Episode 11 | Fostering social skills and peer interactions in autistic pupils with Beccie Hawes

In this episode, host Mark Loveday is joined by Beccie Hawes to talk about the boundaries of social interaction in autistic children. They discuss the assumption that children must have friends where in fact that they may prefer being alone to self-regulate and be comfortable as observers. 

Mark and Beccie discuss collaborate play based approaches so children can interact in their natural way whilst interacting in meaningful, real-life situations. Beccie gives an example of how she teaches “reading the room” and giving a child the space to step back and assess their environment via a more therapeutic approach.  

Practitioners can learn how “wondering aloud makes the invisible visible” and “what do do if”, to help offer tailored approaches to autistic children, whilst finding ways to get them to engage with the world around them. 

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