1. Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.
Social Skills Solutions: Setting Appropriate Goals and Teaching Social Skills for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Kelly McKinnon, MA, BCBA,
Guests: Joan Hersh, MA, Preschool Teacher
Elif Cagin, MA, New Vista School
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

2. Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.
Why teach play skills
In 2001 the book Educating Children with Autism, also ranked social skills and the teaching of developmentally appropriate play, as among the eight types of goals that should have priority in the design of effective educational programs for children with ASD.
“Children with autism often gravitate to repetitive play activity, ranging from manipulating objects and enacting elaborate routines to pursuing obsessive and narrowly focused interests. Without specific guidance, they are less likely to engage in functionally appropriate play with objects similarly”. (Wolfberg, 1999)
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

3. Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.
Module 3: Level 1: Social Play Developmental Milestones
7-12 months
12-18 months**
18-24 months
24-36 months
4 years old
5 years old
Imitates familiar actions with caretaker
Demonstrates functional use of objects
Uses vocalizations and words during pretend play
Uses most toys appropriately
Associative Play common (engaged in same play, interacting, yet going own way)
Acts out characters
Plays pat a cake
Shows symbolic use of objects
Uses two toys together in pretend play
Demonstrate parallel play
Follows rules in simple games without being reminded
More likely to agree with others on rules
Participates in games with adults
Plays with a toy in a different way
Stacks and assembles toys and objects
Performs longer sequences of play activities
Plays “Mom” or “Dad”
Sometimes demanding, sometimes cooperative with friends
Explores environment with curiosity
Imitates simple actions of others in play
Engages in pretend and symbolic play
Pretends to perform caregivers routines
Cooperates with other children
My visit friends independently
Plays ball with adults
Uses one object to represent many objects
Has plan when using building items
Imitates interactions and shows interest with other children
Emerging Associative Play
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

4. Independent Play~ Neurotypical child
Neurotypical children often begin playing by playing alone
Play involves children manipulating toys on their own
Play is exploratory, yet purposeful-functional- emerges into shared play with peers
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

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Play Skills:
Play can be simple, or very intricate
Common play steps- follow the milestones:
Basic play with closed ended toys (stacking cups)
Open ended purposeful play (block building)
Imitative play
Symbolic/Pretend play
Dramatic play
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

6. What Do We See in Neurotypical Children’s Play?
Children play alone, short or long periods of time, and using a variety of toys!
They explore & access toys independently
Children use toys functionally and appropriately
They make comments while they play
Children make references to others while playing
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

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8. Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.
Play Stations
Weiss & Harris (2001) described play stations as:
“Activity centers set up at different physical locations scattered about a classroom”
“Used to teach a number of skills including increasing play, parallel play skills and transfer imitations skills to a setting that resembles a typical preschool”
Bonus skill: helps support length & duration of play
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

9. Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.
Teaching Methods
Use visual
Prompt transition verbally and/or physically
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

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Next Steps
Incorporate peers
Referencing
Join into existing play with peers
Continue to increase sustainability
Expand pretend play repertoire
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

11. Station #1 Play 1:1 Teaching Station #2 Independent Play
Station # 3 Play with peer, adult supported
Station #4 Play with peer, no adult
Station #5 Play with more then 1 peer
Puzzles
Shape Sorters
Blocks & Trains
Dinosaurs

12. Programming considerations
Teach: Independent play: access & play with toys on your own, functionally; give mom a break!
Teach: Imitation in play: watching, copying & responding to others actions
Teach: Initiating play ideas: generate new ideas in play
Teach: Pretend play; acting out scenarios, characters
Use data provided as your criteria aims for mastery
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

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Goals
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

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Video Modeling Effectiveness:
"Results from the video modeling meta-analysis indicate that both video modeling and VSM (Video Self-Modeling) meet the Council for Exceptional Children's criteria for evidence-based practices." Bellini, S. & Akullian, J. (2007) Exceptional Children, 73,
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

