JAMIE SZYMANSKI

Communication Skills and

Interventions for Students with Autism
Spectrum Disorder
506 Project

Introduction to literacy/communication issue.

What is the problem?
Student, who is diagnosed with Autism, has a difficult time making and holding age appropriate
conversations with his peers. This is an important skill for a student to hold so that he/she may
grow, create, and maintain friendships. Also when they go into the work field they will need to
be able to create a communication line between the work staff.

Who is the student?

Avery is currently in eleventh grade at City Honors in their 8:1:1 program for students
with Autism. Avery has an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) and a BIP (Behavioral
Intervention Plan). Avery is escorted from class to class due to his inability to make it to class ontime and he has had multiple incidents where he has but himself and others around him in danger
(he has kicked over school trash cans, thrown kids up against the recycling bins when they would
not engage in his conversation/hide his personal belonging throughout the school/etc.).
Avery is one of four in his household and is the oldest. All of his siblings are under the
age of eight. Mom is no longer with Averys father but has remarried. Averys grandmother plays
a large role in his life outside of school. She is the only one in the family who has a car and takes
him to all appointments. Averys mother does not allow Avery to participate in community
activities, but she does allow him to play video games at home where he talks to his gaming
friends online.

Avery is classified as a student with Autism due to attention difficulties, awkward social
interactions/behaviors, problems understanding pragmatics such as teasing, slang expressions,

understanding when he is being ridiculed, failure to predict consequences of social events,

difficulty pretending, unable to ask for clarification when confused which affect his interpersonal
school functioning and academic performance. Avery has scored as borderline for having
Asperger Syndrome, on the Autism Spectrum. He also seems to meet the diagnostic criteria for
Fragile X, which might explain his oppositional behaviors, his rush to anger, and his difficulty
calming himself when irritated. Due to his behaviors, Avery requires consistent intervention,
guidance and cues from his teacher. He requires assistance with work completion, focusing,
social cues and engaging in appropriate conversations with others. He needs to be reminded to
remain aware of his environment, on a consistent schedule (this means He needs to learn how to
control his experiences of "uptime.") Awareness of what is real around him is a part of survival.
He cannot tell what is dangerous. It seems to be all or nothing to him currently. He needs to learn
social conventions like a set of rule - simple and available to his uptime experiences.
Based on data collection and therapy room observation, Avery has achieved moderate
progress toward the goal: Will engage in an age appropriate verbal communicative exchange and
maintain an adult selected topic for two minutes at 80% success (Present level 60% success).
Avery especially has difficulty maintaining an adult selected topic during a social exchange,
going off topic or comment and answer questions inappropriately.. He will rarely initiate a topic
regarding "mature" subject matter. He has achieved moderate progress toward the goal: Will
choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely during social communicative
exchange, while discussing a topic or event, and when answering "wh" questions at 80% success
(Present level 65%). Avery continues to use wordy language, requiring multiple verbal prompts
to keep language concise and meaningful. He also has difficulty attending to a social exchange,

or a topic which inhibits his ability to participate fully and appropriately. Goals will reflect
current needs and the next level of achievement to be accomplished.

Literature review:
Individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), tend to have deficits in social
interactions that are significant; they include difficulties in social initiation and in developing and
maintaining social relationships (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000). It is especially
difficult for students with ASD to engage in conversations, develop friendships, and participate
in cooperative play with peers (Scott, J., Clark, C., & Brady, M., 2000) According to Hughes and
her colleagues (2011), Incorporating general education peers into social skills instructional
programs has been effective at increasing social interaction of high school students with
intellectual disabilities and autism with their classmates. (pg. 46) There are multiple
interventions that have been studied over the past years that help in assist ASD students with
social skills. Some of the following are interventions that help assist these student: Social Stories,
Video Modeling, and Communication Books.
Social Stories were created by Carol Gray in 1991. These stories were initially created to
help show people with Autism how to use social skills (Gray, 1991). The stories are designed to
be brief descriptions of different situations, events or activities, which include specific
information about what to expect in that situation and why. A Social Story is tailored to meet the
needs of each student and may be used to redirect an inappropriate behavior that has occurred
with said student.
Studies using Social Stories begin to demonstrate how they can modeled to help increase

appropriate behaviors and decrease existing inappropriate behaviors. A benefit of Social Stories
seems to be their ability to identify and address appropriate social understanding and provides
the student with a behavioral solutions that is tangible and accessible to them. Social Stories are
not just taught to students with Autism for behavioral reasons. These stories have also been
taught to demonstrate ways for students to engage in a new activity. Example of finished Social
Story from Denning (2007):
Johns Morning Routine Story: When I get to school in the morning there are many
things I need to do. All of the children in my class need to do these things too. If I need help I
can watch the other children or ask my teacher, Mrs. Smith. Sometimes its hard to remember
what I need to do. I can use my schedule to help me remember. First I need to unpack my
backpack. I put all my things where they belong. Then I give my journal to Mrs. Smith and
move my lunch clip. This will let Mrs. Smith know what I want to eat. The last thing I do is
hang up my backpack. Everyone will be happy when I get done and I will be ready for school.
Yeah!! (pg.18)
The proper way to implement Social Stories is to write the story in the students reading
level, read the story prior to engaging in the activity that is being practiced, add additional
supports to help the student understand what is being taught, and include comprehension
questions to ensure that the student understands the expectations and alternative behaviors. Once
implemented, teachers should make sure to keep the students parent are involved in practicing
the Social Story, communicate with the student and receive their input on the progress, use the
Social Story in multiple locations, and limit the amount of topics being addressed. This will
ensure success in the use of Social Stories (Denning, 2007).
Communication Books are an intervention designed to initiate social interactions.

