Choosing and Greeting a Peer

Learning to recognize peers in his environment and their interactive potential will allow Finn to begin to socialize in a more typical manner and to learn from his typically developing peers. Interacting more with the other students in his classes will also allow Finn

to participate more fully in group settings and parts of the school day in which are students are required to participate together.

Colleen Coyne

Literature Review

• Orelove, F.P., Sobsey, D., & Silberman, R.K. (2004). Educating children with multiple disabilities: A collaborative approach. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

• Snell, M. E. (2012). Positioning, handling, and self care skills: Introductory class [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://collab.itc.virginia.edu/portal

• Snell, M. E. (2012). Positioning, handling, and self care skills: Prompting systems review [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://collab.itc.virginia.edu/portal

• Vogtle, L.K., & Snell, M.E. Methods for promoting basic and instructional activities of daily living. In: Ways of Living: Adaptive Strategies for Special Needs (pp. 105-129).

The Student• Finn• Age 4• Male• Autism Spectrum Disorder• Strengths:– Social abilities with adults– Interest in the classroom environment– Motivated by music, sensory play– Likes to participate in group activities– Joyful attitude

Assessment

• Task analysis (+) or (-)1. Choose a friend from a photo menu of classmates.2. Take the “Say hello to a friend” icon.3. Carry the icon to chosen peer. 4. Hand icon to the peer.

• Prompts

Teaching Procedures• When Finn was directed to engage in an activity with a peer, the author first took

presented him with pictures of two random classmates and asked him to “Choose a friend to say hello.”

• The author then directed him to choose the “Say hello to a friend” icon. In order to use the icon, Finn was required to remove the icon and present it to a peer before beginning the activity together.

• In order for Finn to present the icon to a peer, a system of least prompts was used. By using this system, prompts that range from least invasive to most invasive are chosen and applied when necessary, starting with the least invasive choice.

• Because Finn was familiar with the process of choosing an icon, verbal and gestural prompts were used to direct him to choose the icon. Finn typically does well with gestural prompts, and only when he did not complete the next step within five seconds were verbal prompts and partial physical prompt used together.

Graph

Discussion• . The first limitation was the consistency of the intervention. It was difficult to implement the

intervention in a uniform manner. The practicum student was able to implement the full intervention program one day each week, but the program was implemented only partially or not at all on other days. The program was also interrupted during a scheduled holiday break.

• The second limitation was time. The baseline and intervention data was collected during two weeks, and the program was in place for three weeks. This is not a very long period of time to teach a skill.

• During the intervention, Finn’s teacher began to question Finn’s ability to discriminate between his communication icons. This may explain why Finn was to select the correct icon during the intervention process.