Using Self-Management to Teach Social Interactions to Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder During Recess in School Settings

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may face significant challenges in general education settings, particularly in the absence of support from skilled teachers. One of the most frequently reported challenges in the literature involves difficulties in the social domain, specifically in peer interactions. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of a behavior analytic intervention in improving the social skills of three preschoolers with ASD during recess. The efficacy of the treatment, which included prompting, social reinforcement, and self-management procedures, was assessed using a multiple-baseline across-participants experimental design. Results demonstrated that the intervention was effective in promoting appropriate social behavior of the three preschoolers with ASD, whereas self-management strategies contributed to further improvement and maintenance of the treatment outcomes even in the absence of support from a shadow teacher.