#104: Social Engagement with Young Autistic Learners - Dr. Jamie Hughes-Lika

We need to step back and wait so that the child has a chance to find their voice, whatever that looks like so that they can spontaneously and independently connect with us.

Dr. Jamie Hughs-Lika is a BCBA-D, an Early Start Denver Model Certified Therapist, and has been working in the field for 26 years. We discussed what you can do when social engagement is difficult with your child or students and why is it so important to work on this skill.

Social engagement and attention begin as early as infancy, with eye contact and small coos from your baby. When this isn’t present, and the pattern of limited social engagement continues, Dr. Hughs-Lika says differences in social attention are one of the first early signs of autism. Children with autism are less motivated to engage socially, and Dr. Hughs-Lika covers the three pillars of social motivation:

Social Orientation: This is responding to communication and social attention with eye contact, gestures, etc.

Social Seeking: This is initiating communication through gestures, imitation, showing toys or items, etc.

Social Maintaining: This is ‘maintaining’ a social connection through turn-taking and social reciprocity.

Dr. Hughs-Lika is also an autism mom and shares a little about her journey for connection with her son Liam. When she works with him and other children she “takes a pulse” of the interaction with these questions.

1. What captures the child’s attention?
2. What are the distractions?
3. Where are the motivations?
4. How close can I get to maintaining comfort in the activities?
5. Are there interfering behaviors that are becoming inflexible or rigid?

Social communication is the cornerstone of more advanced communication. Having fun, being positive, and building a personal connection with your child are important strategies for working on social engagement and communication. During our discussion, we talked about the assessments available, Dr. Hughs-Lika’s courses, and the nuance of working on this critical skill. You can find out more about her courses and other information by finding Sage Learning Systems on social media or visiting their websites.

#autism #speectherapy

What’s Inside:
Is social engagement an early sign of autism?
What are the three pillars of social motivation?
Available assessments for social skills.
Strategies and Questions to guide interactions with your child or student.

Mentioned In This Episode:
—SAGE Learning Lab
—Sage Learning Systems
—Sage Learning Systems on Facebook
—Chevalier et al article
—Fun visuals for teaching strategies
—ABA Speech: Home
—ABA SPEECH Your Autism Resource