I think studying sign language helped my daughter beyond measure. ASL is a great multisensory way to get these kids to recognize facial expressions in an intuitive way.  My daughter and I studied ASL for about ten years, maybe a little longer. We started when she was eight with sign choir, then we started taking multiple classes through the homeschool community and the Deaf Center. We ended up taking two classes at a time, plus doing sign choir for a couple of years. For the first several six years or so, all our teachers were Hearing.

It took my daughter being really good at ASL, immersed through Deaf teachers, visits to the Deaf Center, Deaf Camp, and a LOT of TV watching, explaining everything from every TV show plot to every interaction she had with fellow students, to somewhere along the line, probably around 14-15 years, she started to really get facial expressions on a regular basis when reading other people. She probably reads expressions at least as well and probably better than I do now. She’s pretty good at picking up bad vibes.

When my daughter was older – 16+ perhaps, maybe a little younger, I often asked her advice about situations also. Whether it was figuring out something in an online group, wondering how to approach a friend with a gift (or even what gift to buy), or even whether I should mention to someone that their jacket had something on it. I made a lot of conversations about deciding what was friendly, what was kind, what might embarrass someone, or what was socially appropriate for how well we knew a person, etc.

All of this added together helped her cope better with social situations, although there was no cure-all, no absolute solution, just improving skills a ton and lessening stress.