Social Skill Deficits and Interventions for Children with Autism

This literature review explores the potential of Social Skill Training (SST) to improve spoken language in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), focusing on children aged 8-12 years. It highlights the difficulties in social interaction faced by children with ASD and the role of interventions like Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) and Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) in enhancing communication. The review addresses social skill deficits, effective interventions, and the role of Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs). It examines the effectiveness of various interventions such as PECS, PRT, peer monitoring, and video-based instruction. The review synthesizes findings, identifies research gaps, such as the need for long-term effect studies and more research on children aged 4-9 years, and suggests directions for future research, including designing effective programs for schools. The findings emphasize the potential of SST to enhance social skills and interaction in children with ASD, while also recognizing the need for further investigation into specific intervention strategies for different age groups and the practical implications of SST in school settings. The study also points out the need for more research on the long-term effects of social skill interventions, especially for younger children, and calls for the development of effective autism procedures within government mental health and education schemes.

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Abstract
The purpose of this literature reviewed is to explore if Social Skill Training possess the potential
to improve spoken language in children. In this literature review, result has been conducted
chiefly in children between the age of 8 years and 12 years. One of the chief problems that are
faced by a child suffering from Autism spectrum includes difficulty in social interaction. The
level of difficulty can range from mild to severe. It has been found that Social skill interventions
like The Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) and Picture Exchange Communication System
(PECS) posses the potential to enhance communication skills among young children as well as
amongst adolescents. Responsive Education and Prelinguistic Milieu Teaching (PPMT), is more
beneficial for children with low level of object exploration.

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Introduction
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) can be defined as developmental disabilities that are
chiefly responsible for difficulties in social communication as well as limited or often no interest
in day to day life along with repetitive behavior. According to Warner et al. (2017), the
occurrence of the ASD has got enhanced in a steady way in the past decades. The chief reasons
behind the enhancement of ASD include broad criteria for diagnosis along with enhanced
awareness of the healthcare providers as well as by families. According to Schreibman and
Stahmer (2014), one of the chief problems that are faced by a child suffering from Autism
spectrum includes difficulty in social interaction. The level of difficulty can range from mild to
severe. However, it has been pointed out that even mild difficulties in social communication
possess the potential to impose adverse impact on the social communication and thus often
deteriorate their social and cognitive skills. With enhanced awareness about Autism in children,
social skill training as a method is implemented by a good number of parents (Paul et al., 2013).
Before assessing the impact of social Skills training for Autism, it is highly crucial to
understand the chief issues faced by the children and the impact of Autism on their psychology.
Along with this, evaluation of the social skills intervention and their potential to eradicate the
social skills deficits of ASD also needs to be analysed. Thus the research questions that will be
analysed in this literature review include
1. What are the Social skill deficits faced by the children of an 8 to 12 years in ASD?
2. What are the chief Social Skill interventions that possess the potential to deal with ASD in
children
3. How Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) can improve communication behaviour?

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In the following paragraphs, the answers of the above mentioned question will be analysed with
the help of reviewing literatures that are relevant to the research issue.
Social skills deficits in ASD
According to Bohlander, Orlich and Varley (2012), while the hallmark of ASD includes
difficulties to eecute social kills as well as social interactions, the degree to which the difficulties
would manifest differs from child to child and are dependent on the age as well a the functional
level of the child. Some of the major examples of social skills that develop between the age of 11
to 12 years in children includes eye contact, starting interactions with peers and family members,
developing the knowledge along with using nonverbal communication like gestures as well as
facial expressions along with maintaining reciprocal conversations. Laugeson et al. (2012) have
pointed out that while young children with autism suffers from delay in social skills delays in
terms of restricted eye contact, social smiling, and pointing, joint attention. Older children as
well as adolescents with ASD face difficulties maintaining conversations, considering point of
view of another individual along with starting social interactions, reading nonverbal body cues,
as well as making and keeping friends.
According to Sallows and Graupner (2005), with increasing chances of depression and social
isolation resulting from ASD it is highly crucial to improve the social skills of the children with
Autism. The mentioned population has been reported to possess less satisfactory relationship and
friendship along with fewer friends and more feeling of loneliness. Along with this they also
recorded lower self esteem, higher bullying as well as teasing rate compared to children and
adolescents who does not possess ASD.
3.0. Social skills interventions

