Autistic individuals typically seek out friendship and connection, yet frequently report experiences of rejection and social isolation. This difficulty with establishing a network of social support only compounds the severity of symptoms in common co-occurring disorders such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Social skills training programs for autistics have failed to produce robust outcomes. Instead, autistic adults are developing their own pathways to identify and select fulfilling friendships through shared interests and passions.
This program will provide discussion on strategies for assisting autistic clients with forming and building friendships. Participants will learn techniques for building empathy when working with autistic clients and methods for assisting autistic clients identify interests and how this can be used to create and build stronger friendships.