My son with Asperger’s tends to speak inappropriately loudly in conversation, as well as having difficulty with an appropriate level of personal space. These difficulties have both affected his abilities to socialize with his peers, and interact with people in public spaces. He has been through social skills training, but tends to ‘forget’ to modulate his voice when he is engaged in conversation or excited about a topic. Are there technologies available that might help provide him with cues or reminders of appropriate behavior in public places?
Often kids with Asperger’s or other autism spectrum disorders are extremely motivated by technology tools, and tend to learn very well from videos, software, and other visual representations of social situations. Because your son has already worked on social skills training, he is likely familiar with social stories, social modeling, and appropriate behavior for different situations. However, when in new, exciting or unfamiliar situations, he may forget what he’s learned and have difficulty regulating his behavior or modulating his voice.
There are growing number of great apps for iPhones, iPad, and Android that young adults can use to assist with social interaction, including conversations. Below, is a list of some of the best apps and software currently available to help adults and teens learn social skills:
- I Can Have Conversations with You!(opens in a new window)
- Speech Journal(opens in a new window)
- Emotions Reader(opens in a new window)
- Wait Timer(opens in a new window)
Another option is to use mobile phones to access short video clips, social scripts, reminders, about conversation skills, to remind them of appropriate social interaction and conversation skills. You may also want to consider using these apps or other multimedia tools or software at home to help reinforce the social skills lessons your son has learned in class.