The Burkhart Center
for Autism Education & Research
Module Three: Social and Behavioral Issues

 
 
Module Three

Behavior Overview
Behavior in ASD
Social Behavioral Effects
Managing Behavior
Different Approaches
Glossary
About the Authors

 

    

 

 

Module Two Burkhart Center Home TTU Special Education Module One Module Three

Social-Relational Difficulties

Social and relational difficulties interact with one another. People on the autism spectrum tend to have difficulty with both of these issues because of a problem recognizing nonverbal cues (those communication clues that do not include the spoken word).
Nonverbal cues include:
Kinesics: the use of body posture to communicate (Woods, 2001)
Proxemics: the distance between people, also known as personal space (Woods, 2001)
Vocalics: the use of vocal fluctuations to communicate nonverbally (Woods, 2001)
Eye contact: the use of looking someone in the eyes (Woods, 2001)
Haptics: the use of hand gestures to communicate (Woods. 2001)
According to Judee Burgoon (1995) the average brain processes nonverbal cues in 1/20th of a second in the frontal lobe of the brain. However, according to Klin, Volkmar, and Sparrow (2000) due to differences in brain construction those on the autism spectrum are processing the nonverbal cues in the temporal lobe of the brain which takes much longer than 1/20th of a second.
If the person on the spectrum is attempting to interact with someone who has very little patience or understanding, a social difficulty could easily arise. Negative violation of expectations can occur and thus leave the individual socially isolated.
Frustration due to social difficulty can lead to externalized and/or internalized aggressive behaviors. Research indicates that social isolation increases the likelihood of depression, which can result in harmful acts against oneself including suicide.

What can be done?

  1. Teach the individual with autism how to isolate important interaction details (such as distracting stimming) so that successful interaction may take place.
  2. Become friends with the individual.
  3. If a person begins making suicide threats, take him or her seriously.
  4. When the individual is not experiencing severe depression, teach him or her interaction skills so that the likelihood of isolation reduces.

 

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2005 Burkhart Center for Autism Education & Research