at home.
When your child has special needs, it can be difficult sometimes for them to interact with their peers. But having a healthy social life is key to every person’s development. One of the best ways for your child to learn social skills is by practicing in the safe environment of your own home. Here are some ways that you can start practicing social skills at home.
Picture Flashcards.
Flashcards are a great way for practicing many skills. There are flashcards with pictures of faces and postures that demonstrated a variety of facial expressions and body language. Using these types of flashcards can teach your child how to decipher the visual cues of the people around them to know how they are feeling.
Asking Questions.
Learning how to ask questions is an excellent skill for any child when making friends. To work on this skill with your child, pretend that you are interviewing your child about something they like. After that, you should then let your child play the reporter. This practice will help your child learn to think of engaging questions for conversation.
Shared Interests.
Most children have a particular interest that is their favorite activity or hobby. You can try bringing your child on outings based on their unique interests where they can make new friends. Finding a peer who has the same interests as your child is one of the easiest ways to start building friendship If your child enjoys cooking, for example, then you can find a variety of kid-friendly cooking workshops that you can take them with where they can also bring a friend to share the experience. You can also talk to your child’s teacher about who your child gets along with in school.
The Connections Therapy Center
The Connections Therapy Center serves families of children and adolescents with disabilities and special needs. We are a team of experts in the fields of pediatric speech, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and behavioral sciences. As a team, we offer intensive hands-on therapy for children and adolescents, as well as informative and useful resources for families. If you are interested in learning more about what we can do to help your family, visit us online or give us a call at (301) 577-4333. Want to get more information on how to help your child thrive? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.