Children with autism demonstrate early deficits in joint attention and expressions of affect. Interventions to teach joint attention have addressed gaze behavior, gestures, and vocalizations, but have not specifically taught an expression of positive affect such as smiling that tends to occur during joint attention interactions. Intervention was…

Deficits in social skills and self-help skills present significant challenges for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Much research in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has been devoted to treatments for deficits in social skills and there exist a number of extensive reviews on the research in this area. Some research has…

Lack of spontaneous communicative initiations appears to be a consistent problem in individuals with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD; Fujiki & Brinton, 2009). Spontaneous communication is emitted at a much lower frequency compared to individuals with language impairment and typically developing persons. Deficits of spontaneity in…

It is generally agreed that regular physical exercise promotes physical and mental health, but what are the benefits in people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)? This meta-analysis evaluates 16 behavioural studies reporting on a total of 133 children and adults with various variants of the syndrome who were offered structured physical…

Although social skills deficits represent core symptoms of Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism, there is limited research investigating the empirical validity of social skills interventions currently being used with these populations. This literature review compares three types of social skills training groups: traditional, cognitive…

For individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), the use of technology to provide intervention, particularly targeting the core social-communication deficits of the disorder, is promising. This literature review will examine studies that have used innovative technology, such as interactive computer programs and virtual reality, to deliver…

Social interaction is a fundamental problem for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Various types of social skills interventions have been developed and used by clinicians to promote the social interaction in children with ASD. This meta-analysis used hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to examine the effectiveness of peer-mediated and…

The diagnosis of autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), particularly in young children has become a top priority in the fields of mental health and education. Core symptoms include rituals and stereotypies, social skills deficits, and problems in communication. Considerable overlap exists in symptoms for…

This study was conducted to increase peer-to-peer social skills using direct instruction and peer training in two elementary students with autism spectrum disorders in inclusion settings. The participants and their non-disabled peers were trained to initiate and respond to each other during center time, academic activities. We used a…

This study assessed the effectiveness of a Teaching Interaction procedure for four social skills across three participants diagnosed with autism. All social skills fell into four broad domains (i.e., social-communication, play, emotion skills, and choice/selection skills). In addition, a teaching package was used to increase communication between…

Children with autism spectrum disorder show deficits in social skills such as initiating conversation, responding in social situations, social problem-solving, and others. These deficits are targeted through the use of social skills interventions, some of which use a technology-based approach as a resource-efficient alternative to common forms of…

The absence of the fundamental skill of "initiating joint attention" reflects the social-communicative impairment characterizing autism. Initiating joint attention is related to social and communication development as well as intervention outcomes for children with autism. A behaviorally based intervention was used to teach an expanded class of…

Teachers working with children with autism spectrum disorders were surveyed to determine the characteristics of children with whom Social Stories are used, how extensively they are employed and the types of behaviors targeted by teachers; how and why teachers use Social Stories (including the extent to which Social Stories conform to recommended…