28 Sunny Kim, Brittany Koegel and Lynn Kern Koegel
a paucity of research aimed at targeting socialization for adolescents and young
adults with ASD (Reichow and Volkmar, 2010). As recommended by the National
Research Council, it would be important to assess whether existing evidence-based
social inclusion programs could be as effective for adolescents and young adults
with ASD. Implementing and adapting existing effective programs may provide a
larger base of interventions from which to draw.
As school districts often encounter budget cuts, a viable alternative to the utili-
zation of paraeducator support is the use of typically developing peers as interven-
tion agents. For example, Giangreco, Halvorsen, Doyle and Broer (2004) suggest
the feasibility of a school-wide program where typically developing peers provide
academic and social support to students with disabilities. The authors suggest that
this may result in reciprocal benefits as well as counteract the common problem of
bullying. The development of this type of school-wide program may be an import-
ant area to examine and develop.
Finally, it is important to mention that many of the available research studies on
social inclusion for students with ASD lack long-term generalization and mainte-
nance data. That is, do the social skills that students with ASD acquired through
various social interventions carry over into the next school year? How much inter-
vention do these individuals need in order to develop meaningful and reciprocated
friendships? Finally, will targeting socialization during the elementary school years
combat co-morbidity during the adolescent years? In order to address these ques-
tions and concerns, additional research that assesses generalization and maintenance
data is highly warranted.
Summary
A main challenge for students diagnosed with ASD is social deficits. However, with
effective social interventions, students with ASD can, and do, develop appropriate
social skills. This chapter discussed several evidence-based social intervention pro-
grams that can be implemented in the school environment to address the social
challenges of students with ASD. In order to make the social experience positive
for these students, it is imperative that school personnel are adequately trained to
implement such interventions.
References
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Aud, S., Hussar, W., Johnson, F., Kena, G., Roth, E., Manning, E., Wang, X., and Zhang, J.
(2012). The condition of education 2012 (NCES 2012-045). U.S. Department of Education,
National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://nces.
ed.gov/pubsearch. Accessed 19 May 2015.
Baker, M. J., Koegel, R. L., and Koegel, L. K. (1998). Increasing the social behavior of young
children with autism using their obsessive behaviors. The Journal of the Association for
Persons with Severe Handicaps, 23 , 300–8. doi:10.2511/rpsd.23.4.300