Autism and Socio-Emotional Development

Posted by EpicWatson on March 15th, 2021

Guidance from ABA Therapy Experts in St. Louis, MO

Human beings across ages, cultures, and geographies typically experience six basic emotions: happiness, fear, anger, sadness, surprise, and disgust. These basic emotions start developing naturally from birth. Over time, based on individual experiences, other more complex emotions, such as trust, pride, guilt, shame, embarrassment, or contempt also develop naturally. 

However, children or adults diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have difficulty in recognizing, showing, or responding to emotions. Whether it is facial expressions, body language, voice modulation, other emotional cues, individuals on the Autism spectrum may find it tough to understand or express their own emotions or read and react to other people’s emotions.

The ABA therapy professionals at AB Spectrum discuss some of the socio-emotional challenges of ASD, along with potential interventions to help the affected individual thrive.

Common Socio-Emotional Challenges in Children with Autism

Autism is a complex neurological condition experienced by almost 1 in 54 children in the US every year. Experts in this field suggest that certain areas of the brain that link to social and emotional functioning are underdeveloped in individuals on the Autism spectrum. 

Here is a closer look at some of the ASD-related socio-emotional challenges: 

• Understanding or Expressing Emotions: Children with Autism may have trouble in reading, interpreting, and responding appropriately to others’ emotions. It may also be tough for them to feel empathy or imitate emotions. For example, a child who does not return a smile or greeting, or does not show concern when someone is upset is not being deliberately rude. They simply do not understand that it is the expected reaction.
•  Responding to Facial Expressions: Children with ASD may interpret facial expressions differently than neurotypical children. Instead of reading the entire face, they may get fixated on just one part, such as the mouth or eyes, and may have difficulty in recognizing or translating those expressions into feelings or emotions.
•  Participating in Joint Attention: Joint attention is about two people focusing on each other, while also actively focusing on the same activity, interest, or object together. It requires the ability to gain, maintain, or shift attention based on verbal or non-verbal cues. This ability may be lacking in children with Autism. For example, there may be no eye contact or eye movement when someone points out an item, or no reaction when someone uses a gesture to greet.
• Other Emotional and Social Skills: Children with Autism may tend to struggle while participating in turn-taking activities, differentiating their own feelings from those of others, orienting to new people, or understanding others’ intent or perspectives. Since they are unable to understand, express, or respond to emotional or social cues, they may find it difficult to self-regulate their actions or behave in a ‘socially-accepted’ manner. This may cause frustration, anger, and exhaustion, which manifests itself in the form of repetitive behaviors, resistance to changes in routine, unprompted negative emotions, unusual attachments to certain objects, or social withdrawal.

Socio-Emotional Support for Children with ASD

Parents, teachers, and caregivers can play an important role in boosting the socio-emotional support for children with Autism. Here are some aspects to consider:

• Since children with ASD may not initiate any interaction, parents and caregivers should try to engage with the child several times a day. Play peek-a-boo, make tunnels for the child to crawl through, roll a ball, or invent other fun interactions.
• Use definitive phrases to ensure the child’s attention before giving them further instructions. Words such as “Listen, please” may help.
• Indulge the child in turn-taking games or activities to encourage synchronization of movements and joint attention. 
• Point out, label and talk about emotions of self, the child, and others who they interact with. Use drawings, pictures, photographs, or other props in the form of emotion cards to showcase facial expressions and help the child understand what each visual represents.
• Use pretend-play activities to improve the child’s willingness and enthusiasm to play with peers or other adults.
• Base all types of activities on the child’s specific needs and goals, keep the playtimes short, and use plenty of positive reinforcement techniques.

While parental involvement may help in nurturing socio-emotional development in children with Autism, personalized Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy and other structured interventions are also equally important. While ABA therapy experts can create a customized ABA-based curriculum to treat a wide range of symptoms of ASD, other professionals, such as speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists, and clinical social workers can also help in addressing the child’s specific challenges.

About Autism and Behavior Spectrum (AB Spectrum)

Specializing in the Reggio Emilia ABA therapy philosophy, the experts at AB Spectrum provide tailor-made ABA therapy throughout St. Louis Missouri. They focus on Natural Environment Training (NET) and use a “Learning through Play” approach to treat individuals with Autism. Their team of qualified and experienced ABA professionals includes Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) and Registered Behavior Technicians (RBT) who create flexible, high-impact, customized learning plans based on every child’s specific triggers, learning abilities and treatment goals. In addition to in-home therapy services, they offer clinic-based ABA programs through their Autism treatment centers at Chesterfield and St. Charles, Missouri. At AB Spectrum, the goal is to decrease challenging behaviors, build essential skills, and improve the overall quality of life of children with ASD and their families. 

Call 314.648.2687 to learn more about AB Spectrum’s ABA therapy offerings in and around St. Louis, Missouri. For a formal assessment and Autism diagnosis schedule a consultation at one of their Autism treatment centers in Missouri.