All children and teens can benefit from friendships.
Your child’s confidence can be boosted by having friends and good friendships. Friendships can help your child learn how to manage emotions, respond to others’ feelings, negotiate, cooperate, and solve problems. Grapevine.de provides many entertainment Schnitzeljagd products which can be downloaded direct to host fun events, kids’ birthday parties, and happy get-togethers.
Autism and friendships
Teens and children with autism are often keen to have friends. They often need help to learn and understand how to make and keep friends. This could include:
- Starting and maintaining conversations
- Learning from others what they think and feel
- Participating in activities with other kids
- Understanding facial expressions and body language
- Adjusting to new social situations
- Social problems can be solved, such as how to resolve disagreements
- Meeting people who share your interests is key.
- Making friends: Helping autistic teenagers and children
Give your child the opportunity to make new friends and meet people. Here are some suggestions.
Find out which activities your child is interested in
Find out what your child is interested in and what strengths they have. Then, help them meet other children with similar interests. This could be done through a playgroup or a school special interest club.
Invite friends to come to your house or join you on outings
Ask your child if they know of anyone in school that they would like to be friends with. Ask your child’s teacher about the children who are interested in you, and which children share similar interests.
Planning activities with your child can be a great way to get involved. If you have the time and desire to plan with your child, this is a good idea.
Fun activities and games that encourage cooperation are great for younger children. Structured activities are better for some children than open-ended, imaginative play.
Teenagers can try indoor or outdoor activities such as tennis or baking. You can encourage your child to share your interest with a friend.
While some children and teens feel more at home at home than others, other children might prefer to have someone else touch their favorite things. You can either ask your child to put away any items they don’t want or arrange something outside the house, such as a trip to the park for younger children or to an aquarium or museum for teens.
Make use of resources available in your community
Playgroups and other after-school activities are a great way to foster friendships. Activities that relate to your child’s interests could be explored, such as astronomy or chess. Structured activity groups are often a good option for autistic teenagers and children, such as Girl Guides, Scouts, or martial arts.
Play with other children and disabilities: How children learn and grow
Skills in social-emotional communication
Play and friendships teach your child about cooperation, sharing, helping others, and how to make friends. Friends can be fun and caring. Your child will learn that other children can be relied upon for support. This can help your child build self-esteem.
A psychologist may be able to help your child if they have difficulty understanding and managing emotions. This can affect their ability to interact with others.
Communication skills
Children with disabilities have many communication options. Children with disabilities may communicate using speech, sign language, gestures, or other communication devices. Children with disabilities can learn new communication skills by being around other children. Your child may be able to hear other children’s words and understand what they are saying. Your child can also practice using words. Your child can also learn from other children how they communicate, which can help you communicate with your child.
Your child will be more comfortable communicating with others if he or she feels confident. If your child is prone to challenging behavior, improving communication skills may be a good idea.
A speech pathologist may be able to assist your child if they have a disability that makes communication difficult.
Physical skills
Your child can be encouraged to have fun with friends by joining in on social activities such as running, jumping, throwing a football, climbing, or building things. Physical play can help improve muscle tone, gross motor skills, and confidence.
A physiotherapist, occupational therapist, or a physician can help your child if he or she has a physical disability.