Here is an interesting article on using Puppets to teach Social Skills to children with Special Needs. These kids with Asperger Syndrome seem to relate to the use of puppets in learning social skills.Our kids with ASD have a difficult time in their perception of how their behavior affects others. They also have a difficult time in reading the nonverbal cues of other's behavior. The use of puppets seemed to allow of way for the kids to speak their feelings through using the puppets as an extension of themselves.
The belief in Theory of Mind and how it relates to Autism is the notion that students with autism do not understand that other people have their own beliefs, feelings, and points of view. Students with autism have a difficult time understanding these beliefs and feeling in other people. Could the use of puppets as an extension of themselves help with this? I don't know but it maybe worth trying?
