Social Skills DevelopmentAnn Kennedy

AUT/503

3/24/2014

Current Research inSocial SkillsDevelopmentTheory

Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA)

Developmental Theory

Social-Constructivist Theory

Applied Behavioral Analysis

Focus on areas of strength as starting point for teaching

Control the environmental variables

Reinforcement of approximations of social behaviors

Data collection

Strategies to teach generalization

(Hall, 2013)

DevelopmentalTheory

Age-appropriate social skills

Sequential acquisition of skills

Developmentally appropriate activities and materials

Arrangement of environment to stimulate engagement

(Hall, 2013)

Social-ConstructivistTheory

Include peers in programming

Provide supports and scaffolding for new skills

Embed educational experiences in ongoing activities

Play as educational context

(Hall, 2013)

Social SkillDeficits inAutism SpectrumDisorders

Impairment in the use of multiple nonverbalbehaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction.

Failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level.

Lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people.

Lack of social and emotional reciprocity.

Social avoidance and withdrawal. m (Boutot & Myles, 2011)

Examples ofdeficits in Social Communication

Failure to establish eye contact Failure to make inferences

or use social non-verbal cues. About others’ facial

expressions.

Examples of

Deficits in Social Initiation

Rarely initiate interactions

Interact frequently,

But inappropriately

Examples of

Deficits in Social Reciprocity

Inability to engage in give-and-take; hijacking the conversation.

Failure to maintain joint attention.

Examples of

Deficits inSocialCognition Understanding and

behaving

according to social norms.

Understanding idioms and

figures of speech

(Boutot & Myles, 2011)

References

Boutot, E. A., & Myles, B. S. (2011) Autism spectrum disorders: Foundations, characteristics, and effective strategies. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education

Hall, L. J. (2013). Autism spectrum disorders: From theory to practice (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education

Social SkillsAcquisition

Tools and Methods Social Stories

Video Modeling and Video Self-Modeling

Social Problem-Solving

Pivotal Response Training

Social Scripts

Social Stories

Stories written to teach a particular skill or behavior

Useful for teaching

How to initiate interaction How to make smooth transitions between settings and

activities How to follow the rules of a game What to expect when going on a field trip.

Example of a Social Story

What Can I Do On the Playground?

The playground has a lot of fun equipment. There are swings. There is a slide. There is a climbing wall. I like the swings. Other children like the swings, too. When other children are on the swings, I can use the slide or climb. If I want to swing, I can say, “May I have a turn on the swing?” When the other child gets off of the swing, I can say, “Thank you!” and then I can swing. When another child asks for a turn on the swing, I can get off of the swing and play on the other equipment. It is fair for everyone to have a turn.

Video Modeling&Video Self-Monitoring(VSM)

Videos of the student (VSM) or another person (adult or child) acting out a situation to model correct behavior. Requires sufficient attention from the student. Benefits include:

Visual field can be reduced so that extraneous information is reduced and student can focus attention on correct issue.

Reduced stress for the student because human interaction is limited.

Children tend to love to watch videos, so motivation to attend in naturally reinforced.

Example of Video Monitoring

Video teaching how to raise hands to

answer questions at school.

Social Problem Solving

SPS Teaches children to analyze and interpret social situations.

1. Describe a scenario 2. Have students predict consequences 3. Select alternative response to scenario 4. Have children predict new consequences 5. Select best outcome.

Social Problem Solving Example

Take all the scarves?

Or put this one on my head like everyone else?

Pivotal Response Training(PRT)

PRT Teaches a child to respond to multiple cues Teaches a child to initiate interactions Enhances motivation by offering the child choices

and using natural reinforcers in the environment. Teaches greater self-management by fading

prompt levels so that the child is less dependent of prompts to respond.

Example of PRT Using natural

environment,motivating materials, offering choices, and

encouraging interaction.

Social Scripts

Social Scripts are rehearsed lines to be used in specific social situations.

Once learned, scripts can be faded and generalization can be promoted.

Example of a Social Script

“Hello. My name is Bea. I go to Jefferson School. I am in the third grade.”

“Hello. My name is Bea. I go to Jefferson School….”

ScriptingUsed to teach what to say in specific conversational and play situations.

Students may become dependent on the script and have difficulty with spontaneity.

Requires fading technique after script is learned.

Video Modeling

Combines visually-cued instruction with modeling strategies.

Effective for teaching communication, appropriate behavior, and functional skills.

Has been shown to promote lasting skill acquisition and transfer to novel situations.

Social Problem

Solving Used to teach children

with ASD how to analyze and interpret social situations.

Requires the child to have sufficient cognitive skills.

Has not been shown to have carry-over into novel situations.

Comparison

References

Boutot, E. A., & Myles, B. S. (2011) Autism spectrum disorders: Foundations, characteristics, and effective strategies. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education

Hall, L. J. (2013). Autism spectrum disorders: From theory to practice (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education