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MAKING SENSE OF AUTISM

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Staci Neustadt

Fishing for Friends: How to Use Special Interests to Build Meaningful Connections

Have you ever tried to connect with someone but ended up talking about something they clearly didn't care about? It's frustrating, right?


Then why do therapists create goals for clients and students that they will talk on a non-preferred topic?!?


If your goal is to help your clients or students connect with other students, you should focus on something else.


SHARED INTERESTS


Susan will explore why it’s so important not to push non-preferred topics in conversations. Instead, she will show you how finding and focusing on shared interests can create stronger, more meaningful connections.


After all, true friendships are built on common ground, not on trying to force someone into a conversation they’re not excited about.


If the goal is friendship (and not just compliance), which goal sounds better to you?


A. Within 12 weeks, XXX will engage in a structured conversation about a non-preferred topic for at least 3 minutes, using appropriate conversational skills (e.g., maintaining eye contact, responding to questions, and staying on topic) with no more than 2 prompts from the therapist in 4 out of 5 opportunities.


B. In (time period), after identifying one's own topics and activities of interest, XXX will ask other family members or familiar people if they share any of those interests by asking a simple "Do you like..." question (with XXX support in XXX times or to find XXX shared interests).


Not sure about how to address this? Listen to Susan HERE




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