Date Presented 03/27/20
This abstract describes the social characteristics observed between students with ASD and their typically developing peers in an inclusive, interest-based after-school club. The results of this study can inform the profession and related fields of the impact that inclusive, strengths-based contexts have on facilitating social interactions and promoting meaningful participation in nonacademic occupations for children with ASD.
Primary Author and Speaker: Denise Mañago
Additional Authors and Speakers: Tara Brennan
Contributing Authors: Sana Ahmed, Amanda Rodriguez, Laura Senande, Michael Thorsen, Yu-Lun Chen, Kristie Koenig, Wendy Martin, Regan Vidiksis
PURPOSE: This study aims to explore the characteristics of social interactions between students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their typically developing (TD) peers in an interest-based after-school club. Research has confirmed the benefit of utilizing the interests of children with ASD to promote socialization and participation (Diener, Wright, Wright & Anderson, 2016). Further, individualized educational plan goals that Occupational Therapists (OTs) work on with students with ASD often include improving social skills (Ruble, McGrew, Dalrymple & Jung, 2010; Kurth & Mastergeorge, 2010). This study has the potential to add to the growing body of evidence that interest-based groups can contribute to increased socialization and foster meaningful participation for students with ASD.
DESIGN: This is a descriptive study that utilized data collected over a six-week period. Eleven participants across the sixth and seventh grades were observed in a pre-existing inclusive, interest-based school club called “The Makers Club” in an urban public school setting. The club is an after-school program that aims to provide a space for the youth to create art and science-based projects. Of the eleven students involved, six were students with ASD and five were typically developing. The study was controlled for gender and a shared interest in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) project that the students were working on.
METHOD: Data was gathered through video-based observation. Social interactions were transcribed, peer-reviewed and coded. Coding was based on a previously used behavioral coding scheme developed by Usher, Burrows, Schwartz and Henderson (2015). Social behaviors were coded as either an initiation or response. Further sub-coding included social interaction purpose (functional vs social) and type. Missed responses to social interactions were also recorded. Coding was conducted using the web-based coding tool, Dedoose. Descriptive statistics were generated using SPSSv7.
RESULTS: Findings show that students from both groups initiated and responded in social interactions at almost similar rates. Rate is defined as the number of social interactions per minute. Slightly higher rates of initiations (ASD=.744 n/min, TD=1.05 n/min) and responses (ASD=1.64 n/min, TD=1.89 n/min) were seen in TD students. Data analysis also found that students with ASD interacted more with ASD peers, while TD students interacted with students with ASD and TD peers at similar rates. Both groups had a slightly higher affinity to interacting with a functional purpose and the types of interactions were also found to be similar between groups.
CONCLUSION: This is the first study to explore social partners and the purpose of initiations between students with ASD and TD peers in an interest-based setting. While similar results were found between groups, a large variability was identified between the individual students involved. This variability may have been attributed to potential pre-existing relationships, seating arrangements, or personality types. Important findings were that TD students interacted with both students with ASD and their TD peers at similar rates, and social initiation types were similar for both student groups. Though no definitive conclusions can be made from this study, results indicate potential benefits for inclusive interest-based groups. Further research is warranted on how social interactions in this setting vary over time.
This study has the potential to inform educators and OTs on the benefits of utilizing inclusive, interest-based clubs to expand the social interaction opportunities for students with ASD in the school setting. Further, the creation of interest-based clubs has the potential to ensure meaningful inclusion.
References
Diener, M. L., Wright, C. A., Wright, S. D., & Anderson, L. L. (2016). Tapping into technical talent: using technology to facilitate personal, social, and vocational skills in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Technology and the Treatment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (pp. 97-112). Springer, Cham.
Kurth, J., & Mastergeorge, A. M. (2010). Individual education plan goals and services for adolescents with autism: Impact of age and educational setting. The Journal of Special Education, 44(3), 146-160. DOI: 10.1177/0022466908329825
Usher, L. V., Burrows, C. A., Schwartz, C. B., & Henderson, H. A. (2015). Social competence with an unfamiliar peer in children and adolescents with high functioning autism: Measurement and individual differences. Research in autism spectrum disorders, 17, 25-39. DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2015.05.005
Ruble, L. A., McGrew, J., Dalrymple, N., & Jung, L. A. (2010). Examining the quality of IEPs for young children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40(12), 1459-1470. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-010-1003-1
