Can 'Role-Playing' Help A Child/Person With Autism?

Oct. 23, 2008 -- Question: Can '"role-playing" help a child/person with autism?

Answer: Role-playing is actually an excellent way to help teach children with autism how to interact with their peers and with others. Children with autism can respond well to scripts that actually tell them what to do and what to say in certain situations. And practicing with those scripts and practicing through role-plays can be very, very helpful. Of course, it's not the whole story because you don't want somebody to sound scripted when they're interacting. But it's a good starting point for giving somebody an idea of how to respond to certain situations, how to respond when somebody greets you or when somebody invites you to play a game and how do you initiate an interaction with somebody.