Social Behavior and Autism: Can Social Skills Be Taught?

When someone is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), social cues, language skills and the ability to decipher what the other person or people are expecting, socially, can be difficult or misconstrued. This can equate to a delay in social skills as well as related behaviors, expectations, and interactions. Social behavior encompasses many aspects, some of which include an individual’s ability to communicate with others. Within this understanding, language skills, social cues, and the ability to understand what is expected, and respond with the appropriate social behaviors are necessary. According to Dr. Boaz Barak and Dr. Guoping Feng, the deficits that are common among individuals with ASD are having delayed and impaired social skills development, such as being unable to initiate interactions with others and develop relationships.  The ability to read or understand the feelings of others while displaying feelings themselves, a lack of interest in how someone else feels, developmental delays in speech and nonverbal interactions, and sharing joy and interests with other people.  Read More