Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Special interest or gifted trait?

My son is autistic. He has a medical diagnosis, and gets ABA therapy at home. He is high functioning, so people that meet him don't think "autistic", they think "shy". The therapist is working through the book now called Social Rules for Kids-The Top 100 Social Rules Kids Need to Succeed. It's an awesome book, and it's designed for kids age 8-14. It gives him lots of chances to practice his social skills. And if I look into his future, I can definitely see him as an engineer. Super good at math, a little socially awkward. But it's important to be able to communicate with other people, and to also relate to them socially. I'm hoping that the ABA therapy will really help him have less anxiety socially because all of those skills will be more practiced.

Thank you Shift for sharing. My DS also uses sarcasm frequently and understands humor more than his older sibling. Your input is helpful in understanding what may be happening to him in social settings. He is not able to articulate what is going on but hides in his coat with hood at the playground or other areas where there is a lot of peers/noise. My guess is he is having a sensory overload but can not verbalize it.