Small talk is one of the most difficult social skills that a child with Autism can learn. It is one of the most difficult skills for many children can learn. The ability to make interesting, non-confrontation conversation with anyone is really a skill to be admired.

The small talk must also be appropriate to the time and place. It is also helpful if it fits in with what the other children are talking about. Although some small talk can be used to start a new topic if the child with Autism can find the right time.

There are some strategies that are fairly easy to start with in the beginning. A parent will want to encourage their child in any appropriate efforts to make small talk so they will experience success. That will need to lead to a discussion about using small talk with friends and acquaintances.

One of the strategies to teach children with Autism small talk is to help them come up with some stock phrases or questions to use. A stock question can be something as simple as asking someone with a watch what time it is. A stock phrase can be something as simple as saying yes or nodding in agreement.

These are just a small example of ways to help children with Autism feel included in what is going on with their peers. This helps their self esteem and helps peers see them as contributing to the discussion.

The stock question and the stock answer can be used with a non-verbal child with a disability as well. When trying to get a child to use an assistive technology device whether a single button or several buttons stock phrases can encourage children to use it.

Parents and professionals want to program something useful into a voice output device. Unfortunately that means something useful to us. Like needing to eat or go to the bathroom. How boring that could be to a child with Autism.

If we program a stock phrase into the device it opens up the possibility of going to anyone and pressing the button. There are not many people who I might want to say something about the bathroom to but a lot of people I could ask the time.