Social Skills and the Autistic Student

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Jason Dunn Dr. Merhaut Communication and Social Competencies for Student with Autism Research Paper 5 January 2014 Social skills deficits is one of the most challenging areas to address when it comes to the education and treatment of individuals with autism. Reading facial expressions, responding to social interactions, and initiating conversations, are all very intuitive skills for many normal functioning persons. To the student or adult with autism, these can be very puzzling challenges to overcome. Researchers and educators and other practitioners have tried to tackle this in a variety of ways. These “social deficits are intrinsic to the definition of autism.” (Harris, 2001) The remediation of these symptoms remains one of the most daunting challenges for professionals who serve people with autism. Many different types of strategies have been developed and implemented for many years now, and those programs and treatments that focus on social skills hold much promise for individuals with autism. Early on, efforts were made in focusing on skills such as making eye contact and exchanging hugs. (Dowrick, 1999) From there, programming efforts have matured greatly. More recently, work has ranged from teaching youth people to offer assistance to a person in distress (Harris, Handleman, & Alessandri, 1990) and teaching pretend play. (Goldstein & Cisar, 1992) Also, sociodramatic play has been implemented in some instances. (Thorp, Stahmen, & Schreibman, 1995) What is the rationale for the use of social skills training? William Frea, from Autism Spectrum Therapies, states that “the social skills component of the educational program determines the functional success of every other goal. It is through social abilities that academic knowledge is conveyed in the real world. (Frea, 2006) Frea goes on to point out three critical components to
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