Girl Talk
A pre-teen diagnosed with autism was having some trouble making friends at school because she talked rather obsessively about the same topic. “I try to be her friend,” commented one of her classmates confidentially, “But it is really irritating to hear the same story over and over.” Sometimes our friends with autism need to be purposefully taught the fine art of girl talk.
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Two different strategies were introduced to help this pre-teen develop more appropriate conversation skills. The first strategy focused on teaching her to “talk on topic.” The second strategy was designed to expand her repertoire of stories.
Teachers, parents, and therapists worked together to teach this young lady to “talk on topic.” Through social stories and role-playing, she was taught to listen carefully to what the other youngsters were talking about, then to make a comment about that topic. She was also taught to make neutral comments if she didn’t have anything specific to say. Some of her choices of neutral comments were, “Hmmm, that is interesting” and “I bet that was really fun.” She was also taught to reflect specifically on what a friend had just said. For example, she might say, “It sounds like that test was really hard” or “I hope you find the bracelet that fell off at recess.”
Secondly, a trusted therapist gently pointed out the youngster’s irritating habit of repeating the same story over and over again. After helping her understand that her obsession with one topic rubbed the other kids the wrong way, the therapist helped her develop a new repertoire of stories. Over time, this young lady and her therapist developed many different stories based on experiences with her family and her pets and her summer vacations. So far, this young lady hasn’t learned to speak extemporaneously, but her new “rehearsed” stories have resulted in her being more readily included in “girl talk” sessions at recess, in the lunchroom, and after school.
We welcome your ideas and input. Please feel free to send a message to talk@FAQautism.com
NOTE TO READERS AND LISTENERS: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. You can click on a button to send me an email with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solutions. Check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. www.FAQautism.com
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