+

Social Skills for Teachers of Students

with AutismBy

Bonnie Houghton

+ Goal of Presentation

The goal of this presentation is to provide teachers and Ed Techs with an educational system designed to use with children with low functioning autism.

+ Autism

“Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a range of complex neurodevelopment disorders, characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior.” (NINDS, 2012)

+ Characteristics of Autism

The three constant deficits of Autism1. Communication2. Social Interaction 3. Maladaptive Behavior

These three deficits can be improved by developing skills in the following areas:

a) Social Communicationb) Social Initiationc) Social Reciprocityd) Social Cognition

+ Social Skills and Autism

By developing skills in the areas of social communication, social initiation, social reciprocity, and social cognition, children learn the coping skills they need to behave appropriately.

These skills help children make good choices, feel comfortable in community situations.

These skill help a student communicate their needs.

.("Nasp Resources: Social Skills: Promoting Positive Behavior,

Academic Success, And School Safety” )

+ Why students need a method of communicationhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8mh5Xxa2HE

+ The Importance of being able to Communicate

Some children with autism have difficulties with verbal communication as well as non-verbal.

Without an appropriate method of communication, students will turn to negative behaviors to demonstrate:a) Sensory needsb) Task avoidance c) Attention seeking behaviorsd) Access a wanted or needed object  

("Autism Community: Communication And Behavior", n.d.). 

The video on the following page demonstrates a child who is unable to communicate his wants, needs or frustrations appropriately.

+ Methods of Communicating with Low functioning Verbal or Non Verbal Students

Naturalistic—A naturalistic approach is teaching in loosely structured or natural settings. In order to teach with a naturalistic approach, the child needs to be able to generalize. Generalizing is the ability to take a concept and apply it to different situations (Cowen & Allen, 2007). (High Functioning Autism)

Analog--An analog approach is produced in an artificial setting. This approach takes the child out of the natural environment and places them into a controlled situation. Autistic children have deficits in the areas of language, socialization, and behaviors. Because of this, a highly structured analog setting will allow the child to progress at his or her own rate. Training is arranged in a way that is understandable, predictable, scripted, and non threatening (Cowen & Allen, 2007).(Lower Functioning Autism

+ TEACCHThe Analog Approach

TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communications--Handicapped Children)a) Scheduling

1. Daily Activity2. Within Activity/Picture Activity

b) Work Stations1. Work Session—New Material2. Wall work--Maintenance3. White Board—Maintenance

+ Schedules

 Visual Schedule

 This is an example of a schedule board. Student will start at the top of the board and complete each task.

+ Schedules

Photographic/Within Activity SchedulesA. Can be used for communication startersB. Can be used for Social StoriesC. Routine and self Monitoring strategiesD. Used as a step by step prompt for an Activity such as

Laundry (Banda & et al, (2009).

+ Here is an example of a Photographic/Within Activity Schedule for the bathroom routine

+ Communicating Work Stations

Work StationsA. Work Session—New MaterialsB. White Board—Maintenance MaterialsC. Work Wall-Maintenance Materials

Work materials should be self explanatory and visually communicate expectations, they should be:

A. ShortB. Closed endedC. Accompanied with minimum communicationD. ConsistentE. TexturedF. Encouraging independence

+ Work SessionsWork Session—Done with learning materials  Here is an example of six buckets filled with working

materials. Student will match the picture on the front of the bucket--example, Pizza Hut will match to the picture--and place the buckets on the top of bucket holder in order to complete.

+ White Board

White Board--Maintenance materials are used for white board. In this case, color swatch is matched to the word. This is a way of getting the student up and changing the area of instruction.

+ Work Wall

 Work Wall--Maintenance materials are used for wall. In this case, the student is matching the front to the back of motorcycles--parts-to-whole category.

