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One area of particular challenge for students with ASD is initiating social interaction. I've noticed this in my two years with the same student -who has made remarkable progress -but continues to need support to develop the necessary skills to initiate social interaction and move beyond greetings. I think this skill can be taught through the following two strategies: 1. peer-mediated social skills intervention and 2. video modeling
Peer-mediated social skills intervention is utilizing peers, pre-taught or not, to teach target skills. Henry noted many positives in his literature review such as increased social initiation by students with ASD, very little adult intervention necessary, popularity with students of ASD on the playground increased after peer-mediated intervention, promotes inclusivity at school, and self-confidence and self-esteem of students with ASD.
How it works: Teacher chooses a skill that a student with ASD finds difficult and chooses peers that are: around the same age, good at following directions, willing to participate, have good attendance, are high social status, and have age-appropriate socials skills to either be trained to teach a skill or participate in practicing a skill with the student with ASD and other students. The group meets over a course of six to eight weeks to learn and practice the skill. Modeling, prompting, reinforcing, and direct instruction are imperative roles of teacher and peers. Students used a peer-monitoring strategy to note if their partner had completed the skill accurately and documents it. When a student with ASD has been able to successfully perform a skill three times, the teacher records the intervention as successful. Henry noted that follow-up is important for this and a “booster” session necessary so that the skills are long-lasting and used into adulthood. (Henry, 2017)
I really like the idea of using peer-mediated intervention, and used it last year in a playgroup when I had consistent SSA support. I can see this being very successful for all involved. Korkiamaki noted, “Children are able to support, control, and build their own capacities and by extension , those of their peers.” (in Henry, 2017, p. 36)
Here is a video (available on youtube here) of peer-mediated intervention in practice:
The use of video modeling followed by Skill Streaming, social skills intervention developed by Arnold P. Goldstein, has shown to be effective in students with ASD achieving target skill mastery after three to six intervention sessions.
How it works: The teacher identifies the necessary target skill to be taught and creates a script modeling correct social skill procedure. Each component in the social skill sequence is performed by a student of similar age to the child learning the target skill and a teacher. It is important that the people are familiar with the student learning the skill. An iPad is used for both recording the video and viewing it. After showing the video, large visual cards are used in sequential order to break down the skill. The cards are used as an additional prop during the intervention.
I think this is a great idea that a class could undertake to create videos for a student with ASD. It would be a fun way to review certain social skills explicitly in an early primary setting, promote literacy (scriptwriting), cooperation and collaboration, as well as create a useful resource for students that need the intervention. (Kocaoz, Little, and Gallup, 2019)
Here is an example of video (available on Youtube here) modeling teaching the skill of starting a conversation:
References:
Avon Maitland School Board. [Avon Maitland DSB]. (2012, June 14). ASD peer-mediated supports -peer-mediated approach [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_Dv1gD1V_o
Harrah, M. [Meredith Harrah]. (2016, May 80. Social skills using video modeling -starting a conversation [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuukBPccAeE&t=6s
Henry, C. (2017). Using Peer Mediated Interventions to Enhance the Social Skills of Pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Reach, 30(1), 36–44.
Kocaoz, O. E., Little, M. E., & Gallup, J. (2019). Impact of Video Modeling Combined with Skillstreaming Teaching Procedures on the Social Interaction Skills of Middle School-Aged Children with ASD. Education & Training in Autism & Developmental Disabilities, 54(3), 237–248.
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