Social Behaviors

From Autism Transition Handbook

Social behaviors, by definition, are particularly challenging for individuals on the spectrum. Complicating this issue for learners with ASD is the belief among many employers that social competence on the job (e.g., being a team player) is as important as production competence. Therefore, some areas of social competence (Hawkins, 2004) that should be covered in your transition plan are:

• General manners, including responding to greetings, not interrupting others, etc.
• Table manners, particularly if one wants to be socially included with colleagues during lunch
• Awareness of others’ personal space across all work environments
• Understanding private behavior as being different from public behavior
• Recognizing when assistance is needed and obtaining same
• Tolerance of unusual sounds, actions, behavior of others, and changes in schedule of activities
• Social rules regarding the appropriate touching of others
• What to do on your break
• What to talk about and what not to talk about at work