The social use of language and the ability to interact appropriately are the main areas of difficulty.

Appropriate social skills, including modelling language, needed to interact successfully will need to be specifically taught for each new situation. Children with Asperger syndrome do not pick up social skills incidentally.

Strategies for overcoming social difficulties
DifficultySuggested strategies

Appearing rude, making inappropriate comments, interrupting or speaking inappropriately to staff and peers

  • A short written explanation in the form of a social story*, including a conversation script about appropriate ways to speak to others will increase social understanding. Students with ASD are visual learners and will respond more positively to oral information if it is supported by the written word or drawings.

Unstructured times and crowded areas break and lunch, or arriving at and leaving school

  • A designated quiet place for break and lunch times (eg. student support room).
  • Enter or leave school slightly before or after the other students.
  • Direct the student to clubs at lunchtimes if possible.
  • A help card that can be given to an adult, supported by a written explanation about what to do if they get into difficulties at unstructured times.

Working with a partner or co-operatively in a group

  • Provide written rules for working cooperatively within a group and go through them at the beginning of the activity.
  • Role play and social stories.*
  • Alert the student at the beginning of the lesson if there will be group work involved or not. If there is to be group work, tell them who their partner or group will be.
  • Choose the partner/rest of the group sympathetically.

Team games
Winning and losing

  • Rules, individual roles and outcomes of the game all need to be specifically taught.
  • Explanations supported by drawings.
  • Role play/modelling by adults or peers.
  • Social stories.*

Personal space
Being too close to
others or needing a large area of personal space themselves

  • Rules regarding personal space need to be specifically taught.
  • Clearly define the student's work area within the classroom.

*Social stories were developed by Carol Gray. Further details and an example can be found here.