Social skills workshop

Social Skills Development Presentation

Sarah CogswellAUT 503

January 22, 2014Dr. Tanika W. Cornelius

1 minute Go over the presentation schedule

5 minutes Sheldon’s Friendship Algorithm

5 minutes Brainstorm a list of social skill deficits our ASD students have

5 minute Common Social Skill Deficits in ASD

5 minutes Share current research in the area of social skill development theory.

6 minutes 2 examples of Social communication

6 minutes 2 examples of Social initiation

6 minutes 2 examples of Social reciprocity

6 minutes 2 examples of social cognition

Presentation Schedule= 45 min

Sheldon’s Approach to Friendship

Click on the picture to view Short video clip

Staff Brainstorm

List of social skills deficits in ASD:

Common Social Skill Deficits

Autism Spectrum Disorders

Speech- prosody, non-verbal

Linguistic conventions-non-literal, sarcasm

Interpersonal interaction-

lack of emotion

Social Pragmatics- turn taking, perspective

Dwell on Unusual topics,

limited interests

Difficulty with facial

expressions and body language(Susan Williams

White, 2006)

Current Research in Social Skill Development Theory

5-6 months-Interest in objects

6-18 months-coordinated joint attention (attention to people and objects)

Typical Social-Emotional Development

3-6 months -Interest in people

(Hall, 2013)

12-18 months-Learn to evaluate consequences and repair miscommunications

1-2 Years -Respond to distress of peers. Offer comfort at age 3

Typical Social-Emotional Development

6-12 months -Turn taking Games Begin

(Hall, 2013)

Preschool -Friendship changes daily

8-9Years -Less egocentrism and more sensitivity

Typical Social-Emotional Development

Toddlers -Parallel Play

(Hall, 2013)

Current Research in Social Skill Development Theory

More research is needed!

Teaching Social Skills to Address Deficits

Autism Spectrum Disorders

Parents and Educators as

Social PartnersRDI

-Video Modeling

PRT Techniques-Scripts and

Fading

-Play dates-Scaffolding

SCERTS Model-Social Stories

-TEAACh-Social Skills

Training(Hall, 2013)

Teaching Social Skills Through Interaction with Horses

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Social Skills Training Video

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Ken is 10 years old. He was diagnosed with ASD when he was five. Ken has ADHD and some learning difficulties.

Ken usually plays alone. However, when Ken is with his peers he often gets frustrated when he is trying to get his point across. He does not make eye contact and does not use hand gestures. He gets frustrated and his words get jumbled. When this happens Ken has a meltdown.

Ken’s teacher is going to try to use Social Scripts to teach him about the importance of eye contact and gestures.

Social Communication Example #1

(Hall, 2013)

Ray will be starting school in the fall. He has high functioning autism. Ray is an only child.

Ray’s mother noticed that at family functions he did not socialize with his cousins but played quietly by himself- lining up his blocks. She was upset by this and wanted to encourage friend ship and social communication. After some research, she started scheduling weekly play dates with her friend’s children.

It took some coaxing, modeling and positive reinforcement, but Ray’s mother noticed that he is more social as a result of the play dates. She hopes that his carries over into the classroom in the fall.

Social Communication Example #2

(Hall, 2013)

Social Initiation

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Social Initiation Example #1

Tom is a grade Two student who is fascinated by trains. He has average verbal and cognitive ability.

Tom’s teacher is concerned because he rarely initiates conversations or play with his peers. If they ask him to play he will often join but plays silently with them.

Tom’s teacher decides to create a social story to help Tom become more comfortable with initiating play with his peers.

After two weeks of working with Tom on the social story, his teacher is pleased to see that Tom has initiated train play on two different occasions.

(Hall, 2013)

Social Initiation Example #2

Lucy is a lovable five year old. She has ASD and is non-verbal. Lucy has just entered Kindergarten in an inclusive education setting.

Lucy does not initiate play or social interaction. She stands and watches her peers but makes no effort to join them. Lucy’s teacher and Educational Assistant have started using the PECS program with her.

