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Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a behavioral art program in improving social skills for two children with autism in group settings. A multiple probe design across behaviors was used. The results indicated that for both children, the program increased the percentages of spontaneous verbal communications, presentation of artwork, and eye contact. One of the children showed a concurrent decrease in off-seat behavior. Both children maintained high levels of performance on the target social skills three weeks after the treatment. Social skills were generalized to different settings with another instructor and an unfamiliar audience. The increased scores on both children's adaptive behaviors indicated that both the teachers and the parents perceived that the art program was effective in improving the children's social skills.
One of the distinct characteristics of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is the lack of reciprocal social communications. Such deficits in socialization can be present in these individuals with or without any other cognitive or developmental delays (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Social impairments in children with ASD can possibly develop with age or improve through natural interactions with others in the environment. As Tantam (2003) pointed out, when children with ASD progress to late elementary and early adolescence, they continue to experience difficulties in an increasingly complex social environment that requires more sophisticated social repertoires and eventually becomes a source of distress. Studies that investigated group interactions in mainstream classrooms reported that students with ASD often express poor social support and were more likely to experience social isolation than their typical peers (Bauminger, 2003; Bauminger & Kasari, 2000). Integrating these individuals with typical peers may increase potential opportunities for social interactions, although it does not automatically improve their social skills unless these skills are specifically targeted and facilitated through adult or peer mediations (Weiss & Harris, 2001). With the number of children diagnosed with ASD rising, it is imperative to develop intervention programs aimed at improving social skills.
Applied behavior analysis (ABA) has offered effective treatment strategies in many areas for individuals with ASD, though the clinical treatments targeting social skills for this population are still in need of more research (Weiss & Harris, 2001). Currently, some of the strategies include arranging motivating...