▶Happy day. Thank you all for visiting this space where we share experiences and learning opportunities on a weekly basis. This week, a central theme in the autistic spectrum will take center stage: social behavior.

▶It is indisputable that one of the aspects that most cause interference in the development of autistic people is the entire complex network of relationships with people. In fact, since Lorna Wing proposed the triad, the social aspect has remained until now as one of the major dimensions affected. The understanding of the variability of the spectrum, as it moves through the different ways of being, translates into the critical reality of the autistic person captured in the misunderstood chrome of their attempts to relate to others.

▶The characteristics of modern society are pointed out by sociology as condensing great contradictions that are geared from the foundations of the relationships between people, to invade all the products that are generated on them, associations, institutions, companies, commerce, industries; adding the synergy of the statuses and the superimposed roles, which give as a product sets of human interrelations that are very difficult to understand and comprehend, either by conjunctions, interceptions, disjunctions or exclusions, in a highly reactive historical and social context.

From the moment we are born, we are embedded in this learning context. This means that we naturally build, from the endowments we have by inheritance to the elements provided by our environment, the cognitive and emotional mechanisms necessary to cope, in a consistent, growing and appropriate way, with the events of the day. This is what is expected of us and what is expected of us all. However, autistic children have difficulties in grasping these attitudes and social skills…that are expected of them.

▶That is why we must ask ourselves about this fact and establish a distance between our actions and what we think is best for autistic children with respect to their understanding, handling of social facts and intersubjective relationships with other people. Being autistic is an integral part of the self and for this reason, as human beings, we must respect the individuality of children. That is why, in these cases, helping is an ethical commitment, based on consideration, acceptance, respect and full awareness of who they are.

▶On the other hand, as adults and educators, parents, relatives, and close people who know and recognize the importance of adequate social relationships and their services in terms of a successful life project, we are always willing to evaluate and improve our actions in reference to improving the quality and quality of our interventions to promote social learning and mediate this education so that autistic children really benefit from these interactions.

En este sentido, las escuelas e instituciones educativas constituyen un nicho importante, porque siendo los ambientes primarios de relaciones no familiares, están continuamente retando las habilidades sociales, y también las emociones. Es por ello que es pertinente que tengamos adecuadas referencias confiables cómo podemos introducir estrategias y recursos no invasivos para propiciar ambientes sociales favorables en estos contextos naturales. En este sentido, aunque podemos realizar acciones que tocan al niño autista directamente, involucrar a todo el grupo de niños y al docente es altamente recomendado.

▶In this sense, schools and educational institutions constitute an important niche, because being the primary environments of non-family relationships, they are continually challenging social skills, and also emotions. That is why it is pertinent that we have adequate reliable references on how we can introduce non-invasive strategies and resources to foster favorable social environments in these natural contexts. In this sense, although we can carry out actions that directly affect the autistic child, involving the entire group of children and the teacher is highly recommended.

▶There is abundant specialized literature on the subject, as well as significant experiences and experiences that belong to the living history of classrooms and schools. All of them are important, because they have a significant added value. Below I will try to compile these sources and at the end I will leave you with some addresses that I consider to be excellent guides to guide us to act with increasing propriety and assertiveness.

▶-Group games, especially role-playing games.

-Physical education. Especially circuits and relays, where the child's performance depends on other children.

-In preschool, plan group activities in pairs.

-Increase incentives and recognition when observing prosocial behavior.

-Respect the child's choice of friends or best friends.

-Reading stories as a consistent part of the school routine.

-Scheduled trips and visits to the city.

-Visits to other preschools.

-Organize sharing with parents and children in the classroom.

▶Links on this topic that may interest you:

Effective strategies to improve social interaction in children with autism

Social skills in autism: how to improve social interaction

Autism in the classroom: the need for a teaching team trained in Special Education

10 ideas to develop social skills in children with ASD

3 of the best strategies to improve social interactions in children with autism