Effective Peer-Mediated Strategies for Improving the Conversational Skills of Adolescents With Autism

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda M. Bambara ◽  
Jacquelyn Chovanes ◽  
Amanda Thomas ◽  
Christine L. Cole
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
School Students ◽  
Training Outcomes ◽  
Social Communication Skills ◽  
Conversational Skills ◽  
Adolescents With Autism ◽  
Students With Autism

Deficits in social-communication skills can leave high school students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) socially marginalized where conversation is the primary medium for social interaction. Interventions are needed to improve conversational skills and facilitate interactions with peers while students with ASD are still in school, yet few research-based strategies exist for high school settings. In this article, we describe three peer-mediated conversational strategies documented to be effective through our research: strategies to (a) support overall conversational engagement, (b) increase initiations to start conversations, and (c) increase follow-up questions to sustain conversations. The peer-mediated strategies are combined with teaching students with ASD to use visual supports to strengthen intervention effectiveness. We highlight methods for peer training, outcomes of our research, and implications for speech-language pathologists (SLPs).

Linking Peer-Mediated Interventions to Address Conversational Difficulties in Adolescents With Autism

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Linda M. Bambara ◽  
Christine L. Cole ◽  
Amanda Thomas
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Pragmatic Language ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
School Students ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Conversational Skills ◽  
Adolescents With Autism ◽  
Target Skills

Purpose Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) commonly experience an array of pragmatic language difficulties that can interfere with their ability to engage in reciprocal or balanced conversations with their peers. Difficulties with the use of language during peer encounters can contribute to these students' social isolation even when in inclusive settings. Increasingly, researchers have identified effective approaches for teaching conversational skills to individuals with ASD, but there are few demonstrations of effective interventions in high school settings. Peer-mediated intervention (PMI) is one approach that can embody research-based recommendations for teaching conversational skills (e.g., direct instruction, teaching in natural settings, use of peer partners). This clinical focus article describes effective PMI strategies for improving the social conversations of high school students with ASD based on our (the authors') emerging research. Conclusions Using Fey's (1986) classification scheme, the article begins with an illustration of different conversational profiles of adolescents with ASD and associated goals for intervention. Next, key components of our PMI approach are described, followed by detailed illustrations of three research-based intervention strategies that speech-language pathologists can use to address different conversational goals. Emphasis is placed on strategies for teaching students with ASD target skills and training peers to support conversation. Outcomes and clinical reflections of our intervention research are described. Finally, the article ends with a discussion of additional considerations for speech-language pathologists regarding implementation and generalization. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13308470

scholarly journals Your Voice Counts: Listening to the Voice of High School Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth Saggers ◽  
Yoon-Suk Hwang ◽  
K. Louise Mercer
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Student Perspective ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
School Students ◽  
School Communities ◽  
Students With Autism

AbstractSupporting students with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in inclusive settings presents both opportunities and significant challenges to school communities. This study, which explored the lived experience of nine students with ASD in an inclusive high school in Australia, is based on the belief that by listening to the voices of students, school communities will be in a better position to collaboratively create supportive learning and social environments. The findings of this small-scale study deepen our knowledge from the student perspective of the inclusive educational practices that facilitate and constrain the learning and participation of students with ASD. The students' perspectives were examined in relation to the characteristics of successful inclusive schools identified by Kluth (2003). Implications for inclusive educational practice that meets the needs of students with ASD are presented.

scholarly journals Sex Differences in Social Participation of High School Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2155-2163
Author(s):  
Leann Smith DaWalt ◽  
Julie Lounds Taylor ◽  
Somer Bishop ◽  
Laura J. Hall ◽  
Jessica Dykstra Steinbrenner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
School Students ◽  
Students With Autism

scholarly journals Student, Educator, and Parent Perspectives of Self‐Determination in High School Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2164-2176
Author(s):  
Brianne Tomaszewski ◽  
Bonnie Kraemer ◽  
Jessica R. Steinbrenner ◽  
Leann Smith DaWalt ◽  
Laura J. Hall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Parent Perspectives ◽  
School Students ◽  
Students With Autism

“Falling through the Cracks”: Challenges for High School Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2014 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan H. Hedges ◽  
Anne V. Kirby ◽  
Melissa A. Sreckovic ◽  
Suzanne Kucharczyk ◽  
Kara Hume ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
School Students ◽  
Students With Autism
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