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Abstract:
To date, the empirical support for the use of social story interventions for children with Asperger syndrome (AS) is small. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of individualized social story interventions on the social behavior of three children with AS. Using a multiple-baseline-across-participants design, social stories were implemented, and direct observations of the participants' identified target behaviors were conducted three times per week during unstructured school activities (e.g., recess). Data revealed an increase in the social behavior of two of the three participants when the treatment was implemented. Unfortunately, maintenance of target behaviors was not observed. These data provide some initial support for the use of social stories to teach social skills to children diagnosed with AS. However, failure to demonstrate skill maintenance and poor results for one participant highlight possible limitations of the social story intervention and suggest a strong need for further research. Recommendations for future research endeavors and the potential benefits of social story interventions are discussed.
Asperger syndrome (AS) is a relatively new category in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) that has come into more general use during the last 20 years, despite its shared history with autism. Currently, AS is a term used to describe the mildest and highest functioning end of ASD (Atwood, 1998). Similar to autism, AS is characterized by sustained impairments in the use of social skills necessary for meaningful social interactions, as well as the development of a range of restricted behaviors, activities, and asocial interests that dominate the child's life (Volkmar & Klin, 2000). Despite such impairments, children with AS show no obvious delays in cognitive or language development, have generally good prognoses, and often display interests in the social world (Safran, 2001; Volkmar & Klin, 2000; Wing, 2000). Notably, these characteristics are not typically observed in children with autism.
Although students with AS express interest in the social world, their lack of social skills creates lifelong challenges when interacting and communicating with peers and adults (Church, Alisanski, & Amanullah, 2000). Individuals with AS may perserverate on their topic of interest (e.g., Harry Potter, lawnmowers, dinosaurs) and offer detailed and highly specific, fact-based monologues with littie awareness of whether the listener is interested (Myles & Simpson, 1998). This lack of...