Peer-Mediated Intervention for the Development of Social Interaction Skills in High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by difficulties with social interaction and communication, which manifest at school especially in less structured situations such as recess. Recess provides opportunities for relationship with peers in a natural context, for which students with ASD may not be equipped with the necessary skills to use without support. Using a single-case design, we evaluated an intervention applied in recess to improve the social interaction skills of a student with high-functioning ASD mediated by his peers without ASD, in second grade of elementary school. This intervention includes different strategies to initiate the peers without ASD, using direct instruction, modeling, and social reinforcement carried out in the recess setting. After 14 sessions, changes were observed in the rates of initiating and responding to interactions, and a negative trend in the percentage of time that the student maintained low-intensity interactions or was alone. Teachers and family perceived improvements in social skills, more peer acceptance, and increase in the frequency and duration of social interactions. This intervention can help teachers to apply research-based practices to improve some social interaction skills in high-functioning students with autism in inclusive school environments.

Improvement of Planning Skills in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder After an Educational Intervention: A Study From a Mixed Methods Approach

“…In short, the mixed methods approach adopted has shown its enormous potential to help us to study the improvement of the planning skills of children with ASD, and consequently, to improve their quality of life; aspect that proves to be particularly deficient in children and adolescents with ASD compared to their typically developing peers (de Vries and Geurts, 2015). Therefore, and in accordance with other authors (Arias-Pujol et al, 2015;Rodríguez-Medina et al, 2016Alcover et al, 2019), we advocate the use of mixed methods approach. The use of the mixed methods approach (and, more exactly, the observational methodology considered in itself as mixed methods), due it offers rigor and flexibility, is still more necessary and useful when it comes to the assessment of participants of a young age and special characteristics, as is the case of this study (Anguera, 2003).…”

"I m Not Trained for This " And Other Barriers to Evidence-Based Social Skills Interventions for Elementary Students with High Functioning Autism in Inclusion

“…In the United States, this is particularly true for students identified with high functioning autism, who now spend more time in public school regular education programs than ever before (Snyder et al, 2016). Students with higher functioning autism tend to be diagnosed later in life when increasing social demands noticeably compromise daily functioning, resulting in inimitable social and behavioural challenges in the school setting (Longtin, 2014;Rodríguez-Medina, Martín-Antón, Carbonero, & Ovejero, 2016). Furthermore, students with high functioning autism may be unintentionally neglected -they may not receive the necessary services and supports that they need for later life success due to the tendency in schools to focus on academic deficits as opposed to social deficits (Spencer, 2013;Sullivan, 2009).…”

Behavioral Skills Training in Portuguese Children With School Failure Problems

“…Since then, behavioral programs have been applied successfully to train people with intellectual disabilities in academic skills such as reading (Saunders et al, 2003 ) and using computers (Jerome et al, 2007 ). Another example has been training people with hearing and visual impairments (Green et al, 2005 ; Toussaint and Tiger, 2010 ), and others with autism (Axe and Sainato, 2010 ; Rodriguez-Medina et al, 2016 ) or with learning disabilities (Wood et al, 1998 ; Levingston et al, 2009 ). The analysis of school failure has accompanied this development.…”