Social Story W3 - Autism - Essay Example

When Adam plays with others, he sometimes insists that they play the game he wants to play. He views games, particularly ones with strong social components, as “stupid. When he plays Pokemon, for example, he wonders why people wont trade him Pokemon he doesnt have in his version of the game for ones they dont have, not realizing that they might be attached to those Pokemon emotionally. This behavior makes it hard for him to play what he wants, and distances him from his friends. This is the target behavior that it is the goal of this story to change.

To measure how often Adam stops playing with others or calls others “stupid” or “dumb”, his parents will be given a worksheet as will the other teachers he has and any friends of his who are willing to cooperate. They will tally the times, and for the adults, teachers and parents, there will be a note as to how the issue arose and how it resolved. Their perception of how angry Adam is will be ranked from 1 to 5. Adam is able to be very nice to others. He can be very outgoing and friendly.

These skills serve him well in general. But he gets into trouble when he cant arrange his play or work with others or cooperate. Adam will learn that others have different objectives and needs. He will learn how to ask people what they want from the game and be told that that is how others play the game. Adam will be told when he is trading with others in Pokemon to explain why he wants their Pokemon, why it is in their best interests to trade, and to offer compromises. One simple compromise is for Adam to offer to catch new Pokemon for them, so that way they keep the one they want and he gets the one he needs from them.

Adam and his friends will be encouraged to play games like Shadow Over Camelot where they have to learn how to cooperate with others and detect traitors. He will learn that there are some games where social skills, negotiation, understanding others needs and motivations, and empathizing with others are actually part of the skill set of the game. This will help him learn that others will not be “stupid” if they are playing the game that way. Adam will be given three warnings for playing with others for calling them “stupid” or disparaging them.

If he fails, he will be given a timeout. If he can avoid doing so for several days in a row, the amount of days increasing slowly over time, he will be given access to a game of his choice. Adam will be taught to work with his friends on a game swapping system. He will be taught to play games they like on alternating days with the games he likes, so that he can try different games and cooperate with others. He will learn how to play social games this way.