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simfish
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01 Jun 2013, 9:26 am

So a dean at my school really told me that I could benefit from social coaching.
I'm just wondering - how do I select the right social coach who I have personality fit with? What should I do to determine fit?
I'm also wondering - what usually happens in social coaching? Is it possible if I could maybe video/tape-record certain interactions I have with people, and then play back the recordings with the social coach so that the social coach could suggest improvements on the interaction?



Jayo
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01 Jun 2013, 10:44 am

YES.
I definitely agree with this approach of videotaping & playback with commentary.
It MUST be dynamic. If somebody evaluates your social & nonverbal aptitudes based on "canned" testing e.g. the coach makes a certain facial expression and asks you to interpret it, or gives you a hypothetical scenario and asks you to interpret why the other person is upset, then that coach is a flak.e It CAN'T be a static, controlled environment type of coaching - there must be an element of spontaneity to it.

Even in my youth, I had a couple of friends who were more enlightened about my inherent differences, and one of them offered to observe me on a date with this girl, incognito, sitting a table nearby. That was five times better than somebody saying "if this happens or if she says that, then do this or say that..." - we can't come off like a computer program 100% or we will definitely look stilted!!



AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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01 Jun 2013, 10:51 am

I agree with Jayo. It is right-brain feel-and-texture, and not left-brain hard analytic.

For example, a person can try broaching a conversation with a classmate. And maybe the classmate is in a talkative mood and maybe he or she isn't, and either way is okay.



Billw1628
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03 Feb 2014, 6:41 pm

As I said in another thread, I don't advocate for finding somebody for the sake of that. Other than personality, you also have to figure out if that person has the necessary knowledge and skills to help you. People who have health professional backgrounds (particularly OT, psychology, speech) might charge more expensive, but their background knowledge will have an edge in comparison to simply parents of autistic individuals or just autistic individuals themselves in trying to enter the coaching world.



Sethno
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03 Feb 2014, 6:44 pm

Is this "coach" someone who's familiar with autism and helping people on the spectrum with their social skills?

If not, might they not know how to approach the needs of an autistic person?


_________________
AQ 31
Your Aspie score: 100 of 200 / Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 101 of 200
You seem to have both Aspie and neurotypical traits

What would these results mean? Been told here I must be a "half pint".


Billw1628
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03 Feb 2014, 6:57 pm

Skill and knowledge is just as important as the understanding of autistics' social skill tendencies. I think there are lots of wonderful people out there. But, skills and knowledge can be important if it seems that a session is going nowhere. This might happen from time to time. This is what I think some autism coaches lack because their parental experiences or their personal experiences can only take them so far.