The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

Social interaction deficits are often exacerbated during middle school. Assessment of critical skills and targeted intervention can help students feel more confident and experience success when interacting with peers. The importance of home and school collaboration using promising practices such as social narratives, role playing, and video modeling will be discussed. The concepts of disclosure and self-advocacy are explored. Video of a student with autism explaining strategies she uses in middle school provides a first-person perspective on social thinking.

CONTENT

Qualitative social impairment is one of the core deficits of autism spectrum disorders. The impact of social interaction deficits can be magnified during the middle school years when conforming and belonging to a peer group often becomes paramount for young people. Young people with ASD often have trouble understanding unwritten social rules of conduct.

Students with autism spectrum disorders are often the victims of bullying and teasing because their social behavior can be very different from that of their typical peers. Parents, teachers, and social workers can work together to include social goals on the IEP and embed instruction throughout the day in naturally occurring situations.

The first step in systematically teaching appropriate social interaction is to conduct an assessment of critical skills to determine where to begin teaching. There are validated social assessment tools available including the Social Skills Rating System (Gresham & Elliot, 1990) and the Autism Social Skills Profile (Bellini, 2006). Teachers, parents, and social workers can also use observational methods and interviews to determine which skills are a priority for individual students. Evaluation results are used to determine what will be taught and how it will be taught.

There are many interventions available to help students acquire new skills and social understanding. A discussion of strategies with some research basis will include social stories (Gray, 1991), power cards (Gagnon, 2001), role playing, and video modeling. It is important for the instructional team to be consistent in use of intervention strategies across partners and settings to help promote generalization of skills.

A video-tape made by the presenter and her daughter, an 8^th grade student with autism, includes a conversation about the student’s perceptions of social situations which generally are problematic (perceived or actual teasing, maintaining conversations, etc.). Very often students are faced with the issue of disclosure – if, when, and how to disclose a disability to peers. A personal account of how the presenter and her daughter successfully tackled this issue will be shared. Strategies to teach self-advocacy will also be discussed.

The presenter will share the process used by herself, her daughter, and the school social worker to develop and implement effective supports which have helped increase her daughter’s self-awareness and self-efficacy.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 

1. Participants will understand common social interaction deficits in children with ASD. An overview of common presentation of core social deficits including nonverbal communication, initiation, reciprocity, and social cognition will provide a basis for conducting effective assessment and intervention.
An overview of common presentation of core social deficits including nonverbal communication, initiation, reciprocity, and social cognition will provide a basis for conducting effective assessment and intervention.

 

2. Participants will learn about available instruments to assess social function in ASD.
A discussion of empirical tests and observational methods available will provide participants tools to conduct effective assessment which provides useful information.

 

3. Participants will learn at least 3 strategies available to address common social interaction deficits. A discussion and samples of social narratives, power cards, and video modeling will afford the participants a chance to view different interventions. Other interventions will be discussed as time allows.
A discussion and samples of social narratives, power cards, and video modeling will afford the participants a chance to view different interventions. Other interventions will be discussed as time allows.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will understand common social interaction deficits in children with ASD.
• Participants will learn about available instruments to assess social function in ASD.
• Participants will learn at least 3 strategies available to address common social interaction deficts.

Content Area: Social Skills

Presenter:

Maria T. Blanco, M., Ed., ABD
Asst. Prof., Coordinator of Autism Initiatives
LSUHSC Human Development Center

Maria Blanco is an Assistant Professor at Louisiana State University Health Science Center -Human Development Center. She is currently providing training and technical assistance to public schools serving students on the spectrum and is the parent of a college freshman and a 16-year old with autism.

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