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| Motivational Strategies for Increasing Social Interaction between Children with Autism and Their Typically Developing Peers |
| Tuesday, May 29, 2007 |
| 12:00 PM–1:20 PM |
| Emma AB |
| Area: AUT/EDC; Domain: Applied Research |
| Chair: Rosy Fredeen (University of California, Santa Barbara) |
| Abstract: In spite of advances in the treatment of children with autism, achieving meaningful social interactions with typically developing peers remains a challenging intervention goal. This symposium will present data from single case experimental designs that are relevant to social interventions to promote positive interactions between children with autism and their typically developing peers. Together, these four studies provide a sequential approach to inclusive social programming for children with autism. First we will present two studies related to training paraprofessionals to facilitate social interaction in inclusive preschool and elementary school settings, both within classroom activities and during recess. Next, the role of initiations in peer interactions will be addressed and data documenting strategies to increase initiations to peers will be presented. A fourth study will examine the use of priming to promote increased competence in activities with typical peers. Finally, the implications of these studies will be discussed in the context of comprehensive social intervention programs for children with autism. |
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| Training Paraprofessionals to Facilitate Social Interactions between Children with Autism and Typically Developing Peers: Preschool Classroom Settings. |
| SUZANNE ROBINSON (University of California, Santa Barbara), Robert L. Koegel (Koegel Autism Center, University of California), Lynn Kern Koegel (University of California, Santa Barbara) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of training paraprofessionals to facilitate social interactions between children with autism and their typical peers in inclusive preschool classrooms. Specifically, paraprofessionals were taught, within the context of a multiple baseline design, to incorporate Pivotal Response Teaching (including procedures of child choice, shared control, natural and contingent reinforcers) and peer-mediation strategies (e.g., peer-delivered antecedents and consequences) within the natural routines of the classroom. The paraprofessionals were trained using modeling and in vivo feedback procedures. Results showed that (a) prior to training, the paraprofessionals rarely prompted the children with autism to engage in social interactions, (b) following the training the paraprofessionals evoked social responses from the children with autism, and (c) throughout the training social interactions between children with autism and their peers increased and maintained at follow-up. The results are discussed in terms of understanding and improving paraprofessional training for the purposes of increasing social interactions between children with autism and their typically developing peers in inclusive preschools. |
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| Training Paraprofessionals to Facilitate Social Interactions between Children with Autism and Typically Developing Peers: Elementary School Playground Settings. |
| EILEEN KLEIN (University of California, Santa Barbara) |
| Abstract: As elementary-school-aged children with autism are placed in general education classrooms with increasing frequency, schools have turned to paraprofessionals to support these children in inclusive classrooms. However, research suggests that paraprofessionals often do not have enough training and can inadvertently hinder the social interactions between children with disabilities and their typically developing peers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine, within a multiple baseline across participants design, if paraprofessionals could learn to use motivation-based social facilitation procedures to promote social interactions between children with autism and their non-disabled peers during social activities. Results indicated that the paraprofessionals learned to use the motivation-based social facilitation procedures and generalized the techniques to untrained activities. Additionally, after the paraprofessionals were implementing the procedures with fidelity, the percent of time they engaged in hovering behavior or were uninvolved decreased, while their social facilitation and monitoring behavior increased. Related, once the paraprofessionals were implementing the procedures correctly, the reciprocal social behavior of the children with autism increased rapidly. Finally, on average the subjective ratings of the affect for the children with autism became more similar to their peers with intervention. The results are discussed in terms of paraprofessional training, social interventions, and meaningful outcomes. |
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| Increasing Initiations Towards Peers in Children with Autism Using Pivotal Response Training and Collateral Gains in Quality of Initiations. |
| ROSY FREDEEN (University of California, Santa Barbara) |
| Abstract: The literature documents that children with autism exhibit pervasive impairments in the ability to initiate, both in terms of quantity and quality. The purpose of this study was to empirically examine the effects of using the motivational procedures of PRT on the quantity and quality of initiations toward peers exhibited by children with autism. Specifically, a multiple baseline across participants was employed to address the following (1) quantity of initiations toward peers; (2) collateral gains in quality of initiations toward peers (i.e., social interaction and joint attention initiations); (3) quantity of initiations typically developing children make toward other typically developing peers; and (4) quality of initiations typically developing children make toward other typically developing peers. Data suggest that overall quantity of initiations increased and that social interaction and joint attention initiations increased as a collateral effect of Pivotal Response Treatment. Furthermore, all three types of initiations (behavior regulation, social interaction, joint attention) generalized to peers who did not participate in intervention and to toys not utilized during intervention. Generalization gains were also maintained at follow-up. Results are discussed in terms of clinical implications and future directions for research. |
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| Priming for Cooperative Activities with Children with Autism: Effects on Social Interactions with Typically Developing Peers. |
| GRACE W. GENGOUX (University of California, Santa Barbara) |
| Abstract: Difficulties in reciprocal social interaction with peers are characteristic of children with autism. Teaching social initiations to children with autism during priming sessions has been shown to increase the rate of initiations to typically developing peers, however, it is hypothesized that priming also may indirectly increase initiations due to its influence on the core area of motivation. Therefore, this study examines whether priming for cooperative activities will result in increases in the rate of initiations when initiations are not directly taught. In a multiple baseline design across four participants, results for children with autism showed increases in the rate of initiations and in statements reflecting competence. In addition, their typically developing peers showed increases in statements reflecting target child competence. Furthermore, the data indicated generalization of increases in initiations to un-primed activities and increases in positive affect. Findings are discussed in the context of positive, strength-based approaches to improving social interaction abilities of children with autism. |
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