Purpose

 Many of the children with autism have difficulties relating to others. Most of the time they are isolated and have a hard time joining others during game time, group activities, conversations, etc. Part of this disadvantage is because children with autism have problems understanding emotions and facial expressions. Facial expressions are concrete representations of internal states that we call emotions. Facial expressions are social cues that allow us to interpret how other people feel about the environment. When we do not have the capability of interpreting these social cues we have problems regulating our own actions and we would not know what to say in different situations. Teaching children with autism about emotions they will have a better chance of understanding their own behavior as well as the behavior of others.



Learning about emotions also gives the children alernative ways to express their emotions. For example instead of screaming and hitting a desk a child can say: "I feel angry. I need a little break." Teachers can also use body cues and facial expressions in the classroom in order to communicate their intentions with their students without interrupting the flow of the lesson.