Teaching Social Skills to Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Efficacy of a Social Learning Approach
Open Access
Author:
Bellinger, Jillian Marie
Graduate Program:
School Psychology
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
August 30, 2011
Committee Members:
James Clyde Diperna, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor Dr James Clyde Di Perna, Committee Chair/Co-Chair Barbara Schaefer, Committee Member Pamela S Wolfe, Committee Member Krista M Wilkinson, Committee Member
Keywords:
Autism Social Learning Autism Spectrum Disorder Social Skills
Abstract:
As the number of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is rising, there is increasing demand for evidence-based interventions that are efficient and easy to implement in school settings. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention protocol featuring guided practice, coaching, modeling, role-play, and behavioral rehearsal on the promotion of social behaviors among students with ASD. A multiple-baseline design across intervention groups was used to determine the effects of this instructional model on students’ social initiation, self-regulation, and assertion skills. Implementation of the intervention resulted in mean increases in each of the target skills across the six participating students. However, time series graphs indicated significant within-phase variability in the data, and a functional relationship across groups could not be established for any of the skills. Rating scale data suggested that each of the students acquired gains in related behaviors; however, these improvements generally were not maintained post-intervention. Nonetheless, the teacher, parents, and students reported positive views of the intervention and outcomes. Future directions and implications for researchers, practitioners, and parents are discussed.
