Social+Networking+for+Autistic+Children

Social Networking and Autistic Children
by Sherry Reed, Spring 2012

Autism is a developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills. Children with autism typically have difficulties in pretend play, social interactions and verbal and nonverbal communication.

Social networking allows individuals with autism a non-threatening way to connect online through various social networks improving the communication and social interaction skills. However, individuals with autism can quickly become overstimulated when engaging in online activities. And these wide-open social networks might seem daunting for an autistic child. For these children to reap the benefits of digital interaction, social networking sites such as “Squag “were designed. Sites such these provide a safe place for autistic children to connect with their peers that are clean and visually appealing with adjustable light and noise settings to appeal to individual users.

Although these sites allow children to experience independence and help with social interaction, parents and teachers should be a part of this process ensuring children are operating in a safe network and also can boost confidence by posting encouraging messages on the site.

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