Interactive computer programs using real-life video to teach social skills to children and adolescents

Issue #2, December 2006

Surviving the Holiday Season

The holiday season, full of joy and cheer, is just around the corner. But for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, the class parties, family get-togethers and other gatherings that so many of us look forward to at this time of year are fraught with scary social interactions and sensory overload.

It is important for parents of children with ASD to be aware of the challenges that loud Thanksgiving dinners, extravagant Christmas light displays, and the hustle and bustle in stores and other public areas are situations in which these children will be uncomfortable. Here are some ways parents can help their children cope with, and enjoy, the upcoming holidays.

• Prepare your child for get-togethers by re-enacting certain situations with stuffed animals or with other family members. By practicing, your child will be ready when he finds himself in these situations during the holidays.

• Be sensitive to the sights and sounds of the seasons and plan accordingly. Bring sunglasses to counter bright lights or cotton for their ears to muffle sounds that might be overwhelming.

• Obtain holiday books from the bookstore or library and read them with your child so she knows what to expect in the upcoming months. Talk about the various situations she may encounter and appropriate behaviors. Then, practice, practice, practice!

Social Skill Builder Featured on Fox 59 Morning News in Indianapolis

Laurie Jacobs, co-founder of Social Skill Builder, Inc., was featured as a guest on the Fox 59 Morning News, on WIXN-TV, in Indianapolis on October 20. Ms. Jacobs, who was a guest on the show when she was in town for "MAAPing the World of ASD," which was organized by MAAP Services for Autism and Asperger Syndrome and the Indiana Resource Center for Autism, explained to the television audience the problems that children with ASD have with social skill development. She demonstrated one of the Social Skill Builder computer products, which children love because of their fascination with all things computer, and talked about low-tech tools – such as emotional and manners flash cards and read-aloud stories – that parents can use to help their children develop social skills.

Did You Know…?

• Social Skill Builder products cater to a wide range of functioning and abilities. At Level 1, children learn key social vocabulary. At Level 2, they answer multiple-choice questions, and at Level 3, they identify social cues. Level 4 allows children to create a novel social response based on the situation.

• Social Skill Builder's products are designed for speech and occupational therapists, educators, counselors and psychologists, and parents who interact with children and adolescents ages 3-18 affected by ASD and other learning/language deficits. The software does not require outside instruction or maintenance.

• A 2004 pilot study of Social Skill Builder's effectiveness conducted in the Virginia Public Schools indicated that the software dramatically increased ASD children's socialization, daily living skills, adaptive behavior and communication.

Gene Linked to Autism in Families with More Than One Affected Child

A version of a gene has been linked to autism in families that have more than one child with the disorder. Inheriting two copies of this version more than doubled a child's risk of developing an autism spectrum disorder, scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and National Institute on Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have discovered. In a large sample totaling 1,231 cases, they traced the connection to a tiny variation in the part of the gene that turns it on and off.

People with autism spectrum disorders were more likely than others to have inherited this version, which cuts gene expression by half, likely impairing development of parts of the brain implicated in the disorder, report Drs. Daniel Campbell, Pat Levitt, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center at Vanderbilt University, and colleagues, online during the week of October 16, 2006 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.