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A good number of interventions have been designed for addressing the deficits of social
skills in both children as well as adolescence who are suffering from ASD. Jones, Greenberg and
Crowley (2015) have pointed out that the social skill training type depends on the functioning
level as well as the age of Children. The chief facilitators of the social skill intervention include
therapist or teacher. Along with this the social skills training may also include training peers,
siblings, or parents for interacting with youth with ASD can be considered as ways for enhancing
their social skills. According to Schreibman and Stahmer (2014), one of the most effective social
skill interventions for the children includes the verbal and Pictorial Naturalistic communication.
However according to a good number of parents, the Picture Exchange Communication
System (PECS) was found to be more difficult to exchange in comparison with the Pivotal
response training.
The Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) can be defined as “spoken language” treatment for
children suffering from ASD. The mentioned therapy is plan based and has been designed on the
basis of the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA). When it comes to PECS, this
intervention unlike, PRT, involves teaching the children to use picture icons for communicating.
Plavnick, Kaid and MacFarland (2015) stated that PECS possess the potential to improve
communication skills and enhances the tendency to communicate with peers in the children
(Mahoney et al., 2018). It has been found that PECS provides enhanced level of development of
non imitative works for selecting who enter the treatment with higher level of object exploration.
On the other hand Responsive Education and Prelinguistic Milieu Teaching (PPMT), is more
beneficial for children with low object exploration.
Bohlander, Orlich and Varley (2012) stated that the peer monitoring intervention have the
potential to enhance interaction of the children with autism while enhancing development in their

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social skills. The technique of the mentioned treatment includes, teaching the peers the steps and
techniques to be a good friend that includes staying with an assigned child who possess ASD,
spending time with him/her and communicating with him or her even in case when the child
refuse to respond (White, Keonig & Scahill, 2007). Santos (2017) stated this method of autism
is appropriate now a days due to emergence of the trend of incorporating children suffering from
ASD in the same classroom alongside typically developing peers.
Plavnick, Kaid and MacFarland (2015) suggested that while children below the adolescence
age gets benefited from Social skill interventions like PECS and PRT interventions, for school
going children who are at their adolescence stage, the Video Based instruction is found to be one
of the most effective ways for enhancing their social interaction skills like greeting peers
communicate in a friendly way, reading nonverbal cues along with initiating as well as
maintaining conversation. It has been found that the VGI can be consumers as one of the most
successful intervention for the adolescents who are suffering from moderate intellectual
disability. Along with this, the procedure can be implemented within public school settings.
According to Radley et al. (2017), a good number of commercially available curriculum for
social skill groups for the adolescents who are suffering from USD have demonstrated efficient
clinical success. However, the effectiveness of the “Commercial social skill group” intervention.
Ginn et al. (2017) stated that video modelling intervention have the potential to not only enhance
the social skills amongst the student but is also maintained through prolonged period. Video
modelling can be considered as one of the most effective technique combined with other
interventions to teach social skills.
Laugeson et al. (2012) pointed out that the Program for the Education and Enrichment of
Relational Skills (PEERS) is another social skill enhancing training program that posses the

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potential to enhance the social skills knowledge, social responsiveness, overall social skills in the
area of social communication, social cognition, social awareness, social motivation, assertion,
cooperation, and responsibility, while decreasing autistic mannerisms and increasing the
frequency of peer interactions amongst the adolescents. As per the independent teacher ratings, it
has been revealed that more than 89 percent of the adolescents with autism who have undergone
the PEERS program have undergone significant improving in social skills as well as assertion
from pretest to follow up assessments (Hassan et al., 2018).
Synthesis of Findings
From the above discussion, it can be clearly understood that the social skills intervention
definitely have the potential to enhance the social skills and interaction of the children to a great
extent. According to researchers, Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) was found
to be more difficult to exchange in comparison with that of the Pivotal response training.
children below the adolescence age gets benefited from Social skill interventions like PECS and
PRT interventions, for school going children who are at their adolescence stage, the Video Based
instruction is found to be one of the most effective ways of enhancing their social interaction
skills like greeting peers communicate in a friendly way, reading nonverbal cues along with
initiating as well as maintaining conversation.
Gaps in Research
One of the chief gaps that have been detected is lack of research associated with the long term
effect of the social skills intervention. Along with this, while a good number of articles have
been found to be associated with autism in adolescents, limited number of researches are found
to be conducted when it comes to children of age 4-9 years suffering from Australia. Along with

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the above mentioned gap, while conducting the literature review, it has been evidenced that
practical implications of the social skill training for children under the age of 12 years is highly
rare in schools. Considering the fact, sufficient implication of social skill implications have the
potential to enhance social interaction in children suffering from autism, more research is
required in this area.
Future Direction
There are a good number of different strategies for teaching social skills for youth with ASD, as
well as social skills training is an crucial component of intervention for the mentioned
population. Ginn et al. (2017) stated that specific research questions has pinpointing the
procedures that works for specific types of children as well as adolescents suffering from ASD.
In future, there remains sciope of designing effective programs that can be implemented at
schools across the country. Effective autism procedures in government mental health and
education schemes are increasingly scarce, adopted and are not effectively carried out.
Considering the fact that currently limited number of researches has been conducted on different
types of autism symptoms and the specific social skills that possess the potential to eradicate the
psychological issue, there remains a huge scope of exploring on the mentioned factors in future.

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Reference list
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Didehbani, N., Allen, T., Kandalaft, M., Krawczyk, D., & Chapman, S. (2016). Virtual reality
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Hassan, M., Simpson, A., Danaher, K., Haesen, J., Makela, T., & Thomson, K. (2018). An
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