+

Social InitiationProblems

Students with autism tend to be grouped into one of two categories when it comes to social initiation.1. Barely ever initiates2. The inappropriate initiator

( Boutot, Myles, 2011)

+ Why a Student Rarely Initiates Socialization ( Boutot, Myles, 2011)

+ Inappropriate Social Initiation ( Boutot, Myles, 2011)

+ Social Initiation Scripts

An effective strategy for initiating a social situation is “Photographic Activity Schedules”. Photographic Activity Schedules are: A. Sequenced events shown in picture form.B. Activities that are broken down into each individual step.C. A method of teaching socialization with minimum staff

interaction.D. Is a social script that promotes independence. (Hall, 2013)

+ Example of a Photographic Activity Schedule (This gives students’ examples of conversation starters)

+ Social Scripting

Here is an example of social scripting.

This is used to promote independence and routine.

+ Social Reciprocity

According to “Boutot &, Myles”, (2011) social reciprocity refers to “the give-and-take of social interactions.

Students with autism may have difficulties with social reciprocity.

+ Social Reciprocity

+ Strategy for Social Reciprocity

An effective strategy for social reciprocity is a Social Skills Curriculum.

Social Skills Curriculum (Social Skills Group):A. Is specifically for high functioning students but can be used

for all levels of functioningB. Teaches awareness of non-verbal communicationC. Teaches awareness of other peoples perspectivesD. Promotes joint attentionE. Teaches Emotional controlF. Promotes pro-social behaviors (Hall, 2013)G. Should help generalize skillsH. Students with similar needs and levels of cognition

+ Social Skills Groups

This is a video that describes the components and structure of an effective social skills group.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qogksh7gxEo Keefer  (2011)

+ Social Stories

A social skill acquisition tool that can be used to help students develop non-verbal skills is a social story. A social story:

a) Should promote social understandingb) Can be written in the first or third person

perspectivec) Should be positived) Should be reinforced right before the skill is

practicede) A social story can be faded out as the student

learns the sequence of the routine. (Hall, 2013)

+ The Personalized Story Book

This is an example of a social story that deals with deficits for non-verbal communication; it is in the form of a story book created for a little girl named Kealy (Houghton, 2013). 

http://www.kerpoof.com/#view?s=2gs11dD98Mo5cjs4c000-d-8c48b7-x

+ Social Cognition

Social cognition is the ability to predict where a conversation may be going and the ability to alter your behavior and responses to fit the situation. In order to do this, a student needs:a) Social awarenessb) Knowledge of social norms

1) Procedural—Learned behaviors2) Declarative—The ability to decipher idioms and

knowledge of unspoken rules.c) Perspective taking (Boutot, Myles, (2011)

+ Promoting Social Cognition

Using self-monitoring techniques with students who have ASD helps them develop independence, generalizations, self and social-awareness. Students really need an understanding of what is expected of them, and with self monitoring techniques, the student will have the expectations—in word or picture form--of what they need to do right in front of him.

+ Daily Initiation and Response Self Monitoring Checklist

I walked up and said hello to people on the playground

Yes                    No

I asked someone on the playground if I could join an activity.

Yes                    No

I asked someone what they were eating in the cafeteria.

Yes                    No

I said “hello, how are you?” when someone said hello to me.

Yes                    No

I asked someone to play with me on the playground

Yes                    No

During a quiet time in a conversation, I asked a question from my social scripts

Yes                    No

+Social Cognition--Integrated Play Groups: Integrated play groups:

A. Are intended to promote socialization and play as well as introduce peer culture

B. Promotes acquisition of cultural skills and expectationsC. Combines both neuro-typical and typical studentsD. Should have a larger number of typical peers than neuro-

typicalE. Use scaffolds to promote independent playF. Requires joint engagement

+ Integrated Play Group Model

Here is a video that explains the Integrated Play Group Model

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u867ilizx8M ("United Way Vancuver: Integrated Play Group Model

Program", 2009). 

+ Social Skills Acquisition

In order for a student with autism to acquire a social skill, there must be a plan or method put into action.

MethodsA. Social Scripting—demonstrates step by step conversations

or activity procedures B. Video Modeling—watching and imitating videos for social

training.C. Problem Solving Strategies—a strategy that replaces a

problem behavior with a replacement behavior that is appropriate.

+ Video Modeling

Here is an example of video modeling. This video demonstrated the process and expectations of going to the dentist.

Look at Me Now (2012, June 7) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_n1aZy1NV8

+ Reinforcements

When working with students who have autism, some are reinforced intrinsically and others need a little push.