Students use these books, which are created based off of students interests and needs, to help
them communicate with their peers. These books consist of pictures and conversation starters to
help them hold conversations with their peers without obsessing on one topic. Communication
books should be organized to provide a variety of topics that may interest general education
students as well as ASD students. Questions can be typed out but may also be a visual
representation for students who are lower functioning with autism. Questions should still be
typed out underneath the visual representation that that their peers who can read may understand
the concept of the topic being discussed (Bringham, Cashen, Cosgriff, Edwards, Golas, &
Hughes, 2011).
When working with the books students need to be trained how to use them properly;
especially if ASD students are paired up with general education peers. Each student should be
trained individually first so that there are no misconceptions of what is expected. Then the
students should be trained together which will transition into trained practice. After direct
instruction, students are to arrange time in their day so that they may interact using the
Communication Book. It is important for students to have scheduled time together, so partners
should be paired based off of similar interests to ease transition, but also based off of their
school schedules (Bringham, Cashen, Cosgriff, Edwards, Golas, & Hughes, 2011).
If implemented properly, Communication books have been found to be effective at
increasing social interactions between students with ASD and their general education peers. The
book allows for ASD students to stay on track while communicating with others. ASD students
increase positive communication behaviors which leads to a decrease in inappropriate behavior
(Bringham, Cashen, Cosgriff, Edwards, Golas, & Hughes, 2011).
Whereas numerous strategies demonstrate potential for increasing appropriate social

skills and behaviors with individuals with ASD, methods that incorporate technology also are
being used. Video technology is used increasingly for aiding ASD students to help teach and
implement skills such as daily living, social, academic, and behavioral skills (McCoy &
Hermansen, 2007). Video modeling is an intervention method used for students with Autism to
visualize a model demonstrating positive examples of a desired behavior. Videos are created to
meet the needs and interests of each individualized child. Video modeling creates a learning
opportunity that is much more targeted and individualized for the child rather than watching a
mass-produced video or television program that may not connect with the child.
During the Video Modeling process, you have to prepare the student and discuss with
them the about the desired behavior, record a video to meet the needs of the student, implement
the video, track the students progress on achievement towards reaching the desired behavior,
and plan out any other steps that may need to take place in order to achieve the desired behavior.
Video Modeling is not only an intervention strategy that captures the interests of students with
ASD, but it is also a real and effective tool that is well-suited for any setting, especially in a
school setting. (Wilson, 2013).

Intervention
Avery will work with a special education teacher and develop a Social Story. The story will
consist of a daily routine which will help him to have a better start to his day. If he starts off his
day in a good mood he will be able to realize that he controls his behavior and his actions are
what causes him to continue to be in a good mood. His Social Story intervention looks like this:
Averys Morning Routine Story: When I get to school in the morning there are many things I
need to do. I get off the bus and go into school and eat breakfast. I choose what I have from the

options being offered at school. If they do not have something that I like that is okay. This will
not determine whether or not I have a bad day. I go up and check in with Mrs. V or Miss. S. They
say good morning to me and always say something positive to help me start my day. Everyone
will be happy when I start my day out on the right foot. Yeah!!
What is the performance of this student prior to the intervention?
Avery frequently puts forth efforts to be friendly to others. He generally is a good mood.
He responds to questions when asked as best as he. He can follow a schedule, but often does not
get to class on time. He would like friendships, but has difficulty connecting with others. This
past school year he has joined Social Club at City Honors in which he is paired up with a general
population peer.
Averys facial expression often does not reflect what he is thinking and feeling. He is
unaware of others' need which causes him to become preoccupied with specific subjects that is
abnormal in intensity or focus. When something upsets Avery, like he did not get what he wanted
for breakfast, it will ruin his entire day. Avery does not have coping skills when it comes to
disappointments. He requires simple, but clear directions from others. Many short sentences,
given over time helps him the best. He will often talk to random people in the hallways and calls
them his friends even though they are people he has never spoken to before. He has made
progress but needs help and support in feeling accepted.
Describe the intervention
Avery and I sat down to discuss his thoughts of a Social Story. He was not aware of what
a Social Story was so I filled him in on my research. After discussing this with him, he thought it
was really cool that I am doing research to help him. He loves receiving attention and the fact
that he gets to work with me outside of class was very exciting for him. I asked him what he

