I was excited to read that this article focuses on the improvement of friendship quality and social skills among teens 13-17 years of age with ASD. My child continues to be in inclusive classes but things are not working as well in Jr. High as they did in Elementary school. For example, my child starts each day with a different teacher, sitting in a different desk in a different classroom. Some of the classes are same sex like PE, some are a mix of grade 7 students from a 7A, 7B, and 7C like shop and Home Ec. Fortunately the core subjects are taught to the homeroom class, but then subject to teacher changes.
So far the article has mentioned a few things that I found helpful:
-having a best friend or two would help my child with the every day stress of Jr. High life
-having a good friend raises self-esteem and lowers anxious and depressive symptoms
-adolescents with ASD need to be taught social skills directly because they do not pick them up by observation
-most social skills interventions for teens with high functioning autism and Asperger's have not been formally tested to see if they improve social competence, the development of close friendships, or help with social functioning in real life
I find it intesting that your article describes what I have noticed with my nephew who has Asperger's and is 10 years old. He, in fact, has one good friend that he associates with and when that friend is over to my brother's house, my nephew is more interactive. In the hours leading to his friend coming over his excitement increases and he is openly more talkative, expressive, and "fun to be around". My brother and his wife are very apropriate in the social behaviors and interaction's, but that alone has not translated into perfect social skills for my nephew. Good luck with your son and his future. Thanks for the insight.
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