The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

In this interactive session, co-presented by a parent and young adult with autism, participants discover how to support individuals with autism to participate more fully and naturally in all aspects of life. Participants will learn promising natural supports/social activities to help individuals with autism build relationships and quality lives. Participants will see through this young adult’s story how inclusive educational practices are supporting his quality of life and positive social outcomes. Participants will see how he became involved in activities to build social skills and relationships and the outcomes of his family’s planning.

Rationale: The increase in ASD makes it is critical to understand how to meet long-term needs. It can be costly to provide lifelong support. The amount of social support in an individual's environment is an objective indicator of quality of life. Utilization of natural supports is cost effective and provides assistance through relationships. Guided by the conceptual principle of inclusion, natural supports enhance sense of belonging.

Usefulness: For many with ASD, supports typically involve family and/or school professionals. By expanding supports to include additional people involved in lives in more natural ways, we can provide inclusive opportunities that allow students to build and improve social skills needed for life success.

Relevance: Utilization of natural supports is relevant to learners, families, and/or educators. Students with ASD enter the same buildings and walk the same hallways, but are often left out of activities. Schools are full of opportunities to develop supportive relationships with peers, learn skills, and make connections, which goes across culture, gender, language, race/ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomics, and/or disabilities.

In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, our need for social belonging comes right after our need for physical safety and survival. This presentation focuses on this social belonging. Social skills and developing friendships are important because they can be:

• Predictive of job success in adulthood

• Associated with better mental health

• Associated with a decrease in problematic behavior

• Help us understand others

Friendships represent a significant & important role in most of our lives. Developing and maintaining those relationships seems to come ‘natural’ for most of us, something we were born knowing how to do. However, friendship building is difficult for some.

Evidence of Effectiveness: Peer mediated instruction and intervention is one of the strategies introduced in this session. This practice is evidence based practice and listed as evidence based practice on the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder.