Marsha Markle, M.A., M. A., Ed.S.
Social Stories
Students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) face many challenges when included in mainstreamed classrooms. One of these challenges is social interaction, the impairment of which is at the core of autism. A variety of interventions have been used to improve the social communication of students with ASD. One of the most effective interventions is social stories, a method of scripting specific, socially acceptable interactions. The system, which Carol Gray elaborated on and systematized, is usually employed in school settings.
Social stories help students with ASD handle specific situations by describing a circumstance a student is likely to encounter and outlining steps—known as a script—to help the student handle the situation. Here is a sample social story designed for a child who is having difficulty with anger:
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Being Angry is OK |
“Sometimes I feel angry. That is OK. I am learning how to handle my anger. I can keep thinking even when I am angry. I know some good choices for thinking while I am angry:
- I will only be angry for a short time. It will pass.
- I will find a solution to the problem.
- I use words to let others know I am angry.
- I keep people and things safe even when I am angry.
I am learning to do this more and more.” |
These scripts are tailored to each student, offering personalized solutions to a predicted or actual challenge. The stories are written in a positive tone and can be adapted for students with a range of language processing disabilities. Scripts may be written, recorded on a tape, or illustrated. The goal of social stories is to provide students with a better understanding of a problem situation and the tools for managing the situation.
Relationship Development Intervention and Floor Time
Increased prevalence, early detection, and increased public awareness of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have contributed to the development of early intervention programs in both educational and home settings. One effect of the increasing incidence of ASD has been an attempt to empower parents to be more actively engaged in their child’s functional skill acquisition.
Impairment of social interaction is one of the hallmark characteristics of children with ASD. Recent research has resulted in a variety of treatment programs aimed at helping parents improve their children’s social interaction. Two of the most popular such therapies are
Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) and Floor Time
RDI is a trademark treatment program for children with ASD based on 20 years of extensive research by Dr. Steven Gustein. The central philosophy of the program is that children with ASD can and should learn to participate in authentic emotional relationships rather than the less interactive social behaviors that often are outcomes of more conventional treatments. Rather than producing “empty” eye contact and stereotypic gestural and verbal responses, RDI claims to have the potential to develop more meaningful interactions between children with ASD and their family, peers, and other individuals, offering greater opportunities for children to expand their social world. RDI focuses on teaching specific abilities essential for socially meaningful interactions, such as social referencing, declarative language, and flexible thinking. Parents are trained to become their child’s coach, gradually building up the child’s motivation and tools for reciprocal interactions. RDI is not intended to replace other important therapies, such as sensory integration or speech and language services.
Floor Time was developed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan and detailed in his book The Child with Special Needs. It is a special play time that parents set aside for their child with ASD for mutual, shared engagement and it is literally conducted on the floor, at the child’s level. The methods used by parents during Floor Time are designed to encourage attention and intimacy, two-way communication, expression of feelings, and logical thought. The parent is trained to follow the child’s lead and play with whatever interests the child, describing what the child is doing. The parent encourages social interaction in a process Greenspan calls “opening and closing circles of communication.” For example, the child may be lining up objects, such as blocks or cars. The parent joins the play, taking turns with the child until the child begins to expect and even wait for the parent to take a turn. After trust has been established, the parent can evoke an interaction by doing something unpredicted, such as place one object out of line, and thus tempt the child to react. When the adult adds something novel to the floor time activity, it stimulates the child to have more complex interactions, solve new problems, or make new connections.
The objective is to gradually guide the child through a sequence of six developmental milestones that Greenspan maintains are necessary to develop social interaction. He recommends that parents and children engage in Floor Time play for 20 to 30 minutes at a time for six to ten sessions daily.
Although both RDI and Floor Time are generally used by parents, some schools are adapting the techniques for the educational setting. However, because of the intense, one-on-one nature of these therapies, parents will continue to be the main target of therapeutic training. A well-informed parent who observes a child’s behavioral changes as a result of these therapies may advocate for increased school involvement with social interaction interventions, such as RDI and Floor Time.
