Social Skills
Teaching
Social Skills
Like many other skills, social skills for children with Autism
must often be taught directly. This is because children with
autism do not easily acquire those skills naturally from their
environment, like their typically developing peers. It is
also because autistic children have greater difficulty reading
subtle social cues, which makes interpreting meaning challenging.
Teaching social skills directly can take many forms. For
example, in addition to video
modeling, using a method called Applied Behavior
Analysis (ABA) is often successful. ABA involves breaking
down a task into its component parts to teach it and using
positive reinforcement to motivate the desired behavior.
NEW! Social
skills curriculum resources
Applied Behavior
Analysis (ABA) and Autism
ABA is a method of teaching children with Autism Spectrum
Disorder. ABA requires anywhere from 30-40 hours per week
of one-to-one teaching. Each skill is broken down into its
component parts and taught in a structured teaching environment.
Appropriate behavior is rewarded, and inappropriate behavior
is redirected or ignored.
Teaching social skills with ABA requires multiple trials
of the same target. Only once a skill is mastered is a new
target introduced.
Methodical records are kept of each teaching trial to assure
mastery of a target. The data is reviewed by a behavior consultant
who oversees the program. From the data, the consultant may
decide to hold off on targets, put the target on a maintenance
schedule, or introduce a new target.
The Model Me Kids™ videos are a useful teaching tool
in combination with an ABA program for setting and teaching
social skills targets.
Social Skills
and School Inclusion
Social skills are important for inclusion in the classroom.
Inclusion in a school environment with typically developing
peers is often not dependent solely on a child's IQ or intelligence.
Children with Autism and Asperger Syndrome are often capable
of working at grade level, but are at risk of not being included
in a classroom because of behavioral issues or poorly developed
social skills.
Social Skills
Groups
Social skills groups may be found through community organizations.
Many schools also offer social skills groups that take place
during the school day within the context of school. This type
social skills group may require an IEP in order for the child
to participate. The purpose of a social skills group is to
teach and guide social interaction of the children participating
in the group so as to teach them how to establish and maintain
friendships.
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 Time
for School™
Topics include: listen to the teacher, share, sit quietly,
take turns, show interest in others, playground, & more.
Run Time: 61 min.
DVD plus free photo CD
For Kindergarten through 5th grade
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| order
 Time
for a Playdate™
Topics include: greet friend, losing, answer, play his way,
eye contact, clean up, say goodbye & more.
Run Time: 67 min.
DVD plus free photo CD
For Kindergarten through 5th grade
read
more | order
 I
Can Do It!™
Models appropriate behavior in stressful situations, including
waiting, transitions, birthday parties, handling criticism,
& more.
Run Time: 53 min.
DVD plus free photo CD
For Kindergarten through 5th
grade
read more | order
 Model
Me
Conversation Cues™
Models nonverbal cues, how and when to start a conversation,
maintain conversation, turn-taking in conversation, &
more.
Run Time: 68 min.
DVD plus free photo CD
For Upper Elementary, Middle,
& High School
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more | order
Model Me
Friendship™
Models social skills involved in initiating and maintaining
a friendship including: choosing friends, handling rejection,
team sports, compromise, and more.
Run Time: 75 min.
DVD plus free photo CD
For Upper Elementary, Middle,
& High School
read
more | order
Using Positive
Reinforcement to Teach Social Skills
Reinforcing appropriate behavior is one way to promote acquisition
of social skills. When the desired behavior is exhibited,
immediate reward will reinforce the behavior and make it more
likely to occur again in the future. For example, the child
is asked to greet a friend at the door at the beginning of
a playdate. The child says "hello." Immediately,
a pat on the back or "good job saying hello" whispered
in the ear is given to reward the appropriate social interaction.
Examples of types of reinforcement include:
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