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Cooperative Play
Weiss & Harris
“Children work together toward common goal or share a fantasy theme that requires mutual exchange to build a scenario”
Joint building items
Making an art project
Dramatic play scenarios
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

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Teaching methods
Video Modeling
6 year old playing
Starter phrases (White board)
White board of starter phrases
Token system
Adult provided tokens (points on white board)
Set criteria of 7 sharing of ideas
Moved to self-monitoring
White board off to side, in room
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

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Goals
Kelly will join into play of others, sustaining and participating in the same activity at least 10 minutes, or until activity is over, at least one time daily, 4 of 5 consecutive days
Kelly will invite another peer to play, sustaining activity at least 10 minutes, or until activity is over, at least 1 time daily, 4 of 5 consecutive days
Kelly will develop cooperative play skills, by working together with at least 1 other peer to jointly participate/build an item (Legos, floor puzzle, make a sign), at least 15 minutes, with no more then 1 prompt, 4 of 5 opportunities, 4 consecutive days
During structured turn-taking activities with peers, Kelly will attend to the game, aware/acting upon her turn, independently, 80% of opportunities, across 4 consecutive days
Kelly will expand dramatic/pretend play skills with peers, by initiating at least 5 new pretend play ideas or comments, and observe and respond to at least 50% of a peer’ statements, in a 10 minute play period, 4 of 5 opportunities, across 4 consecutive days
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

19. Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.
A review of the literature suggests that few studies have spent time addressing the effects of self-management as a technique to enable children with ASD to control and report on their progress toward increasing and decreasing target behaviors, enabling teachers to devote more time to teaching. Koegel, Hurley, Frea (1992)
Demonstrated children with autism with severe deficits in social skills could learn to self-manage responsivity to others in multiple community settings
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

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Goal areas:
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

21. Teaching Method Phase One
In the classroom
Direct Instruction
Whiteboard
Instructor writes and explicitly teaches goals for lunchtime conversation.
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

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Phase Two
Behavior Rehearsal / Role Play
Goal for conversation remain on the whiteboard.
Tally marking frequency of exchange on the white board as a visual reminder.
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

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Phase Three
Group Discussion
Checking off goals on checklist followed and constructive feedback on what to work on.
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Phase Four
In the lunch area
Group discussion
Whiteboard and Pink “Lunchtime Goals” checklist.
Instructor asks for student participation to list rules on board.
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

27. Self-Monitoring & Reinforcement Systems
1. Whiteboard Visual Reminder
2. “Lunchtime Goals” Checklist
3. Individual Goals
4. School wide points system
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

28. Self-Monitoring & Reinforcement Systems
1. Whiteboard Visual Reminder
2. “Lunchtime Goals” Checklist
3. Individual Goals
4. School wide points system
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

29. Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.
Video Modeling Effectiveness:
"Results from the video modeling meta-analysis indicate that both video modeling and VSM(Video Self-Modeling) meet the Council for Exceptional Children's criteria for evidence-based practices." Bellini, S. & Akullian, J. (2007) Exceptional Children, 73,
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

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Phase Five
Video Modeling & Vide Self-Feedback
Group Discussion
Checking off goals met and pausing video for positive and constructive feedback on what to work on that day at lunchtime.
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

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Phase Six
Wrap-up and priming
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

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Where we are headed
Break time / recess / passing periods
Seeing on going generalization issues
“ Conversations are just for lunchtime when we’re eating.”
These periods of time are unstructured
Will use the same process
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

33. Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.
Conclusions
Play skills need to be taught, and should be a component of every child with ASD programming~
Teaching play needs to move from 1:1 setting to group settings~
Teaching play needs to more closely match developmental criteria~
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

34. Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.
Final Thoughts
More specific data published on neurotypical play skills
Goals based on peers
Assessments should incorporate peer data
Many different types of “ABA” procedures to teach play skills!
Kelly McKinnon & Associates, Inc.

35. Available at Special Needs Bookstore