Santa’s Social Speech Session

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What better time to teach social skills to children with ASD than at Christmas!

Santa would so approve.

I believe that all children with autism want to please their parents, teachers, friends, Santa and yes, their speech therapist. I believe they don't always know how. In fact, I know they don't know how to make the right social choices. Many people without ASD don't make good social choices either.

Christmas is a perfect time to make comparison lists of right vs. wrong, good compared to bad and in Santa terms, between naughty and nice.

• Put two long pieces of paper on your bulletin board/wall: one for a nice list and one for a naughty list (students can write, color, draw, paste, just add to them in any manner to leave their mark on the naughty or nice list)
• Encourage your students to bring Santa pictures or to draw Santa as happy or sad
• Use the Social Stories books or programs of your choice, social events that come up in school activities or home, or write them together
• Use humor
• Use the lists in groups or individually
• Use the following lists to help get you started with your students with ASD

The purpose of this is to compare and make people with ASD socially aware of what they choose to do and how others perceive their actions.

I looked online and found the top ten ways to make Santa's naughty list

1. Waking up early on Christmas morning to remove presents from everyone's stockings and replacing them with coal
2. Being bad all year and then trying to "nice up" just before Christmas. Remember- Santa watches you all year!
3. Forgetting to put out carrots for the reindeer with Santa's cookie's and milk. They need to eat too!
4. Knocking over the Christmas tree while wrestling with your brothers or sisters
5. Telling your brothers and sisters what they are getting for Christmas from mom and dad
6. Making a mess and then blaming it on the dog, cat or your imaginary friend
7. Knocking down other people's snowmen
8. Not sharing your toys with your brothers and sisters
9. Not bundling up like your mother tells you to when it's cold outside
10. Not wiping your feet before coming inside when it's snowy out

I also found the top ten ways to make Santa's nice list

1. Asking your parents to donate food, toys and blankets to local charities for less fortunate families during the holiday season.
2. Helping out with chores -- without being asked!
3. Shoveling a busy neighbor's sidewalk or driveway
4. Asking Santa to bring your brother or sister that special toy you know they really want
5. Wishing everyone you meet during the holidays a "Merry Christmas"
6. Reading or telling stories to your little brothers or sisters
7. Making special Christmas cards or gifts for family and friends
8. Wishing Santa a "Merry Christmas!" when you call him on Christmas Eve
9. Always saying "please" and "thank you"
10. Christmas Caroling

• Compare between what is good and bad, naughty and nice, right and wrong
• Take turns among the group members
• Find humor -- most of these will all be silly. Point that out
• Use common sense in analyzing why it is right or wrong/naughty or nice
• Engage a conversation by drawing in all members of the group
• Sequence events such as how to prepare for Christmas caroling
• Maintain the topic and let it flow into another one for an easy transition
• Practice asking questions by giving question starters such as "who, what, where, and when"

Christmas is OH so SOCIAL

"Speech pathologists make good things happen."

and so does Santa