wanted to work on and his response was be as positive as you and Mrs. V are. I told him that
we were going to work on just that.
During his lunch period he wrote up his social story with me. After it was done we
printed off 4 copies: 1 for myself, 1 for Mrs. V, and 2 for himself. He wanted to have two copies
just in-case he loses one. We selected a day of when to implement the story as well. He said he
wanted to see how he could do without the story first. This is why his intervention did not start
until the 28th of September.
Why did you choose this intervention?
After looking over my literature, I wanted to do something that would be very easy for
me to teach Avery. I decided that although the other two ideas I discussed were great
interventions, the easiest and quickest one to implement would be the Social Stories. Avery
currently has a behavior plan in place and is escorted from class to class. We track his behavior
in each class and I did not want to do anything that may interrupt his success with this. I thought
that the Social Story will just assist him to increase his appropriate behaviors throughout the
whole day.
Outcome of intervention?
Although I am still tracking Averys progress, he so far has had great success so far. This past
week he made his behavior goal in all classes throughout the day. I will continue to track his
progress throughout the school year with the schools social worker.

Conclusion:

Individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), tend to have deficits in
social interactions that are significant; they include difficulties in social initiation and in
developing and maintaining social relationships (American Psychiatric Association [APA],
2000). There are multiple interventions that have been studied over the past years that help in
assist ASD students with social skills. The following are interventions that help assist these
student: Social Stories, Video Modeling, and Communication Books. All are great interventions,
but some are more time consuming that others. Before I jumped into a large challenge I decided
that I would go with Social Stories just due to the simplicity of it. Avery has so far worked well
with his Social Story and we will continue with it, tweaking it when necessary.
I enjoyed this process, but was a bit overwhelmed working on it. There was a lot of
readings that I needed to complete for this class which made it difficult to find time for me to
read literature for this project as well. I managed to make it work and really did enjoy
researching a topic that is useful for me in the current work that I do. I will be sharing this
information with a colleague of mine since she runs a Social Club program at the school which
pairs a general education student and a student with autism together. I think she will also enjoy
my findings.
Appendices:
a. Pre-post raw data + graphs
Averys Intervention started on September 28, 2015. His morning routine is observed by
myself and the school social worker. School Started on September 3rd and below is a
graph that shows. Key for Graph:
0:Did not start his day off in a positive mood

1: He started his day off in a positive mood

Avery's Positive or Negative Morning Mood

1

0
42251 42256 42258 42262 42264 42268 42270 42275 42277 42279
42250 42255 42257 42261 42263 42265 42269 42271 42276 42278
Before Intervention

b. Averys Daily Behavior Chart

Avery
10

Date:

Column1

GOAL: I will stay focused in class by staying awake/keeping my head up, listening to
directions, raising my hand before I speak, and completing the work assigned. I will also
maintain a positive attitude and refrain from making negative comments towards others.
Subject
ENGLISH

ALGEBRA

SCIENCE

LAB

Subject
GLOBAL
STUDIES
11

MORNING
DID I...
REWARD? (4/6=yes)
Stay awake/keep head up?_____
Raise my hand?____
YES
NO
Follow directions? _____
Do my work?____
Positive Attitude? _____
Refrain from negative
comments? _____
Stay awake/keep head up?_____
Raise my hand?____
Follow directions? _____
Do my work?____
Positive Attitude? _____
Refrain from negative
comments? _____
Stay awake/keep head up?_____
Raise my hand?____
Follow directions? _____
Do my work?____
Positive Attitude? _____
Refrain from negative
comments? _____
Stay awake/keep head up?_____
Raise my hand?____
Follow directions? _____
Do my work?____
Positive Attitude? _____
Refrain from negative
comments? _____

YES

NO

YES

NO

YES

NO

If YES: LUNCH 10 minutes

on Computer (Mrs. V to
supervise)
AFTERNOON
DID I...
REWARD? (4/6=yes)
Stay awake/keep head up?_____
Raise my hand?____
Follow directions? _____

YES

NO

TEACHER COMMENT

TEACHER COMMENT

Do my work?____
Positive Attitude? _____
Refrain from negative
comments? _____
SPANISH

Stay awake/keep head up?_____

Raise my hand?____
Follow directions? _____
Do my work?____
Positive Attitude? _____
Refrain from negative
comments? _____
If 2/2 YES: 10 minutes on
Computer after counseling
work is complete (Mrs. V to
supervise)

12

YES

NO

References
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental
disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: Author.
Denning, C. (2007). Social Skills Interventions for Students With Asperger Syndrome and HighFunctioning Autism: Research Findings and Implications for Teachrs. Beyond Behavior, 16-23.
Gray, C. (1991). Social Stories and Comic Strip Conversations with Students with Asperger
Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism. Asperger Syndrome or High-Functioning Autism?,
167-198.
Hughes, C., Golas, M., Cosgriff, J., Brigham, N., Edwards, C., & Cashen, K. (2011). Effects of a
Social Skills Intervention Among High School Students With Intellectual Disabilities and Autism
and Their General Education Peers. Res Prac Pers Severe Dis Research and Practice for
Persons with Severe Disabilities, 46-61
McCoy, K., & Hermansen, E. (2007). Video modeling for individuals with autism: A review of
model types and effects. Education and Treatment of Children, 30, 183213.
Scott, J., Clark, C., & Brady, M. (2000) Students with autism: Characteristics and instructional
programming. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.

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