Midway through the first semester, with lots of modeling, Lucy started using her picture cards to initiate play with a classmate.

(Hall, 2013)

Social Reciprocity

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Jeff is nine years old and has been diagnosed with Asperger’s. He is in grade 4 in an inclusive education setting. Jeff does well academically and has strong verbal skills.

However, Jeff has difficulty making friends because he only wants to talk about his latest fascination- washing machines. His peers have little interest in this topic and Jeff does not understand the back and forth nuances of conversation. If they do initiate conversation with Jeff, Jeff immediately turns the topic to Washing Machines.

Jeff’s teacher and parents have started using video modeling to help Jeff learn how to have conversations with his peers. However, at this point the learning has not carried over into Jeff’s world.

Social Reciprocity Example #1

(Susan Williams White, 2006)

John is seven years old and in grade two. He has high functioning autism and for the most part he functions well in the classroom.

John loves to play board games and card games. However, his classmates no longer wish to play with him because John doesn’t like to take turns. He can verbally tell the teacher the rules of the game. However, he hates taking turns and gets upset if he starts to lose. Then he throws the game and stomps away.

John’s family and teacher want him to learn about turn taking and good sportsmanship. They have decided to use scaffolding to support John. During the next month, they set up game situations frequently but make sure that an adult is available to encourage turn taking and to praise and reinforce John’s attempts.

Social Reciprocity Example #2

(Susan Williams White, 2006)

Social Cognition

Click on the Picture to view More info about “A on mars”

Henry is in Middle School. He was diagnosed with Asperger’s when he was in grade two. Henry has wonderful family support and functions quite well in everyday life.

However, Henry had difficulty making and maintaining friendships. He talks differently than his peers – using scientific sounding vocabulary. Henry also stands too close to his peers when he talks to them. He often says things that are not age appropriate or appropriate to the situation.

His teachers have started a social skills group two noon hours a week. They have enlisted the help of a few of Henry’s peers and are hoping that this will make a difference for Henry.

Social Cognition Example #1

(Hall, 2013)

Sam is five years old. He is in Kindergarten. Sam was diagnosed with PDD NOS at age three.

Sam is very social and functions well in the classroom most of the time. However, Sam has difficulty understanding the facial expressions and body language of his peers. This sometimes gets him in trouble.

For example, on the playground Sam was playing soccer with some of the older boys. One of the boys got angry when he didn’t score a goal. The other kids read his body language and facial expression and moved away as they knew trouble was coming. However, Sam didn’t “see” things and kept playing. He ended up getting hurt when the boy pushed Sam out of the way.

Sam’s teacher have decided to create a comic book to help him learn about facial expressions.

Social Cognition Example #2

(Hall, 2013)

References

Boutot, E. A., & Smith Myles, B. (2011). Autism spectrum disorders: Foundations, characteristics, and effective strategies. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Decaro, P. (n.d.). A on Mars. Retrieved January 25, 2014, from http://www.paolodecaro.com/a-on-mars/

Frankel, F., & Wood, J. J. (2011). Social skills success for students with Autism/Asperger’s: Helping adolescents on the spectrum to fit in. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons. Hall, L. J. (2013). Autism spectrum disorders: From theory to practice (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Susan Williams White, K. K. (2006). Social Skills Development in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Review of the Intervention Research. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1858-1868.

Autism Teaching Strategies. (2011, July 9). Using a Balance to Teach Relationship reciprocity to kids with ASD. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiORTMUyVjI

Ecoweekends. (2013, November 12). Students With Aperger’s Develop Social Skills Through Interaction With Horses. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxCNR-lroA8

NortonEastwood. (2011, February 27). Wristbands for Social Initiation: A Self-Management Skill. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03O5mDMQ2D4

TDSocialSkills. (2012, March 11). Social Skills Training: Taking Turns Speaking. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RjRZ9jMfs0

Zarhejo. (2009, January 19). The Big Bang Theory-The Friendship Algorithm. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0xgjUhEG3U

References