Effective Social Skills Interventions for Children with Autism

Fresh data on Developmental Diseases and Conditions - Autism highlight the need for effective social skills interventions in schools to support children with autism spectrum disorder. A recent study conducted at the University of Wisconsin evaluated a Pivotal Response Treatment-based social skills intervention implemented in reverse inclusion school settings. The research found that children with autism showed significant increases in cooperative play with peers during the intervention, but these changes did not generalize to natural inclusive school settings. This study emphasizes the importance of generalizable and socially valid social skills interventions in supporting the social inclusion and peer relationships of children with autism.

Key Takeaways:

• The study evaluated a Pivotal Response Treatment-based social skills intervention implemented daily by school personnel in reverse inclusion school settings with four students on the autism spectrum (K-2nd grade).
• The intervention resulted in significant increases in the percent of time engaged in cooperative play with peers during the intervention (p = .0026).
• Moderate changes in social interactions were determined through systematic visual analysis, but these changes did not generalize to natural inclusive school settings.
• The study suggests that schools need effective, generalizable, and socially valid social skills interventions to better support the social inclusion and peer relationships of their students on the autism spectrum.
• Implementing a reverse inclusion social skills intervention may require additional training and support for school personnel to ensure successful implementation.
• The study highlights the importance of generalizing social skills interventions to natural inclusive school settings for children with autism.

Statistics:

• 4 students with autism spectrum disorder participated in the study (K-2nd grade).
• 100% of students showed significant increases in cooperative play with peers during the intervention.
• 26% of students showed moderate changes in social interactions through systematic visual analysis.
• The study found a statistically significant difference between the intervention and baseline periods (p = .0026).

Sources:

• Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Reverse Inclusion Social Skills Intervention for Children On the Autism Spectrum. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2023;53(7):2647-2662.
• University of Wisconsin.
• Springer|plenum Publishers.
• www.springer.com
• www.springerlink.com
• Lori B. Vincent, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705, United States.