I was very fortunate, in some of my recent internet research, to come across a website for Michelle Garcia Winner, one of the pioneers in cutting edge solutions for helping those on the spectrum better communicate within an NT context.
This post will summarize some of the foundational concepts behind her social thinking approach.
1. Most neurotypical children are 'hard wired' since birth to engage in social thinking, much like walking.
2. Early on, neurotypical children engage in 'joint attention.' This means that they intuitively look at the other person's eyes to figure out what they are thinking, and to know how to respond. With this skill, they are able to cooperate, share their imaginations with others, and work in groups.
3. Children engage in play with their peers in preschool. Play gives kids the skill base to sit and learn in a classroom.
4. Kids on the spectrum who have average language skills do not intuitively learn social information or social thinking in the same way that neurotypical children do. However, they can be they can be cognitively taught how to think socially and understand the use of related social skills.
These children can learn a frame of reference for social decoding and learning, much in the way you and I would need to learn a language if we travelled to a foreign country to live for a long period of time.
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I happened to meet, via some networking, a professional colleague whose philosophy of mental health and human growth really synced with what I think. This gentleman's name is Tom Wooton. He founded a company called Bipolar Advantage. I won't go into detail about his company. But I would recommend that you watch his video, in which he talks candidly about his own struggle with Bipolar Disorder. I have spent a lot of time working with 'Aspies' (a term commonly used for by persons who have been gifted with Asperger's and Autism in referring to themselves). I have spent a lot of time with their parents, spouses, children as well. One of the most common misconceptions that "NT's" (those of us who are 'neurotypical') have is that Autism or Aspergers is a disability. One of the most common disappointments, or complaints, Aspies have is that NT's are trying to make them change who they are, as if they were somehow deficient. Unfortunately, that is a very dehumanizing view of people. Rather, any of us, whether we be NT's, or a person struggling with a different type of life problem (and who of us does not, this writer included!), need to understand that every person is an amazing creation, with limitless abilities, possibilities, talents, and gifts. |
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