Linking Sensory Strategies & Social Skills Training to Improve the Social Participation in Children with Autism

According to the CDC (2014), approximately one in 68 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A pervasive symptom is the inability to engage in goal-directed social behaviors with peers. Research has... [ view full abstract ]

According to the CDC (2014), approximately one in 68 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A pervasive symptom is the inability to engage in goal-directed social behaviors with peers. Research has demonstrated that social participation intervention in a socially-embedded context improves child initiated social behaviors and results in more frequent prosocial behaviors (Koegel, Vernon, & Koegel, 2009; DeRosier et al., 2011). Sensory integrative dysfunction may also impair a child’s occupational performance through the inability to cope with stress, respond to the interactions of others, and independently initiate appropriate behaviors. Although social participation and sensory integration interventions are respectably researched, there is a paucity of literature on how these two frames of reference, when combined, improve social competence. Pairing sensory and social activities can be a useful intervention for children with ASD, resulting in improved generalization in the natural social environment. Increased social competence of the individual will encourage peer acceptance and the development of positive peer relationships. Children with ASD have highly individualized behaviors and responses to intervention, and thus, single subject designs are helpful in highlighting both progress and variability. In addition, observational checklists can be an effective means of outcomes assessment for this unique population.
Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine changes in social competence through a sensory based social skills program, and to depict individualized changes, considering ASD severity (Gilliam, 2014) in five categories of social participation.

References are listed in abstract document attached.