Improved Social Skills Programming for Students with Autism
March 05, 2008
Durham, N.H. - It is widely known that individuals with autism
spectrum disorders (ASD) often have difficulty establishing and
sustaining meaningful social relationships with others, and for many
students with ASD, school-based social skills programming is prescribed
to encourage social, emotional, and cognitive development. According
to research conducted by Dr. Scott Bellini and the Indiana Resource
Center on Autism, however, few students are actually receiving the
programming that they need and would benefit from most.
In the wake of conducting a large-scale
meta-analysis on school-based social skill interventions for students on
the autism spectrum, Dr. Bellini argues that children with ASD are in
desperate need of more effective social skill programming. Results of
the study revealed several problems with current social skills
programming practices. First, the research suggests that the amount of
time spent on social skills interventions (typically 30 hours over
10-12 weeks) is insufficient. Second, interventions often take place
outside of the general education classroom in “pull-out” settings,
frequently discouraging the social connection that the programming is
meant to support. Third, students’ social skills are not being assessed
correctly, resulting in programming which does not fit students’
individual needs. Finally, because of a lack of resources or a tendency
to only use the strategies with which they are most comfortable,
educators may not be implementing interventions properly, inadvertently
forcing students to “fit” into chosen social skills strategies.
Since a lack of social skills may
potentially lead to academic, behavioral, and emotional difficulties,
Bellini argues in a recent article that educators “must look for
opportunities to teach and reinforce social skills as frequently as
possible throughout the school day, and not just in pull-out
settings…Teachers and other school personnel should [also] place a
premium on selecting social skill interventions that can be reasonably
implemented within multiple naturalistic settings. This is particularly
important for children with ASD, who may have considerable
difficulties transferring skills from one setting to another.”
In response to the growing need for more
effective social skills programming for students with ASD, the Institute
on Disability at the University of New Hampshire will present
“Building Social Relationships and Use of Video Modeling” on Friday,
April 11, 2008, at the Derryfield Country Club in Manchester, NH. This
workshop, taught by Dr. Scott Bellini, is the third and final
installment of the 2007-2008 Research to Practice Series on Autism
Spectrum Disorders.
During the morning session of this two-part
workshop, Dr. Bellini will briefly highlight his most recent research on
the effectiveness of school-based social skills interventions before
providing an overview of a social skill instructional model which he
developed. The five-step model provides parents and practitioners with a
systematic and comprehensive framework to guide the development and
implementation of social skills programming in the general education
classroom. During the afternoon, Dr. Bellini will discuss his research
on video modeling, one social skills intervention technique which has
shown positive results when implemented properly for appropriate
students in the right settings.
What is video modeling?
Simply put, video modeling is a teaching
method which involves having children watch a pre-recorded video of a
task or behavior, and then having them copy what they have seen. This
technique of using videotaped rather than “live” scenarios for children
to observe helps to focus their attention and create a highly
effective stimulus for learning.
About Dr. Scott Bellini
Dr. Scott Bellini is the Assistant Director
of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism at Indiana University,
Bloomington (IUB), and an Assistant Professor with the IUB School
Psychology program. In addition to his work at the university, Dr.
Bellini operates a therapeutic clinic specializing in social skills
programming for children and adolescents on the autism spectrum. He has
published numerous articles and spoken nationally on the topic of
social-emotional functioning and programming for children with ASD. He
is also the author of the book “Building Social Relationships,” which
was named the 2007 Literary Work of the Year by the Autism Society of
America.
Building Social Relationships and
Use of Video Modeling Date: Friday, April 11,
2008
Time: 9 am to 3 pm
Location: Derryfield
Country Club, 625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, NH
Registration Fee: $125
(includes workshop materials, continental breakfast, and lunch)
For More Information and to Register:
Click here or
call 603.228.2084
