The effects of a social skills intervention on the verbal initiation behavior of a child with high-functioning autism were investigated. The intervention included five days of structured activities with normally developing peers under the guidance of an adult facilitator. The efficacy of the intervention was determined by comparing verbal initiations exhibited by the participant during intervention sessions to verbal initiations exhibited during baseline sessions. The results of a single-subject, return to baseline design, indicated that the participant's verbal initiation behavior increased during intervention sessions compared to baseline levels. The findings are consistent with prior research and suggest that social skills interventions that use structured activities, visual cues, and normally developing peers as playmates may facilitate social initiation skills in children with high functioning autism.

©2013  Psi Chi - The International Honor Society in Psychology, All Rights Reserved