Evaluation of an Intervention to Promote Social Communication Skills of Young Children With Autism

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effect of a three-part intervention to promote social communication skills of young children with autism. The intervention, which incorporates the cognitive-social learning model, will be used as a means to promote social communication skills for children with autism. Six participants between the ages of five and eight years old who attend Chicago Public Schools and have a diagnosis of autism will participate. Children will be paired in dyads. Two phases of the study, baseline and intervention, will use a multiple baseline intervention across dyads (Kazdin, 1982). During baseline, the rate of children's language use and social skill will be measured. Once a consistent level of functioning is determined, the intervention will be introduced. The intervention consists of three components: 1) a play organizer session in which the dyads develop play schemes for a particular play theme with adult support; 2) a ten minute play session where the children play and are verbally prompted by the interventionist to sustain the play interaction, and 3) a review session in which the dyad discuss the activity that occurred within the preceding play interaction. Results are expected to increase language use, total com-municative utterances, and balance of turns. It is also anticipated that the intervention will reduce inappro-priate social behaviors (physical and verbal negatives) that interfere with sustained play interactions.