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| Group Social Skills Instruction for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: From Design to Implementation |
| Friday, May 23, 2014 |
| 4:00 PM–7:00 PM |
| W181b (McCormick Place Convention Center) |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| CE Instructor: Emily Huber Callahan, Ph.D. |
| JULIE PATTERSON (Virginia Institute of Autism), PEGGY W. HALLIDAY (Virginia Institute of Autism), EMILY HUBER CALLAHAN (Virginia Institute of Autism) |
| Description: Social interaction deficits are considered to be the core deficits exhibited by individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) (Travis & Sigman, 1998; Kanner, 1943). Among others, delays and deficits in the development of social interaction skills impede an individual's ability to develop meaningful social relationships and have been associated with peer rejection and anxiety (Bellini, Peter, Benner, & Hopf, 2007). As such, instruction to remediate these deficits is critical. Social skills groups are often conducted to teach individuals skills (e.g., entering or exiting a conversation, filtering your thoughts, handling a disagreement) used daily to interact and communicate with one another. Though these groups can be fun, running an effective group can be challenging. This workshop will help practitioners design an effective social skills group by first learning how to form a group based on age and compatibility. Then, different ways to develop a curriculum that meets the needs of the participants and allows them to grow within the program will be discussed. Additionally, the incorporation of interactive group activities such as theater games, role-plays, and gaming to teach and practice social skills will be presented. Finally, this workshop will share ideas for implementing group contingencies and self-monitoring procedures. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this workshop, the participant will be able to (1) form groups based on recruitment, size, and fit; (2) use a variety of activities to provide students with opportunities to practice social skills; (3) facilitate activities that target body language, thinking on your feet, entering a conversation, staying on topic, electronic communication, filtering your thoughts, handling disagreements, and cooperation; (4) describe how to incorporate group contingencies and self-monitoring strategies into social skills group instruction; and (5) design a social skills plan to meet the needs of children and teenagers. |
| Activities: The objectives for this workshop will be taught through a balanced presentation of lectures, video observations, group discussions, group activities, and role-plays. |
| Audience: The intended audience for this workshop includes licensed psychologists, Board Certified Behavior Analysts, special education teachers, general education teachers, speech/language pathologists, behavioral technicians, and other individuals who currently are or who are intending to implement social skills instruction in a group setting. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
| Keyword(s): autism, group instruction, social skills |