Background: Many educators assume that students develop appropriate social skills as a by-product of participation in physical education and sports (Hellison 2003). However, it has been demonstrated that appropriate social behaviours improve when interventions are implemented (Balderson and Sharpe 2005). It is known that students with…

Social exchanges occurring among 38 young children with disabilities in early intervention programs were studied over 16 months. Proportion of time spent in social exchanges remained low throughout the two years. Exchanges that did occur became more purely social in nature. The frequency of vocalizations and object-related acts increased over…

This paper briefly reviews the research in social and behavioral interventions with autism in the past 30 years. Progress in the areas of decreased placement in highly restrictive environments, parent training, effective treatments, functional behavioral analysis, and emphasis on improved quality of life is noted. Research needs in the area of…