• Hi. My name is Sam, what’s yours? How are you today? I’m fine. Where do you live? How many pets do you have? I have 7. They are goldfish. The first goldfish is named Swimmy. The second goldfish is named Fin. The third goldfish is named Goldie. The fourth…….

By now, the student with ASD is so intent on his monologue, he has failed to notice, and may be unable to interpret, his new friend’s eye rolls, lack of attention, or even that he has walked away.

• Hi. I’m Ned. What’s your name? How old are you? Are you married? How many children do you have?

These questions and others like them were the focus of another young man’s questions to every woman he approached when out in the community. They did not win him any friends.
Then there are the students who use perseverative or echolalic responses out of context, those who don’t recognize tone of voice, and those who laugh at the wrong times.

Students with ASD all along the spectrum are known to have deficits in social skills, particularly social language skills. These can range from not  using greetings or partings to not understanding the flow of a conversation, dominating the conversation with a monologue, to blurting out seemingly ‘rude’ or inappropriate statements. 

The National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder lists

10 evidence-based practices for teaching social skills to students with autism.

• Social Narratives

use short stories to describe social situations, direct expected behaviors, and explain the perspectives of others. These are intended to aid students in understanding and navigating social interactions. Social Stories, comic strips, and “power cards” are all examples of using social narratives, ranging from use of a simple visual to use of a demonstrative story, to actively engaging in processing conversations, social cues, and appropriate responses.

2. Social Skills Groups

are structured groups where students can practice their social skills with guidance. Students participate in role-playing, direct instruction, and get constructive feedback. These groups are usually under the guidance of a speech-language pathologist, special education teacher, or behavioral therapist.

3. Naturalistic Intervention

embeds instruction into naturally occurring everyday situations. By following the student’s desired activities, social skills can be learned during a motivating activity. Games students enjoy are a good activity for this, as are topics of preference. For example, a teacher might prompt a student who loves trains to ask another student to play with trains with him.

4. Video Modeling

involves students watching videos of appropriate social interactions before practicing/demonstrating them. These videos can be of themselves or of someone else, including adults. A student might watch a video of 2 students greeting each other and making small talk before practicing the skill himself.

5. Peer Mediated Intervention

uses neurotypical peers to model and reinforce social skills. This helps to build friendships and connections with others, as well as being able to practice during naturally occurring activities; such as recess and lunch. Usually a student is paired with a peer who has been trained to provide prompts for inclusive play.

6. Prompting and Reinforcement

provide specific cues to correct social behavior, gradually fading prompts to build independence. Fading of prompts and time delay prompts can be effective. A teacher might provide a specific visual cue that reminds the student what to do/say, then reinforces successful responses.

7. Scripting

involves giving students pre-written or rehearsed phrases to use in specific contexts. These can be faded as students begin to use the phrases more naturally or independently. Easy scripts for simple conversations have long been effective.

A script may be as simple as providing two steps;

1. approach another student,

2. ask them if they want to play with you,

3. if they say “no,’ ask if maybe another time.

8. Visual Supports

are very helpful for students with autism. Providing visuals that show expectations, routines, and rules aids students in remembering what to do/not to do. They may be as simple as using symbols for talking, listening, and asking to encourage appropriate conversational turn-taking.

9. Cognitive Behavioral Interventions

can help some students understand perspective-taking, problem solving, and emotions/feelings. They are used often for managing anxiety in social situations. The objective is often to turn negative, anxiety-producing thoughts into more positive plans.

10. Self-management

is an end-goal for those students who can learn to monitor their own social behaviors. Students learn by using checklists, self-reflection templates, and some apps. Students learn to think through a list of behaviors to determine if they acted appropriately.

A part of our job is to first determine which approach is right for a given student. Not all of these approaches will be ‘right’ for any given student, and any plan must be individualized. But we need to pay attention to social skills for our students to truly be included with their peers.

Join me for my session at the Wonderyears Summit, where I’ll be talking more about specific interventions and resources to help with social skills intervention.