Applications of Technology to Teach Social Skills to Children with Autism

Elsevier. 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, FL 32887-4800. Tel: 877-839-7126; Tel: 407-345-4020; Fax: 407-363-1354; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.elsevier.com

Y

8

Intervention; Autism; Program Effectiveness; Teaching Methods; Educational Technology; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Social Development; Interpersonal Competence; Problem Solving; Interpersonal Communication; Literature Reviews; Video Technology; Nonprint Media; Role Models; Feedback (Response); Evaluation Methods

10.1016/j.rasd.2011.01.022

1750-9467

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 instruction. The current literature review aims to (a) determine the number of empirical studies using a technology-based social skills intervention, (b) explore the features of social skills targeted in these studies, and (c) analyze the number of studies reporting reliability of the dependent and independent variables. Results indicate that a majority of the studies relied on a video or DVD to deliver the intervention (modeling or feedback), were conducted in school settings, and targeted more than one social skill. The most common social skill addressed was initiating conversation followed by play skills. All but one study included standardized assessment before treatment; however, none of the studies used a published social skills assessment. Like previous research, reliability of the dependent variables was common; however, reliability of the independent variables was infrequent. (Contains 4 tables.)

As Provided

2011

EJ916955