Dr. Kevin Spencer: Magic Tricks - New Therapy for Autism

One of the most significant deficits of traditional social skills programs in the schools is that they try to teach social skills explicitly, through this very didactic structure, but none of that is transferred over to a real-world setting.

Doug Henning's formula for magic works well with kids on the spectrum, and really, everyone: The difficult must become habit. Habit becomes beautiful. Beautiful becomes magic.

Magic gives kids an avenue to practice social interactions and other social skills that become broadly applicable to other areas of life. In classroom settings, it gives kids a chance to practice both performing and being an audience.

Teachers and parents often see the changes before the child does, as the kids are so engaged in the learning and sharing with their friends.

There are no expectations that you know how to do magic (unlike other behaviors). It allows for failure to be part of the process, which builds frustration tolerance, persistence, critical thinking, and resilience.