Helping My Child Read Emotions and Social Cues | Episode 24
Episode 24: From Autism Diagnosis to College Freshman
Helping my child read emotions and social cues.
In Episode 24, we discuss emotions, facial expressions, tone of voice, body language, and other social cues that my son needed explicit support learning to recognize and interpret.
As he developed, we practiced looking beyond the words someone said to consider the other information present in an interaction.
What was their facial expression?
What did their tone communicate?
What was their body language saying?
How did all of those pieces work together?
Today, as an Oak Tree, those conversations have evolved.
Now we talk about reading the room.
After an interaction, I will often ask him two questions:
Were they kind?
Were they helpful?
Then we dissect the interaction.
What did the person actually say?
What did their eyes communicate?
What did their body language communicate?
Did their actions align with their words?
Was this high-quality engagement, or was it simply an exchange between two people?
The goal is for him to recognize that words and intentions do not always match and to become increasingly skilled at identifying the people and relationships that contribute positively to his life.
Through the lens of the Village Engagement Matrix™, the skill has continued to develop as the developmental context has changed.
What began as explicit teaching around emotions and social cues has evolved into conversations with an Oak Tree about discernment, relationships, and recognizing high-quality engagement.
And as his parent in the Consultant Phase, I still get to help him dissect the data as he develops his own conclusions.
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