Social Skills                                            

Humans are inherently social beings.  The neurotypical individual develops social awareness by observing other human beings interact.  One experience builds on another so that, as individuals age, they develop skills like appropriate eye contact, starting and stopping conversations, regulating tone and volume of voice, or observing interpersonal space.

With Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, the problem is twofold.  First, the brain areas that process emotional signals from the eyes are atypical so that they don’t correctly perceive and process the social cues that the individual observes.  Someone with ASD may require direct instruction in how to behave in a given situation. 

Secondly, the autistic brain can be inflexible; in other words, it may not generalize from one learning experience to the next.  So for instance, a person with ASD may not understand: that a social rule you learn on the playground may not apply when you are in class; that you speak differently to a girl you are interested in than you would to girls in general; that the shorts and tee-shirt you wear around the house are not appropriate attire for the office.

Social Problems

·    Interpreting nonverbal language – the ASD brain doesn’t always register body language or facial expressions.  The student may seem rude or insensitive when he doesn’t respond to subtle gestures.

·    Few facial expressions – how could they express what they don’t understand?

·    Poor judge of personal space – they can either stand too close, or become anxious when others get too close to them.  They may not understand why it’s inappropriate to take pictures of classmates without their permission, for instance.

·   Trouble controlling emotions and anxieties – brain research has shown they are not hard-wired for handling adversity.  This can lead to such behavior as angry outbursts, crying, or a need to flee the situation.  

·   Poor eye contact – does not meet your gaze in conversation, or will look the other way when they see you walking by on campus.

·   Victimized or bullied – because they often appear lost or naïve, they become the easy scapegoat, the brunt of the joke, the one that gets picked on by the cool kids.

·   Difficulty working in groups – it is the occasional college student that doesn’t mind having the weird guy in their group.  Most often this person is either left out, or is given the undesirable parts of the project to complete.

Neurotypicals have a natural understanding of social cues, called intuitive social knowledge.  Because ASD prevents a person from reading or understanding these cues, they come across as socially awkward, disinterested, odd.  They have limited use of social language.  When their attempts at social interaction are repeatedly met with failure, they may eventually become withdrawn or avoidant. They often appear naïve and lost.