If friendships are built on shared interests, then what happens if an individual struggles to identify the interests of others in relation to their own? Identifying a shared interest, volleying back and forth in conversation about that interest and detecting cues as to when to stop conversing on a topic are social skills a neurotypical person may take for granted.
Read MoreYelling. Raising your voice. Being stern. Call it what you may, but we’ve all done it at some point throughout the parenting journey. We yell at our children when we are frustrated, or when they do something shocking or unsafe. When we yell at our children as a form of discipline, we often overlook the consequences. Is this form of discipline effective? Does my child learn from my yelling?
Read MoreIt is common for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to lack eye contact and gaze which can hamper their ability to pick up on social cues. These cues are critical for effective communication, academic success and help facilitate social interactions. Existing research indicates that with systematic training, individuals with ASD can learn eye contact and gaze.
Read MorePublic speaking can intimidate even the most confident of speakers! A person’s ability to speak publicly can impact one’s success in professional and academic settings. On the flip side of that, nervous habits can negatively impact communication.
Read MoreThere are many potential issues that could arise due to the changes that naturally come with the holiday season. This can be true for typically developing individuals but even more common for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Read MoreAt one time or another, you may have inquired as to why someone has done what they have done. What motivated them to act like that? What would drive someone to do such a thing? Understanding why people engage in specific behaviors has been an area of interest for decades. The physical form of the behavior can be easy to identify but the reason people engage in a particular behavior is often much more difficult to understand.
Read MoreThe United States is increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse. This context is important for clinicians working in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) who teach functional communication to develop the language skills of children with disabilities.
Read MoreWhen compared to their neurotypical peers, individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are more likely to have difficulty in maintaining conversations. Researchers are motivated to discover and, in turn, clinicians are motivated to implement effective interventions and training procedures for building conversational skills.
Read MoreWe are faced with making choices and decisions across our entire day, from what clothes to put on to how we interact with others. The outcomes of our decisions can, of course, be positive or negative. A positive outcome would most likely drive us to make that same, or similar, decision again in the future.
Read MoreAt any given moment we are faced with a choice as to how we will communicate with others. Should we be appropriate and polite? Somewhat appropriate? Not appropriate at all? Many of us are capable of communicating in various complex ways, which is a very fortunate skill to have acquired.
Read MoreIn Applied Behavior Analysis and the teaching of communication skills, a tact (a word coined by B.F. Skinner in 1957) is when something is verbally labeled in response to something that is seen, heard, tasted, felt or smelled.
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