Objectives: To increase social interacations between high school students with autism spectrum disorders or related developmental disabilities and their typically developing peers in the general education classroom setting.
Methods: A multiple-baseline design across settings and participants with a multiple-probe component was used to evaluate the effects of communication book use on participants' social interactions. Participants were six students identified with an autism spectrum disorder (including Asperger Disorder) or related developmental disability, three male and three female, ranging in age from 16-18. Each participant attended 4-7 general education classes. Thirty general education students served as conversational partners during intervention, of which 17 were female and 13 were male. The study consisted of three experimental conditions: (a) baseline, (b) communication book training, and (c) communication book use, across which generalization data were collected daily. Follow-up data were also collected.
Results: Communication book use was associated with increases in conversational initiations and responses between the students with ASD and their peers. Participants and peers reported that they enjoyed their interactions with each other. Communication book use appeared acceptable across social situations.
Conclusions: Communication books are effective in promoting interactions across students with varied social skills and, in fact, may serve as a "social prosthetic" to promote interaction among peers who might not typically interact.
See more of: Treatments: A: Social Skills; School, Teachers
See more of: Prevalence, Risk factors & Intervention