Social Skills Solutions: Setting Appropriate Goals and Teaching Social Skills for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

1. Social Skills Solutions: Setting Appropriate Goals and Teaching Social Skills for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Kelly McKinnon, MA, BCBA, www.kellymckinnonassociates.com Guests: Joan Hersh, MA, Preschool Teacher Elif Cagin, MA, New Vista School Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

2. Why teach play skills • In 2001 the book Educating Children with Autism, also ranked social skills and the teaching of developmentally appropriate play, as among the eight types of goals that should have priority in the design of effective educational programs for children with ASD. • “Children with autism often gravitate to repetitive play activity, ranging from manipulating objects and enacting elaborate routines to pursuing obsessive and narrowly focused interests. Without specific guidance, they are less likely to engage in functionally appropriate play with objects similarly”. (Wolfberg, 1999) Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

3. Module 3: Level 1: Social Play Developmental Milestones Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

4. Independent Play~ Neurotypical child • Neurotypical children often begin playing by playing alone • Play involves children manipulating toys on their own • Play is exploratory, yet purposeful-functional- emerges into shared play with peers Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

5. Play Skills: • Play can be simple, or very intricate • Common play steps- follow the milestones: • Basic play with closed ended toys (stacking cups) • Open ended purposeful play (block building) • Imitative play • Symbolic/Pretend play • Dramatic play Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

6. What Do We See in Neurotypical Children’s Play? • Children play alone, short or long periods of time, and using a variety of toys! • They explore & access toys independently • Children use toys functionally and appropriately • They make comments while they play • Children make references to others while playing Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

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8. Play Stations Weiss & Harris (2001) described play stations as: • “Activity centers set up at different physical locations scattered about a classroom” • “Used to teach a number of skills including increasing play, parallel play skills and transfer imitations skills to a setting that resembles a typical preschool” • Bonus skill: helps support length & duration of play Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

9. Teaching Methods • Use visual • Prompt transition verbally and/or physically Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

10. Incorporate peers Referencing Join into existing play with peers Continue to increase sustainability Expand pretend play repertoire Next Steps Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

12. Programming considerations • Teach: Independent play: access & play with toys on your own, functionally; give mom a break! • Teach: Imitation in play: watching, copying & responding to others actions • Teach: Initiating play ideas: generate new ideas in play • Teach: Pretend play; acting out scenarios, characters Use data provided as your criteria aims for mastery Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

13. Goals Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

14. Video Modeling Effectiveness: • "Results from the video modeling meta-analysis indicate that both video modeling and VSM (Video Self-Modeling) meet the Council for Exceptional Children's criteria for evidence-based practices." Bellini, S. & Akullian, J. (2007) Exceptional Children, 73, 261-284 Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

16. Cooperative Play • Weiss & Harris “Children work together toward common goal or share a fantasy theme that requires mutual exchange to build a scenario” • Joint building items • Making an art project • Dramatic play scenarios Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

17. Teaching methods • Video Modeling • 6 year old playing • Starter phrases (White board) • White board of starter phrases • Token system • Adult provided tokens (points on white board) • Set criteria of 7 sharing of ideas • Moved to self-monitoring • White board off to side, in room Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

18. Goals • Kelly will join into play of others, sustaining and participating in the same activity at least 10 minutes, or until activity is over, at least one time daily, 4 of 5 consecutive days • Kelly will invite another peer to play, sustaining activity at least 10 minutes, or until activity is over, at least 1 time daily, 4 of 5 consecutive days • Kelly will develop cooperative play skills, by working together with at least 1 other peer to jointly participate/build an item (Legos, floor puzzle, make a sign), at least 15 minutes, with no more then 1 prompt, 4 of 5 opportunities, 4 consecutive days • During structured turn-taking activities with peers, Kelly will attend to the game, aware/acting upon her turn, independently, 80% of opportunities, across 4 consecutive days • Kelly will expand dramatic/pretend play skills with peers, by initiating at least 5 new pretend play ideas or comments, and observe and respond to at least 50% of a peer’ statements, in a 10 minute play period, 4 of 5 opportunities, across 4 consecutive days Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

19. A review of the literature suggests that few studies have spent time addressing the effects of self-management as a technique to enable children with ASD to control and report on their progress toward increasing and decreasing target behaviors, enabling teachers to devote more time to teaching. Koegel, Hurley, Frea (1992) Demonstrated children with autism with severe deficits in social skills could learn to self-manage responsivity to others in multiple community settings Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

20. Goal areas: Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

21. Teaching MethodPhase One • In the classroom • Direct Instruction • Whiteboard • Instructor writes and explicitly teaches goals for lunchtime conversation. Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

22. Phase Two • Behavior Rehearsal / Role Play • Goal for conversation remain on the whiteboard. • Tally marking frequency of exchange on the white board as a visual reminder. Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

23. Phase Three • Group Discussion • Checking off goals on checklist followed and constructive feedback on what to work on. Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

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26. Phase Four • In the lunch area • Group discussion • Whiteboard and Pink “Lunchtime Goals” checklist. • Instructor asks for student participation to list rules on board. Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

27. Self-Monitoring & Reinforcement Systems 1. Whiteboard Visual Reminder 2. “Lunchtime Goals” Checklist 3. Individual Goals 4. School wide points system Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

28. Self-Monitoring & Reinforcement Systems 1. Whiteboard Visual Reminder 2. “Lunchtime Goals” Checklist 3. Individual Goals 4. School wide points system Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

29. Video Modeling Effectiveness: • "Results from the video modeling meta-analysis indicate that both video modeling and VSM(Video Self-Modeling) meet the Council for Exceptional Children's criteria for evidence-based practices." Bellini, S. & Akullian, J. (2007) Exceptional Children, 73, 261-284 Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

30. Phase Five • Video Modeling & Vide Self-Feedback • Group Discussion • Checking off goals met and pausing video for positive and constructive feedback on what to work on that day at lunchtime. Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

31. Phase Six Wrap-up and priming Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

32. Where we are headed • Break time / recess / passing periods • Seeing on going generalization issues • “ Conversations are just for lunchtime when we’re eating.” • These periods of time are unstructured • Will use the same process Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

33. Conclusions Play skills need to be taught, and should be a component of every child with ASD programming~ Teaching play needs to move from 1:1 setting to group settings~ Teaching play needs to more closely match developmental criteria~ Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

34. Final Thoughts • More specific data published on neurotypical play skills • Goals based on peers • Assessments should incorporate peer data • Many different types of “ABA” procedures to teach play skills! Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

35. Available at Special Needs Bookstore