19th February 2024

The life of autistic children is not easy, they face difficulty in every aspect of their lives, and social skills are one of them. Compared to their peers in the classroom, social acceptance is not the biggest motivator for children with autism. That’s why they are rarely present in most of the social activities’ opportunities.
 

Does that mean children with autism don’t like social engagement and interaction?
 

Certainly not!
 

Some autistic children do like social engagement and some of them don’t. It’s a scientifically proven fact that human beings a social being and at a certain level even children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) need social engagement.
 

If you're also struggling to figure out whether increasing social motivation in children with autism spectrum disorder will improve their social skills or if it has any relation to it or not then we have got you covered.
 

In this blog post, we will get to explore how social motivation can be a positive influence on children with autism in detail.
 

Before moving to the topic, can we ask you a question? Do you follow us on Social Media? We regularly share upgraded educational content, tips, feedback, and more. Check us out by clicking the profiles here - Facebook / Twitter /  LinkedIn / Pinterest / Instagram / YouTube
 

So, without any further delay, let’s get started.
 

What is Social Motivation?
 

Regardless of an individual age, everyone craves social acceptance, inclusion, and rewards. Children, adolescents, and teens especially crave attention the most. They show behaviours like-
 

• Imitate their peers
• Smile when they interact with another person
• Do certain actions that grab other's attention, etc.
   

Individuals work hard to gain their peers, teachers, and parent's attention by doing several actions or exhibiting certain behaviours.
 

What is the Social Motivation Theory of Autism?
 

Social Motivation Theory of Autism states that Autistic children tend to show less interest in any social engagement and interaction in general. They pay very little or no interest in any social opportunities. Due to this, their social and cognitive development is halted.
 

For example, Autistic children may be limited in-
 

Theory of Mind (ToM): Lack of ability to understand or even guess what other people are feeling or thinking.
 

Imperative Skills: Lack of ability to observe and imitate their peer's behaviours in various social situations.
 

Communication Skills: Lack of ability to communicate their needs, wants, feelings, or ideas.
 

Playing Skills: Lack of ability to engage in any of their age-appropriate games, which requires collaboration or critical thinking.
 

Empathy: Autistic children are very capable of feeling or showing sympathy. However, they lack the ability to put themselves in someone else’s shoes to understand their situation and feelings.
 

Strategies to Improve Social Engagement in Autistic Adolescents
 

Children with autism may lack interest in social situations but with the right strategy and extra motivation will help them to behave or act in a certain way, which will improve their overall social skills.
 

One of the extremely popular therapeutic techniques that you can use in your classroom is Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA). It is sometimes called “reinforcer” which helps children to learn the desired behaviour.
 

In this approach, you must consider what your children with autism like and preferences to find the motivator for them. For example- you can include some of their favourite food items or treats, their favourite activities like playing with specific toys, etc. By doing this you will get the opportunity to even form positive relationships with your autistic children and to make it more rewarding you can give them high-fives or hugs.
 

Now let’s get to know the benefits of Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA approach):
 

• While teachers try to figure out what motivates their autistic children before teaching them the desired behaviour. This process leads to students becoming more than agreeable to complete any given action.
   

• One more benefit of this approach is any parents or caregiver can use this to teach any skill to their autistic children at home.
   

Understanding of Social Motivation and Sensory Sensitivities in Autism is Necessary
 

In today’s world, socializing is not just a choice but it becomes a necessity, especially for children with autism. However, as a special education teacher, you can use the social motivation theory of autism and help your autistic children to teach the desired behaviour, which will help them to learn socializing. Socializing skills will help them for their whole life whether they attend college, works in any Multi-national company (MNC), or form relationships like friendships.
 

Additionally, to sharpen up your special education teaching you can pursue courses like the Bachelor of Education in Special Educational Needs program which will not only help you to teach your autistic children social skills but also help you to understand children with different special abilities and how you can support them better.


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