"The Effect of a Social Skills Package on Initiations, Responses, and T" by Mary Elizabeth Ortman

Date of Graduation

Fall 2015

Degree

Master of Science in Education in Special Education

Department

Counseling, Leadership, and Special Education

Committee Chair

Linda Garrison-Kane

Abstract

The current study was completed in the Spring of 2015 in an elementary special education classroom. This single-subject ABAB withdrawal design utilized a social skills curriculum, self-monitoring, and video-modeling to increase the initiations, responses, turns-taken, and total duration involved in social play in two first grade males with autism. Limitations included time constraints and the setting of a busy classroom. During 15-minute data sessions, participant one's initiations increased from a mean frequency of 2 during A1 to 28 during B2, responses increased from a mean frequency of 3 to 26, turn-taking increased from a mean frequency of 10 to 29, and duration engaged in a social interaction increased from a mean of 4 minutes and 19 seconds to 14 minutes and 5 seconds. Participant two's initiations increased from a mean frequency of 4 to 24, responses increased from a mean frequency of 5 to 21, turn-taking increased from a mean frequency of 7 to 23, and duration increased from a mean of 3 minutes and 45 seconds to 14 minutes and 16 seconds. It is recommended that future research utilize parent-delivered social skills training programs, lower functioning participants, siblings as peer-trainers, generalization probes, and component analysis.

Keywords

autism spectrum disorder, evidence-based practices, social skills, video self-modeling, self-monitoring, token economy

Subject Categories

Special Education and Teaching

Copyright

© Mary Elizabeth Ortman

Open Access

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