An Activity-Based Approach for Facilitating Peer-Related Interactions for
Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Jose Martinez, Maureen Conroy, Brittany Werch, Debra Prykanowski, & Kathryn Marsh
Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies, University of Florida
Social Competence
Social competence is a critical developmental feature essential for succeeding in life, as it allows one to effectively carry out interpersonal goals. As children interact with others across a variety of settings(e.g., schools and their communities), social competence skills begin to develop early and continue to evolve over time. Although many children develop social skills without explicit instruction, for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) the acquisition of social skills can be quite challenging (Brown & Conroy, 2012). Their difficulty in acquiring and displaying the skills needed to be successful in social contexts is typically a result of their delays or deficits across several key developmental domains (Brown & Conroy, 2012). Without learning the skills needed to successfully interact with others in their environment, children with ASD are at a distinct disadvantage in accessing critical learning opportunities required for success later in their lives.
Peer Mediated Interventions
Peer-mediated interventions have strong empirical support for promoting social behaviors in children with ASD (Jung, Sainato, & Davis, 2008). In peer-mediated interventions, socially competent peers are taught to systematically engage children with ASD in reciprocal social interactions.These interventions are typically conducted during activities that promote the development of age-appropriate social interactions between children with ASD and socially competent peers (Katz &Girolametto, 2013).
Therefore, peer-mediated interventions may be an effective approach in school-based settings forpromoting the development of social competence in children with ASD and increasing their likelihood of achieving full societal inclusion.
Assessment of Social Competence
Social competence is a complex skill set that is influenced by a number of factors including children’s social competence abilities, the people that they interact with, and the social requirements of varying settings. Therefore, a multi-step approach should be used in order to assess the social competence skills of children with ASD andidentify the most salient and context specific social skills to target for intervention. The following steps are recommended in order to assess and design individualized social competence interventions for children with ASD:
1.
Identify contexts that provide social opportunities: It is necessary to identify contexts that provide children with ASD opportunities to interact with socially competent peers.In other words, activities and situations that are enjoyable for the children with ASD should be identified and included in social competence interventions in order to increase intervention effectiveness.
2.
Identify social materials: In addition to identifying times or activities throughout the day that set the context for teaching social competence skills to children with ASD, it is also important to identify materials or topics of conversation that increase the likelihood of appropriate social interactions between children with ASD and their peers. These preferred materials or topics should be embedded within social competence interventions.

3.
Identify socially competent peers: It is important to identify social partners forchildren with ASD that will increase the likelihood of appropriate social interactions. Researchers have found that specific peer characteristics, such as the same gender, similar age, familiarity, and possessing the cognitive and social abilities required for social competence, are likely to increase the chances of children with ASD engaging in appropriate social behaviors (Guralnick, Neville, Hammond, &
Connor, 2007). Furthermore, peers should be enthusiastic and motivated to work with others (i.e., adults and peers).
4.
Identify critical context specific social competence skills :Social competence skills vary and serve multiple purposes and thus, the type of activity and the social rules of that activity govern the type of socially appropriate behaviors (e.g., working together on a puzzle or sharing the same art materials without talking to one another is a form of social interaction in addition to sustained conversations with others).In order to identify critical social competence skills for a particular activity, observesocially competent peers engaging in the activity and identify the skills that they display.
Designing Social Competence Interventions
Through this multi-step assessment process, teachers can gather all the data necessary to develop peer-mediated social competence interventions that matchthe individual needs and strengths of children with ASD. The interventions should include: a) targeted social skills selected for instruction based on the students’ strengths and needs and the appropriateness of the context; b) antecedent factors that are likely to increase social exchanges between children with ASD and peers; and c) consequences that serve as reinforcers and will increase the social skills of the children with ASD. Once individualized interventions have been developed, teachers need toconstantly monitor the progress of their students in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions.
Because it can be difficult for teachers to observe social communication while providing instruction and support in the classroom, other school personnel can be a good support when working on setting new intervention goals and monitoring students’ progress (e.g., school psychologists or special educators).
References
Brown, W.H., & Conroy, M.A. (2012). Social-emotional competence in young children with developmental delays: Our reflection and vision for the future. Journal of Early Intervention , 33 ,
310-320.doi:10.1177/1053815111429969
Conroy, M., Whalon, K., & Martinez, J. (in press).Assessing the social competence of students with autism spectrum disorders and developmental disabilities for instructional planning: A step by step approach.In J. E. Hart & K. J. Whalon (Eds.).
Friendship 101: Developing Social Skills
Among Children and Youth with Developmental Disabilities . DADD Prism Monograph Series,
Vol. #8.
Guralnick, M.J., Neville, B., Hammond, M.A., & Connor, R. T. (2007). The friendships of young children with developmental delays: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Applied Developmental
Psychology, 28 (1), 64-79.
Jung, S., Sainato, D. M., & Davis, C. A. (2008). Using high-probability request sequences to increase social interactions in young children with autism. Journal of Early Intervention , 30 , 163-187.
Katz, E., &Girolametto, L. (2013). Peer-mediated intervention for preschoolers with ASD implemented in early childhood education settings. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education , 33 , 133-143.
Whalon, K., Conroy, M., Martinez, J., &Werch, B. (2014).
Meta-analysis and descriptive review of school-based social competence interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder .
Manuscript submitted for publication.
Development of this presentation was supported with funding from the University of Florida, Research Opportunity Seed Fund.
For more information, please contact Jose Martinez (j.martinez36@.ufl.edu).