The words we speak are a significant part of how we communicate with one another, but they’re not the whole story. We communicate many unspoken cues to one another by the way we hold our bodies, the tone of our voices, and the expressions on our faces. These are called social cues. To most people, reading social environments is a skill that develops naturally as we get older and become more socially savvy. But not everyone comes to understand these cues without help.
Individuals on the autism spectrum or who have been diagnosed with some psychological conditions may have trouble recognizing social cues. Without fluency in these unspoken communication tools, people may have difficulty engaging in meaningful communication with the people in their lives.
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA Therapy) is a therapeutic technique that can help kids learn to recognize social cues through practice. Here are four of the many benefits of using ABA Therapy to improve social cue recognition.
1. Helps Kids Develop Meaningful Relationships
Body language researcher Albert Mehrabian determined that as much as 55% of communication is nonverbal. Imagine how difficult it would be to communicate when you miss so much context within a single conversation. We develop social skills over time by exposing ourselves to more social situations. Little by little we clock certain body language or facial expressions and develop a mental checklist we can refer back to. These skills make it possible for us to make connections with people in our social spheres.
But for some children and adults, the meaning behind social cues is not immediately recognizable, leaving them with a large gap of understanding in social situations. This can make it difficult to establish meaningful relationships. ABA Therapy is an incredibly successful therapy that helps kids learn how to read social situations through practice.
2. Helps Them Understand Their Environment
Have you ever been in a group of people speaking a different language and felt completely out of place? That’s what life can feel like when you struggle to pick up unspoken methods of communication. All the places your child finds themselves in during the day, including their classrooms, extracurriculars, religious groups, and cultural groups, can carry slightly different social expectations. ABA Therapy can help your child learn to read and adjust to each environment they find themselves in.
3. Improved Cognitive Ability
Understanding how to read social environments goes beyond the ability to make friends, which is arguably very important. Research shows that children who demonstrate social competence are more likely to go on to lead successful adult lives. Kids who learn social skills are more likely to go to college and often get into full-time jobs earlier than their peers. Most people who have attended college can attest to the fact that navigating school systems can be as much about social interaction as academics. Giving your child social tools through ABA Therapy early in their lives can help them navigate their future more easily.
4. Overall Improved Mental Health
There are four pillars of mental health, one of which is social health. We need other people. Without healthy, supportive relationships, it can be difficult to maintain mental well-being. An essential part of developing strong, positive relationships is the ability to read social cues and absorb the unspoken communication that is taking place all around us. ABA Therapy is a valuable tool for improving mental health because it teaches kids real-life skills that can boost their confidence.
As parents, we want nothing more than to empower our kids to build healthy relationships and establish successful lives. Children with autism spectrum disorder and those with other developmental delays or psychological conditions may need extra support. ABA Therapy is a highly effective method that helps families lay the foundation for a great future by giving kids tools that help them understand the world around them.
AchieveAbility is proud to serve families in the Tampa, Florida area. We aim to help children thrive developmentally, and ABA Therapy is one of our primary services. If you have questions about ABA Therapy or would like to learn more about how we can support your child with autism, we encourage you to schedule a discovery call. Contact us today to learn more.
