Many individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have deficits in conversation skills that can interfere with the development of personal and professional relationships. Further research is needed on efficient interventions for targeting conversation skills in adults with ASD and for evaluating the social validity of the outcomes. In this…

A social skill training program involving play behaviors of three young girls (five-seven years old) nominated by teachers for social skills intervention suggested that peer reciprocity may facilitate the maintenance of children's play invitations over time. (CL)

A peer-initiation condition, in which confederates were taught to initiate interaction with three autistic four- year-olds, reliably increased the Ss's social responses. A teacher-antecedent condition, in which teachers prompted the autistic Ss to initiate with confederates who had been taught to reciprocate, increased the initiations and…

Two nonhandicapped preschoolers were taught strategies thought to facilitate interaction and were prompted to use these strategies during free play with three handicapped (behavior disordered) classmates. The intervention resulted in higher rates of interaction for each of the handicapped children that persisted above baseline levels after teacher…

A script fading procedure was effectively used to teach 4 children (ages 9 and 12) with autism to initiate interactions with peers. Increased initiations (to within normal levels) generalized to a different setting, and for three of the children were maintained at two-month follow-up. (Author/DB)

Group affection activities were used to increase the interaction of three autistic children (four- and seven-years-old) with nonhandicapped peers in an integrated early childhood setting. Increased interactions included initiations by both autistic and nonhandicapped children, with reciprocal interactions occurring more frequently with…

The efficacy of a social-skills-training package in producing stimulus generalization, both with and without the systematic application of generalization programming techniques, was evaluated with five preschool children with hearing impairments. Results found generalization of the social skills did not occur until generalization programming…

Three preschool children, who were taught facilitative strategies for social interaction with three classmates with autism, increased their use of strategies only after a self-evaluation intervention was introduced. Improvements in social behavior of children with autism were associated with peers' increased strategy use. Untrained peers…

This study examined a system for fading teacher prompts to children who served as peers in peer-initiation interventions for young children with disabilities (n=6). Results indicated that social interaction continued at the levels found during intervention and was maintained during a short maintenance period. (Author/DB)

This study investigated the effects of a peer-mediated intervention on the social interaction of five triads composed of preschoolers with autism and typical peers. Improved rates of social interaction during play were clearly associated with the peer intervention for four of the five children with autism. (Author/DB)

A study investigated how rewarding youth in residential care for publicly reporting positive social behavior influenced the social interactions and acceptance of four adolescent males with antisocial behavior. The intervention resulted in substantial improvement in social interactions by the previously isolated peers. Peer acceptance ratings…

Four learning disabled children (6-9 years old) were taught four positive social-emotional behaviors--smiling, sharing, positive physical contacting, and verbal complimenting--using instructions, modelling, and praise. (Author)

Two approaches to teaching work-site social behaviors to three youths with mental retardation were examined. Problem-solving training, which involved developing skills in decoding, decision, performance, and evaluation, led to substantial generalization and maintenance of social behaviors in natural work settings. Training based upon role-playing…

Cooperative learning groups were used to integrate two students with autism into a fourth-grade social studies class. Academic performance, academic engagement, peer interactions, and social and behavioral skills were assessed. Benefits were noted both for the target students and their peers for academic outcomes and social interactions. (SW)

Three seven-year-old males with autism included in social skills groups with nonhandicapped peers were successfully trained in such social skills as initiating, responding, keeping interactions going, greeting, conversing, giving and accepting compliments, taking turns and sharing, asking for help and helping others, and including others in…