Convention Dispatch: Helping Teens With Autism Avoid Treacherous Online Terrain

Social media. Apps. Social skills. Autism. You hear these words on the lips of many ASHA Convention attendees as you walk the halls or sit in sessions. You also hear these words in combination—for example, how can we help young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) navigate the Wild West of social media? How can they further their social progress online, and not hinder it? It’s no easy proposition, said Megan Miskowski, a speech-language pathologist in the Baltimore City Public Schools, in a session on teens and technology. “Communication in the 21st Century—online communication—is decontextualized, abstract, and follows complex pragmatic rules,” said Miskowski. “Speech-language therapy has to address this with teens with ASD because if we don’t, our kids will struggle to transition to high school, college, and employment.” Susceptibility Teens on the spectrum already tend to struggle with nebulous social rules and nuances—what’s often called the “hidden curriculum”—and this curriculum is even more unclear with technology, noted Miskowki. Miskowski gave an example of treacherous tech terrain for these teens: A student yells out during class for other students to turn on Airdrop on their smartphones. Instantly, those who do receive a fellow student’s picture emblazoned with a hateful comment. Given their social challenges, students with ASD are especially prone to participating in, or being victimized by, this sort of inappropriate tech behav...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Autism Spectrum Disorder Social Media social skills Source Type: blogs