Social cues: Some advice.

My 14 yr old w/ autism "monologues". Thru every movie, meal, errand... He also involves any bystander, luckily many of the strangers he approaches just smile and nod. As for the social cues, when mine do something not widely accepted by society in general; I explain what they did, ask them what they did, I then repeat what they did and tell them why they shouldn't do it...(i.e. it makes others feel bad, funny, weird etc.) ,ask them why they shouldn't do it, repeat it back to them. Most people learn in threes. It takes A LOT of patience, and if your child has difficulty with impulse control it may well take forever. However, don't give up. You will be surprised at what does register with the child. Also if you "google" feelings (sad, mad, scared, wary, happy...etc..) and click on images you can make flash cards and occasionally go over what the appropriate reaction is to each look. Once again do it in shifts of three. This is easily done while you are driving the kids to school....there is no pressure on the kids as they flip thru...there are no wrong answers. An important thought to remember: Women and girls see eye contact as a way to connect...Men and boys view it as an act of aggression. Therefore touchy topics are best handled while driving or cooking side by side.