Deficits in social skills are common in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and there is an urgent need for effective social skills interventions, especially for improving interactions with typically developing peers. This study examined the effects of a naturalistic behavioral social skills intervention in improving social initiations…

Youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often display disruptive behavior and noncompliance. Disruptive behavior in youth with ASD may limit their participation in educational and therapeutic activities and impact family functioning. Several evidence-based interventions are available for typically developing children, such as Parent-Child…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by challenges with social communication and the display of restrictive and repetitive behaviors. Research has also shown that children with ASD are behind their typically developing peers in motor skill competence. However, limited studies have used the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-2…

We conducted a systematic review and summarized the outcomes of single-case research design studies conducted in the last decade that have implemented peer-mediated interventions (PMI) to address the social competence needs of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) younger than 8 years of age. Eighteen studies with 53 children with ASD were…

The prevalence of autism continues to rise, yet the ability to receive treatment or caregiver training through traditional in-person methods continues to be a precluding factor for many families. Studies have shown that parent training provides benefits to caregivers and children through increased success of interventions, implementation, and…

Play is a universal activity that is an integral part of childhood experiences and aids in the development of important skills. While most children naturally engage in play, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) do not follow the typical pattern of play development and often exhibit delays in play skills. One of the defining characteristics…

At Rushton Manor School, a small independent school in the South West of England, the proportion of young people with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC), a form of Social, Communication and Language Need (SCLN), was substantially higher than regional averages: 15% at the school versus 5.4% in primary schools and 8.7% in secondary schools regionally…

Although naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions have a sizable and growing evidence base for supporting the development of children on the autism spectrum, their active ingredients and mechanisms of change are not well understood. This study used qualitative content analysis to better understand the intervention process of a…

This article describes a process for the incidental teaching of conversation skills to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in inclusive settings. The incidental teaching of conversation skills is an effective naturalistic intervention for assisting students with ASD to improve their social communication skills. Special educators and other…

Understanding dimensions that influence reinforcement is important for applied behavior analysts. Preference, and reinforcer effectiveness, may change depending upon several dimensions of reinforcement. Two influential dimensions that may influence preference and reinforcer efficacy are response-reinforcer arrangements and stimulus type. Many…

Parent-mediated intervention is a prominent approach to supplementing service insufficiency for the population with autism spectrum disorder, yet individuals from low-resource areas are largely under-represented among participants in the global parent-mediated intervention research. This systematic review and meta-analysis is the first to inspect…

The current research evaluates the effectiveness of a behavioral skills training (BST) package used to increase appropriate conversation interactions for six adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Deficits in the area of social skills can become a significant feature for individuals with disabilities and in particular for those with ASD. A…

Objective: There are currently no empirically-supported, comprehensive school-based interventions (CSBIs) for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) without concomitant intellectual and language disability. This study compared outcomes for a CSBI (schoolMAX) to typical educational programming (services-as-usual [SAU]) for these children.…

Pupils with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) received 6 months of intensive interaction or treatment as usual. They were assessed for behaviour problems at the start and end of the period, and changes were related to child and parent factors. Intensive interaction did not offer any greater advantages to child behaviour than treatment as usual.…

Senate Bill (SB) 163 would alter the current law that requires coverage of behavioral health treatment (BHT) for autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). SB 163 would expand the definition of BHT to include treatment modalities based on developmental theory, would make technical changes to definitions related to network adequacy, would prohibit denial of…