Developing Social Skills and Social Competence in Children with Autism

Abstract

IntroductionSocial development is one of the most critical developmental areas for human beings. Deficits in social skills may negatively impact several essential domains including academic achievement, interpersonal relationships, behavior, mental health, and adult life outcome. Individuals with autism present with core deficits in social skills. Without supports and effective interventions to enhance social skills, children with autism often struggle to obtain social competence, and may experience challenges in the school, home, and community settings. With effective interventions, children with autism can learn essential social skills that can help to mitigate deficits and strengthen social competence. After a brief review of various theories of social development, this article seeks to present the constructs of social competence, social skills, and adaptive skills in relatable and clear language for educators. Finally, the article will review several evidence-based interventions designed to enhance social skills.I nterest in the role of social interaction for human development has occupied theoreticians in the last century. John Dewey (1938) considered all learning as an activity that is social in nature. Dewey theorized that effective education is derived from social interaction, cooperation, and collaboration. Dewey, therefore, progressively argued for the creation of educational environments that included developmentally appropriate and engaging social learning experiences for children. Dewey's contemporary social psychologist George Herbert Mead (1934) contended that one cannot learn to be social in a vacuum and that social interaction was a prerequisite for learning. Similarly, Jerome Bruner proposed, "The infant's principal "tool" for achieving his ends is another familiar human being." (Bruner 1983, p. 26). Bruner interpreted social interaction as both selfpropelling and self-rewarding. The Russian educational psychologist Lev S. Vygotsky (1978) distinguished between 'inter-psychological processes' and 'intra-psychological processes.' The former has to do with social interaction, cooperation, and collaboration which takes place between

Socialization, education and learning for the internet (SELFI): development and pilot of a social media skills program for autistic adults

“…Development of the SELFI program was guided by theories on social competency (Øzerk et al , 2021), social media use (Mazurek, 2013) and evidence-based practices (Reichow and Volkmar, 2010) for autistic people. The developed program takes a social skills approach, focused on increasing knowledge related to online socialization, social opportunities and use of prosocial behavior.…”

“…Research related to internet use amongst autistic people is limited; however, recent studies have documented that as many as 79 -84% of autistic adults may use social media (Mazurek, 2013;Ward et al, 2018). Many autistic people experience difficulties with face-toface social interactions as well as broader challenges around core social skills (Silveira-Zaldivara et al, 2021), including understanding the social intent of others and knowing which skills to use within certain contexts (Hanley et al, 2015). Social networking sites have been described as a preferable avenue of social communication for autistic people due, in part, to the fact that online interactions do not rely on the same nonverbal cues (e.g.…”

The Effect of Online Education on Children s Social Skills During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…They also include a child's ability to exhibit specific behaviors to initiate and maintain positive interactions with others, without any hindrance in their social environments (Ladd & Mize, 1983;Walker et al, 1988;Westwood, 1993;Önder, 2003). Deficits in social skills may negatively impact several essential domains including academic achievement, interpersonal relationships, behavior, mental health, and adult life outcome (Silveira-Zaldivar et al, 2021).…”

Technology-Based Self-Monitoring and Visual Supports to Teach Question Asking Skills to Young Adults With Autism in Community Settings

“…Therefore, conversation skills commonly taught to young adults with ASD include responding to nonverbal language, showing interest in others, and asking questions (Hood, Luczynski, & Mitteer, 2017; Mason, Gregori, Wills, Kamps, & Huffman, 2020; Soares et al, 2021). When individuals with ASD consistently demonstrate effective social communication skills, they are more likely to have positive social interactions with others and build their overall social competence (Özerk, Özerk, & Silveira-Zaldivar, 2021).…”