A core deficit of people with autism is an inability to initiate and to sustain conversation with others. Several studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the script-fading procedure on improving the social initiation skills of people with autism. Nevertheless, there is little focus on responding to initiations. The purpose of this study was to…

This study examined the effectiveness of the Picture Me Playing intervention for increasing the play dialogue of preschool children with ASD during pretend play opportunities with typical peers. Picture Me Playing is a pictorially enhanced, script based intervention targeting character role play through a narrative vignette. A single-treatment…

Although research has investigated the impact of peer-mediated interventions and visual scripts on social and communication skills in children with autism spectrum disorders, no studies to date have investigated peer-mediated implementation of scripts. This study investigated the effects of peer-implemented scripts on a middle school student with…

Purpose: Outcomes of script training for individuals with apraxia of speech (AOS) and mild anomic aphasia were investigated. Script training is a functional treatment that has been successful for individuals with aphasia but has not been applied to individuals with AOS. Principles of motor learning were incorporated into training to promote…

Previous research suggests that vocational skills training for individuals with autism may increase the likelihood that they may be effectively employed. In the present study, a multiple-baseline-across-participants design was used to assess the effects of graduated guidance, scripts, and script fading to teach four adolescents with autism in a…

The current study employed an adapted alternating treatments design with reversal and multiple probe across participants components to compare the effects of traditional video priming and simultaneous video modeling on the acquisition of play skills in two children diagnosed with autism. Generalization was programmed across play sets, instructors,…

Advocacy begins with an assumption that if a number of community members are suffering, then there must be something wrong, not with the individual members, but with the community as a whole; therefore, the community must be changed to help alleviate that suffering. Advocacy creates a platform for change by allowing individuals to begin the…

This single-subject research study was designed to examine the effects of point-of-view video modeling (POVM) on the symbolic play actions and play-associated language of four preschool students with autism. A multiple baseline design across participants was conducted in order to evaluate the effectiveness of using POVM as an intervention for…

Many studies have examined ways to improve social functioning of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Some common strategies include: (1) social stories strategy; (2) social scripts strategy; (3) power card strategy; (4) cognitive behavioral modification; and (5) the "I Will" card strategy. The "I Will" card strategy utilizes components…

Video-modeling (VM) is a widely used instructional technique that has been applied to the education of children with developmental disabilities. One form of VM that lacks in-depth analysis is point-of-view video modeling (POVM). The current study investigated the use of POVM to teach three children diagnosed with autism to initiate and maintain a…

Children with disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD), are frequently included in classes with typically developing peers. Although these children may receive instruction on appropriate communication skills, without directly targeting these skills in typical activities, they may not demonstrate these skills when they are with…

As part of a collaborative project between a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities and a local private business, we examined the effects of video modeling to teach vocational skills to four adolescents and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Video modeling was used to teach the participants to wear a WalkAround[R]…

Script fading was used to teach three youths with autism to initiate and sustain verbal interactions under stimulus control consistent with the natural environment. The youths learned to engage in verbal interactions during simulated shopping trips and during visits to community stores. The effectiveness of script fading was examined using a…

Public policy and increased acceptance of people with varying abilities have led to the inclusion of children with disabilities such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in regular early childhood programs and primary schools. To help integrate the children into the classroom, early childhood teachers need effective interventions they can easily…

Previous studies have shown that most individuals with autism do not show empathic responding. The present study is an attempt to teach such skills. Script-fading procedures have been used to teach other social-interaction skills, so they are applied here to teach empathic responding. This study included three adolescents with autism, two males…