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Videos/vignettes re: socially approp. behavior?

CrocusPocusCrocusPocus member
in Special Needs
My 4-year-old with ASD has been spending a lot of time at parks and playgrounds now that the weather is warming up, and I'm finding his social awkwardness more upsetting now that he's older. It breaks my heart when kids are mean to him or call him weird (both of which have happened in the past week). He doesn't learn how to act from me telling him things - I could say the same thing 100 times and it wouldn't sink in - but he loves emulating things he's seen in/on his favorite books, TV shows and YouTube videos (I'm sure many of you other ASD parents have experienced this). 

My question is: Can any of you recommend social behavior-type videos or books, or some way to show DS that it's not okay to walk up to a strange kid sitting on a swing and start pushing for him (I actually had an older child's mother get very angry about this last weekend before I was able to rush over and remind DS once again that we don't touch people we don't know)? Or that if someone asks you to stop following them, you have to comply instead of just giggling and continuing to follow? 

Another incident, for example's sake: recently we were in a play-place and two kids near DS's age who were obviously brother and sister were play-wrestling and laughing on the floor. My son, who loves roughousing, tried to join in by adding himself to the pile, laughing uproariously himself. Of course the two siblings were horrified and annoyed, and told him to get off. My son seems to lack the ability to understand that these two kids know each other, so it's okay for them to wrestle, but you don't know them, so you can't join in even if they're doing it right in front of you. What do I do about things like this? Just telling him isn't working. Also, he attends an inclusion preschool and things are better with his school friends because they know him and know he's "just the way he is" but that doesn't help with strangers. 

TIA for any and all help! 
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Re: Videos/vignettes re: socially approp. behavior?

  • hopecountshopecounts member
    We read this series with DD (she's 3)

    They have books for school, eating out, lunch at school, etc all talking about how to behave/interact appropriately.
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  • CrocusPocusCrocusPocus member
    Thank you!!! I'll check it out!
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  • hopankahopanka member
    Social stories, for one. If you can find digital ones, probably better. We had ABA when DS was around that age and did lots of trips to the playground where the therapists were modeling appropriate social behavior. Our social issues were different from yours and continue to be more on the passive side (timid, not able to advocate for himself or have the courage to join a group...etc), but it all takes repeated practice with slow and marginal results. The social piece is the hardest, IMO. Even after all this therapy, DS usually still fails his social IEP goals. It's a long distance run. It is frustrating and I also always hate when DS looks like a goof to the other kids, so you have my sympathy. It sucks.
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  • typesettypeset member
    I really like The Social Skills Picture Book by Jed Baker. You can also find social stories by Googling or looking on YouTube. 
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  • CrocusPocusCrocusPocus member
    Thanks hopanka and typeset! I was going to Google around but wanted to see if anyone had any specific recommendations first. I'll look into The Social Skills Picture Book and start thinking more about adding in ABA. I agree that the social part is the hardest. DS's social difficulties always seem to hit me in the feels more than any of his other delays/issues. 
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  • typesettypeset member
    CrocusPocus said:
    DS's social difficulties always seem to hit me in the feels more than any of his other delays/issues. 
    Like you said in your OP, they can be heartbreaking to watch. 
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