The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

ASD is associated with a marked impairment in the ability to engage in social interaction. Areas like higher order social skills (detecting and responding to subtle social cues, engaging in reciprocal conversations, understanding humor and negotiating compromise) are affected. This session will provide practical strategies for teaching. One of the defining features of an Autism Spectrum Disorder is a marked impairment in the ability to engage in social interaction with others.  The development of appropriate and successful social behaviors is often one of the most critical yet challenging skill repertoires for individual with ASD to establish.  This is especially true for higher order social skills such as detecting and responding to subtle social cues, engaging in reciprocal conversations, understanding humor, and negotiating compromise. 

Although teaching language and reducing problem behavior is well-documented in behavior analytic research, teaching skills that are considered “private” does not receive as much attention.  This presentation will explore the areas of executive function and social cognition which are typically beyond the basic programming that many individuals with ASD receive.  Furthermore, this presentation will review higher level social skills and provide examples for how to integrate the areas of executive function, cognition, and higher level social skills training.

Executive function describes the “brain mechanism” that includes goal directed behavior.  Children with autism have been shown to have deficits in several areas of executive function; Bond (1984), cognitive flexibility and inhibition; Edgin (2005), working memory, spatial processing, and spatial cognition; Ozonoff (2004) set shifting and planning.  We will address a more behavioral understanding of executive function as well as propose practical strategies from increasing skills.

Successful social programming also involves teaching the individual with ASD to take the perspective of others and to use social cognition skills.  According to Relational Frame Theory, perspective taking can be viewed as a large, overarching, generalized operant class.  Cognition skill involves the ability to infer the states of other’s emotions, desires, preferences, thoughts, beliefs, and intentions.  We review common delays that individuals with ASD may display as well as demonstrate appropriate teaching techniques in this area.

In general, this session will provide participants with practical strategies for teaching higher order social skills.  Discussion will include a review of specific advanced social behaviors that are commonly problematic for individuals with ASD, as well as ABA instructional strategies which utilize both contingency-based teaching and rule-governed behavior training.  Examples of teaching methodologies for a variety of high order social skills will be presented, including video clip demonstration of techniques commonly effective with ASD learners.  Small group training activities will also be conducted to allow for direct rehearsal of targeted instructional strategies.

Learning Objectives

1. To identify common higher order social skill deficits exhibited by individuals with ASD.

2. To identify effective ABA teaching procedures for higher order social skills training utilizing both contingency-based and rule governed behavior instruction

3. To practice several ABA instructional strategies for higher order social skills training

4. To identify beneficial tops for effective social skills instruction and common mistakes to avoid

Learning Objectives: