Sibling-Mediated Social Interaction Intervention for Young Children With Autism

Abstract

I n the present study, the authors investigated the effectiveness of a sibling-mediated intervention in supporting the social behaviors of young children with autism. They used a multiple-baseline design across four sibling dyads to examine the effectiveness of the intervention. The researchers taught the typically developing siblings ways to socially engage their brothers with autism, which resulted in strong and positive changes in joint attention and modest changes in social behavior for the latter. Social validity ratings by observers who were naïve to the study parameters documented the social importance of the intervention effects for three of the four children; however, the results did not provide strong evidence for generalization of increased social interactions to different settings. The authors also discuss the practical implications of their findings.

Effectiveness of Siblings-Delivered iPad Game Activities in Teaching Social Interaction Skills to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

“…In the study, the social validity findings collected from the mothers for subjective evaluation revealed that their opinions regarding the social interaction skills were positive. The findings of this study show consistency with the findings of the previous studies in which behavior modification techniques (Celiberti & Harris, 1993), social interaction behaviors (Oppenheim-Leaf et al, 2012;Tsao & Odom, 2006), imitation skills (Walton & Ingersoll, 2012), and joint-attention skills in home environments (Ferraioli & Harris, 2011) were taught.…”

“…In those studies, behaviors that make social interaction easy were put in the following order: suggesting play activities to the sibling, making eye contact, drawing attention to the play activity, initiating and expanding the conversation, providing clear instructions for the game, presenting clues for appropriate behaviors and enhancements, and sharing toys (OppenheimLeaf et al, 2012;Tsao & Odom, 2006;Walton & Ingersoll, 2012). Aside from these studies, the same behaviors also appear in a study by Ozaydın, Tekin-İftar, and Kaner (2008) in Turkey in which the peers of children with ASD helped them gain friendship skills.…”

“…Moreover, every one of the siblings with ASD willingly followed their sibling's intervention. In line with the subject, Tsao and Odom (2006) aimed to teach four typically developing children with siblings with ASD, how to use certain social interaction behaviors such as presenting play activities, making eye contact, and starting as well as continuing a conversation with their siblings with ASD while they are playing with them. After the intervention, positive changes were observed in the social interaction behaviors of typically developing children.…”

Evaluation of a Sibling-Mediated Imitation Intervention for Young Children With Autism

“…In a more extensive intervention, typical siblings of children with ASD were taught a series of skills in ten lessons, including staying in physical proximity to the child with ASD, gaining the child's attention, creating opportunities for social interaction, organizing and negotiating about play ideas, offering and asking for help, asking for clear directions, and providing verbal feedback. The typical siblings were able to effectively use these skills with the child with ASD, leading to increases in social interaction (a targeted skill) and joint attention (a non-targeted skill) in the children with ASD (Tsao & Odom, 2006).Reciprocal imitation, in which partners imitate one another in extended turn-taking sequences, may offer another important treatment target for children with autism and their siblings, since it can facilitate social coordination between peers (Eckerman, Davis, & Didow, 1989). Reciprocal imitation training (RIT) is an intervention designed to increase reciprocal imitation skills in children with autism in a naturalistic social context (Ingersoll, 2008).…”

“…Encouraging parents to continue this reinforcement after training ended might promote continued practice of these skills by siblings and lead to better skill maintenance. Alternatively, involving parents more closely in the sibling training procedure might also help siblings maintain skill gains (Tsao & Odom, 2006). …”