Teaching Kids with Autism about Emotions

Posted January 29th, 2009 by Stageslearning

Parents and educators often struggle to help children with Autism communicate their feelings. When children with Autism have trouble recognizing and communicating how they feel, it may contribute to inappropriate behaviors such as tantruming and aggression, or even increased social withdrawal. If our kids could tell us how they feel, they would be less frustrated, and we would be better able to help solve their dissatisfaction.

Unfortunately teaching children with Autism to understand and identify their feelings is a complex task…. After all, many so-called normal adults struggle to communicate their feelings!

Stages Leaning Materials offers an 80-Card set of Emotion Cards which help children with autism identify and discuss different feelings and emotions. Half of the images are against a plain background, showing only the upper body and face, and clearly depicting a single emotion, so the children can begin to understand and recognize basic facial expression. The remaining cards show people in real situations and activities with natural settings and contexts, inviting discussion about a range of emotions, why the people may feel that way, and possible responses to these feelings. Once you can help your child recognize and identify basic emotions, you can work toward helping them identify when they are experiencing those feelings. If your child is pre-verbal, you may consider having the photos accessible, so that if you need to, you can ask them to point to a card that identifies the way they feel.

Find more articles on Autism education and teaching tips at www.stageslearning.com.