Social Intervention Paper

Autism is a developmental disorder, which is characterized by a dyad of difficulties in a) communication and social interaction and b) restricted interests and imagination (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Individuals on the Autism Spectrum might find it challenging to understand what other people think or what the reasons for their behaviours are, as their ‘theory of mind’ may not be well developed (Schuwerk, Vuori & Sodian, 2015). It is possible that this is why they might behave in socially inappropriate ways, being unable to differentiate between different contexts, while they might also find it difficult to make friends. Moreover, it is likely that they are fond of routines, repetition and structure (Carnahan, Musti-Rao, & Bailey, 2009), as they might be nervous with unknown, new situations. In addition, some of them might not do eye contact with other people, whereas some others might not endure to be touched and might have a difficulty developing speech (Jordan, 2005). Individuals on the Autism Spectrum might sometimes be prohibited to initiate conversations and might struggle with finding different ways to play and behave, due to the possible deficit of imagination, which in some cases might result in them having a narrow sphere of interests. Nevertheless, it should be noted that this group of people is rather heterogeneous, as characteristics of autism may differ from one individual to another (Gwynette, 2013). Another point is that people with Autism

The method describes the participants as two children diagnosed with autism and had language skills that were appropriate for the Social Stories intervention. The participants were in two different general education kindergarten classrooms, full-time at a public elementary school. The fist participant, Matt, was a 6-year-old Asian American boy who had a teaching assistant assigned to his classroom and the second participant, Ted, was a 5-year-old Caucasian boy who had a teaching assistant assigned to accompany throughout the school day. The participants received training sessions one to four times per-week that were conducted in private rooms for 10 to 20 minutes in the morning before class at each participant’s school. The participants only read Social Stories that only pertained to their individual targeted behaviors for intervention. The stories used had no pictures, only large text on white paper. The participants were read one story per

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be portrayed toward critical impairments in social interaction. It also includes restricted repeated behaviors, interests and activities. (Mayo Clinic staff, 2014)

This lack of social development is a big barrier to achieving all the PILES outcomes. Language is learned through conversing with others. Intellectual development is increased when learning together. Children learn a lot about the world through interacting with others and collaboration is a very important learning tool.

Autism is a very complex disorder that deals with social behavior. People with Autism can have many different stages of Autism ranging anywhere from high functioning (people that act more normal and have less noticeable symptoms), moderately functioning (people with autism that are more noticeable than people who are high functioning, tend to have more ticks, but can cope and adapt more than low functioning), and low functioning (people with autism that more often than not do not talk, more noticeable symptoms, more ticks, and have a hard time copping and adapting). With there being

Autism causes atypical social behaviors such as social interaction and social skills. people with autism have a lack of reciprocity and they do not share enjoyments, achievements, and interests with others. Sometimes they can have difficulty making friends. People with autism are often confused about the appropriate social behaviors.

The intervention most interesting to me in the Behavioral Therapy approach is the contingency contract. If used properly with defiant or rebellious children or adolescents the reinforcement rewards would be a motivating factor for change. Shapiro, Friedberg, and Bardenstien (2006) report, when developing a contingency contract the contract should be written so the child understands what is in it and it is age appropriate and fair for both parents and the child. Therefore, when the child is improving and making progress with their behavior in school for example the parents must reinforce their positive behavior with the agreed upon token of appreciation. Shapiro et al. (2006) reports, often when parents enter counseling with their child

Researchers have focused on studies evaluating the usefulness of various autism intervention models to improve intervention with individuals on the autism spectrum. Newer models aiming to teach these individuals various communication skills have emerged, but the lack of experimentation has researchers questioning their overall effectiveness. A large percentage of individuals along the autism spectrum have difficulties with various communication skills and require intervention to address these sociable differences. Social stories, a recent intervention model, has become a popular method of

Every single day is a struggle for an autistic child and his or her family. Autism affects all aspects of a child’s life from their ability to show affection to their family to being able to do simple tasks such as communicating and thinking in ways that we take for granted. Autism is defined as a developmental disability in which children experience abnormalities in social functioning, language, often act in puzzling ways, and usually appears before the age of three (Mash &Wolfe, 2010). Although the exact causes of autism are unknown there does seem to be a strong genetic component. Having a child or family member with autism is a constant battle of emotion and frustration. Everyone wants to help the people they love when they have

Using social stories has proven to be a successful intervention for improving behavior and communication across environments for children with autism. Information for assessing and identifying target behaviors for social story interventions comes from information found in teacher and parent interviews, direct observations of student behaviors, and data collection. This information is then used to create the social story with specific steps and skills needed in obtaining the target behaviors. All participants in the presented journal reviews showed considerable improvements in participant’s target behaviors with the use of social stories. There was only one instance of a child not improving after the social story intervention was implemented.

Students with autism can become overwhelmed very easily by even minor deviations from the routine. It is important to be sensitive to the way autistic children function so that their potential can be reached.

Narrative therapy is derived through a social constructionism framework, thus it is essential to highlight this construct. Social constructionism includes information mutually constructed by your own and others views, understandings, meanings and significance. Social constructionism involves the interaction and relationships children form with others and notions developed through mutual assumptions (You & Lori, 2011). Based on cultural context an autistic child’s role as a son/daughter or family member. Hence, influences in social context can play a role in their lives. A social, cultural system can be impacted in many ways; societal views can have an impact on how children interact and how children choose to behave with others. A social constructionism framework is crucial when treating children with autism. According to a study conducted by You and Lori (2011) relationships between parents and autistic children improved due to changes in stigmatization views about shamefulness through using a social constructionism approach in therapy. Thus narrative family therapy is effective when a social constructionism lens is used.

Tens of millions of people have been diagnosed with Autism worldwide, effecting both genders, all races, ethnicities and people from all socioeconomic classes. In 2010 a Surveillance Summary was conducted in the United States, where it identified that one in 68 children are diagnosed with Autism (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). It has been recognised

Autism is associated with a range of differences and difficulties typically related to core skills in reciprocal social interaction, communication and imagination

I am very passionate about working with kids with autism. They have such amazing personalities and I feel like people don’t see past the disability to the unique person they are. For several years I worked at a residential facility for kids on the spectrum. I was a direct care staff that worked one on one with them to work on their goals their treatment plan was focusing on. My passion to help kids with autism comes from my previous experience working with these kids and watching them grow and learn new skills. This transformation that I watched happen and helped be a part of with these kids made me want to help more kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There are a lot of skills that need to be taught to these children. Socialization, communication, and positive behavior are just a few kids with autism need help improving. I believe that the earlier that you teach a child these skills the more successful they will be. Early intervention has had a positive outcome within many research experiments that professionals have done. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004) also requires schools to teach kids with disabilities alongside typically developed kids as much as possible.