Incidental Teaching of Conversational Skills for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

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 stakeholders can implement this strategy by following the RACTF process: 1) recruit and prepare team members, 2) assess and identify target conversational skills, 3) identify natural cueing conditions and times to focus on target skills, 4) introduce and teach the target skills, and 5) fade prompts and practice the target skills in new settings. By improving the conversation skills of students with ASD, students have a higher likelihood of establishing peer relationships and becoming engaged, active participants in the classroom and other school environments.