With current estimates that 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum
Disorder (ASDs) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015), the num-
ber of students with ASD entering public schools has greatly increased since the
1990s (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2014; Mazurik-Charles
and Stefanou, 2010; Scull and Winkler, 2011). Specifically, since 1992 the number of
students with ASD has increased by over 800 per cent (Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act, 2004; Aud et al., 2012). The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)
suggests that students with ASD be educated in the least restrictive environment
(LRE) alongside their typically developing peers. That is, recommendations are that
students with ASD be taught in the general education classroom with appropriate
support, instead of being educated in segregated special day class.
A key benefit of providing inclusive education to students with ASD is that
they have the greatest potential to learn and develop appropriate social skills from
their typically developing peers. In addition, when appropriate social interventions
are implemented in the inclusive school environment students with ASD have an
opportunity to develop meaningful and reciprocated friendships with their typi-
cally developing peers. This chapter will explore: (1) the social impairments in stu-
dents with ASD; (2) the importance of social interventions for students with ASD
in inclusive settings; and (3) a few evidence-based interventions to address the social
challenges for these students.

Social impairments in students with ASD

One of the defining characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an
impairment in social development (APA, 2013). Research has documented
that without appropriate social intervention, students with ASD have difficulty

2

SOCIAL INCLUSION FOR STUDENTS

WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

Sunny Kim, Brittany Koegel and Lynn Kern Koegel