Social Skills & Interactions for Children with Special Needs

My child doesn’t seem to know how to make friends. He doesn’t know how to talk to other kids and only talks to them about the things he is interested in. How can I help him talk to others and make friends more easily?

I work with students who are teenagers in a public school. Some of them have severe disabilities. These students enjoy games designed for younger children such as a See and Say. I’m trying to get my students paired with teens in regular education – if these toys make them happy can’t I use them for social interaction? What other age appropriate items could I use?

How do you teach a child about not talking to strangers? My 11 year old child will open the door for anyone and also will just go up to people at restaurants/malls or various events and talk to them. She will introduce them to me as her friends. I have tried to verbally explain to her not to just go up to anyone unless I am there but this has not worked.

I am going to visit my non-verbal, six year old grandson. I only see him once a year in his “space” but he knows me from Skype. I always try to approach him gently until he acknowledges me. What are some tips on making this process easier for him? I only have one week with him and want to love him to pieces while I’m there.

As a parent I would like to know some ideas or tips to help boost my children’s self esteem. It seems that they both struggle with not having much self confidence in what they are doing, mostly in school. They are very bright but doubt themselves in most things they do. Does anyone have any helpful ideas or tips that I can try? Thanks!

I have a client with difficulty with turn taking. The child is four years old. What kind of intervention strategies or games could I play with the child in order to help him comprehend turn taking in both play and conversation?

I have some students in my kindergarten classroom diagnosed with autism. They don’t seem to know the names of their classmates, or really talk to many of the other children. Is there something I could do to increase interactions with their classmates?

I have a student in my class who becomes upset over the smallest problem at recess. He’ll cry or throw things when something doesn’t go his way on the playground. The other kids have obviously noticed this and are starting to stay away from him. How do I help him understand that what he says and does directly affects his relationship with others?

How can I stop one of my students from pushing to get in front of the line and running into students every day when the bell rings? When we hold him for safety he kicks and yells.

When someone gets hurt or is talking about a painful event, my son often laughs. He has had this inappropriate nervous laughter since he was young, but it has become an issue in the work environment. He is 22 years old. This has offended others. He  explains that he is nervous and can’t control it, but  would really like some help finding a workable solution. Is there anything I can share with him that may help?