The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

This session will provide an overview of a social skills instructional model developed by Dr. Bellini at the Indiana Resource Center for Autism. The model integrates research on social-emotional functioning with evidenced based strategies for teaching social skills to students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The Five Step model provides a systematic and comprehensive framework to guide professionals and parents in the development and implementation of social skills programming. Content Area: Social Skills Programming Target Audience: Practitioners and Parents Brief Program Description: The presentation will provide an overview of a social skills instructional model developed by the presenter at the Indiana Resource Center for Autism. The model integrates research on social-emotional functioning with evidenced based strategies for teaching social skills to students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The model provides a systematic and comprehensive framework to guide parents and practitioners in the development and implementation of social skills programming. Session Content Plan: Learning Objectives for Participants • Increase knowledge of social and emotional functioning • Increase awareness of the relationship between social skill deficits and social anxiety • Increase knowledge and develop skills necessary to assess social functioning • Increase awareness of skill acquisition versus performance deficits • Increase awareness of available social skill strategies Rationale and Need for Social Programming Impairments in social functioning are a central feature of ASD and can create great difficulties in the life of students with this disability. In particular, individuals with ASD exhibit significant deficits in the ability to initiate and maintain effective social interactions, often leading to social withdrawal. The development of social-cognitive skills is heavily dependent upon peer interactions (references omitted per instructions). That is, interacting with peers in organized, rule-based activities allows the individual to gradually develop the facets of social-cognition. The high degree of social withdrawal experienced by many individuals with ASD may preclude them from developing effective social skills, such as initiating and reciprocating interactions, experiencing empathy for others, and having the ability to take another person's perspective. Even more significant, the presence of social impairment may portend the development of more detrimental consequences. Social skill deficits increase the likelihood of the individual experiencing social failure, peer rejection, and isolation leaving the individual vulnerable to developing anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and other forms of psychopathology (references omitted per instructions). These outcomes present an even greater burden for school personnel responsible for delivering services to students with ASD. Social skill training programs that promote effective social interaction skills in individuals with ASD would be instrumental in decreasing social withdrawal and facilitating the development of meaningful social relationships. Now, more than ever, our field, and more importantly our children, are in desperate need of effective social skill programs. Not just EASY social skills programs, but EFFECTIVE social skills programs. This presentation is based on the belief that we have long undervalued social skill instruction in our schools and clinics, and that we have significantly underestimated the social potential of individuals with ASD. This presentation will address this need through the introduction of a comprehensive social skills program. A Model for Teaching Social Skills Parents and professionals often have many questions regarding social skills programming, specifically related to how to teach social skills and how to design social skills programs for children with ASD. Often times these parents and professionals are seeking answers to basic questions such as “where do we start” and “what strategies do we use?” The purpose of the model is to provide parents and professionals with a framework to guide them through the various steps or facets of social programming. The model presented during this presentation will show participants where to start and how to implement a social skills program for children with ASD. It will also show them how to organize and make sense of the myriad of social skill strategies and resources currently available to parents and professionals. There are many wonderful social skill programs and strategies that are available to parents and professionals. This model is not meant to replace these strategies, it is meant to use them! Most importantly, this presentation will teach participants how to synthesize these strategies into one, comprehensive program. Participants will receive training on a social skills model that provides a systematic structure for teaching social skills to children and adolescents with ASD. The presentation will summarize the following components of the Five Step Model: 1. Assess Social Functioning 2. Distinguish Between Skill Acquisition and Performance Deficits 3. Select Intervention Strategies 4. Implement Intervention 5. Evaluate and Monitor Progress Before implementing the intervention strategies, it is important to begin with a thorough assessment of the individual's current level of social skills functioning. Participants will receive instruction on how to use the Autism Social Skills Profile (ASSP). The ASSP is a new assessment instrument developed by the presenter to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the student with ASD related to social functioning. The ASSP, which will be provided to participants, is also used to assist with progress monitoring and to assess outcomes of the social skill intervention. Once the assessment is complete, the next step is to discern between skill acquisition deficits and performance deficits. This information allows us to focus the intervention on either skill development (skill acquisition deficit) or performance enhancement (performance deficit). Based on this information, the selection and implementation of intervention strategies takes place. It is imperative that the strategies selected are evidenced based, and are matched to the unique needs of the student. A wide selection of evidence based strategies will be covered in the presentation with a particular emphasis placed on video self-modeling (VSM). Finally, participants will receive training on how to evaluate and modify the intervention as needed.

Content Area: Social Skills