Students who are reinforced extrinsically need to have the reinforcements often in the beginning, but as they learn the skill, reinforcements need to be faded.

+Reinforcement Hierarchy

Positive Reinforcement--Positive reinforcement for each stage that is completed correctly. When that stage is mastered, the next stage will be the one to be reinforced.

Behavior Charts-- behavior chart can be used to show how much progress the student has made in their social shaping procedure. They will get a star for every stage they have successfully mastered.

Fading Strategy--When the stage is mastered, the student no longer earns a reinforcement for that stage—they will only earn on the stage they are working on at the time.

Extinction--Decreasing a behavior in steps. E.g. a student who will sit down in the middle of the road during the mail run because she wants to see the other students walk by. Have a student peer walk with her until she sits down. When she sits down, the peer is to walk to the next destination and wait for the the student. This will happen for all three stops of the mail run.

+ Behavior Charts

Here is an example of a sticker chart reinforcement schedule

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQYywH73u2A(Goalforit2010)

+ Social Skill Assessments

In order to determine a students progress with social skill development, teachers need to use measurement tools. Some examples are:A. TOPL (Test of Pragmatic Language)—This is a method of

evaluating conversational skills and group therapy.B. Celf (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals)—

Evaluates pragmatic language in students C. CASS (Contextual assessment of social skills.)--This

measures conversation skills and social behavior in students with the use of role plays.

+ The road to Social Success

There are many strategies that can be used to promote social success in students with autism. There is no way to show all of them.

The key to success is being consistent. Students with autism do not tend to like socialization.

If we don’t train them to socialize, they will be alone. The more they are left alone, the more they want to be left alone. We owe to these students to add a quality of life through socialization. (Bonnie Houghton)

+ References: Autism and university. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://autismandu.weebly.com/autism-the-specifics.html Banda, D., Grimmett, E., & Hart S.(2009).Activity Schedules.Teaching Exceptional

Children.Vol.41. Issue 4, p16-21. Boutot, E. A., & Smith, Myles, B. (2011) Autism spectrum disorders: Foundations,

characteristics, and effective strategies.  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Goalforit.com (2010, September 9). The behavior charts kids love [Video file].

Retrieved from Youtube.comwebsite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQYywH73u2A Houghton, B. A. (2013). Kerpoof: Princess Kealy learns about personal

space. Retrieved from http://www.kerpoof.com/#view?s=2gs11dD98Mo5cjs4c000-d-8c48b7-x

http://www.educateautism.com/applied-behaviour-analysis/discrete-trial-training.html Jacobs, J. (2012). Social Skill Builder:Development of social skills in children with

Autism Spectrum Disorder . Retrieved from http://www.socialskillbuilder.com/articles/socialskillsASDchildren.html

Keefer, A. (2011). Health Central:How to find the right social skills group for your child with autism. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qogksh7gxEo

+ References cont.:  Koegel, L. K. (n.d). Education.com: Pivotal Response Treatment: Identifying and targeting areas of

need in children with ASK. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article NASP Resources: Social Skills: Promoting positive behavior, academic success, and school

safety. (). Retrieved from http://www.nasponline.org/resources/factsheets/socialskills_fs.aspx National Institude of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Autism fact sheet. (2012). Retrieved from

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm Naturally Autistic (Y2010ar, November 2). How to teach social skills to autistic childen [Video file].

Retrieved from Youtube website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=E1PeC4jvLvs

Non-Comm: Non verbal communication. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.google.com/search?q=nonverbal+communication&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=yEB9UfGKJ4PB4APauYGIAw&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1045&bih=614#imgrc=Ls2u3Y5E6_7kqM%3A%3BbMp5csHqSsmfmM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F3.bp.blogspot.com%252F-wN9q_evuLPQ%252FTV1pOZPNUqI%252FAAAAAAAAAAM%252F-IerC4KSDks%252Fs1600%252Feffective_teaching_016.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F

http://speechtimefun.blogspot.com/ Look at Me Now (2012, June 7). Autism video model--Going to the dentist [Video file]. Retrieved

from Youtube website:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_n1aZy1NV8

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