Social Initiations Research Articles

Effectiveness of Parent Education in Pivotal Response Treatment on Pivotal and Collateral Responses

In two studies, we investigated the effectiveness of parent education in Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) on parent-created opportunities and spontaneous child initiations in two community-based treatment facilities for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Changes in parental stress and self-efficacy were explored. Participants were 26 parents and their children who participated in group (Study 1) or individual (Study 2) parent education in PRT. Results indicated that group-based parent education resulted in moderate increases in opportunities, functional initiations, and empathic social initiations. Furthermore, parental stress reduced and self-efficacy increased. Individual parent education resulted in large increases in opportunities and functional initiations, but parental stress and self-efficacy did not change. Implications for clinical practice and directions for future research are discussed.

Teaching Leisure Activities with Social Initiations Through Video Prompting

Children with autism typically have a limited repertoire of activities they engage in during their free time and are often observed to engage in inappropriate or non-functional play. Previous research has suggested that deficits in leisure skills are not only a factor of the diagnosis, but also influenced by structural constraints such as lack of resources, support, and opportunity. This study used a multiple probe across participants design to assess the effects of video prompting and error correction on the acquisition of a leisure activity and social initiation for three children with autism. Results indicate that video prompting may be effective in increasing appropriate engagement in a leisure activity. However, findings are mixed concerning the use of video prompting to teach a social initiation. This study expands on previous research by systematically selecting a leisure activity to teach and by including a social component.

Effects of Modeling and Self-Monitoring Intervention on Play Skills and Social Initiations in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

본 연구의 목적은 두 명의 자폐 스펙트럼 장애아동을 대상으로 놀이 기술 및 놀이와 관련된 사회적 시작행동에 대한 모델링 및 자기점검 중재의 효과를 평가하고자 하였다. 놀이 간 중다 기초선 설계를 이용하여 중재의 효과를 평가하였다. 중재로는 아동의 놀이 기술 및 사회적 시작행동의 학습을 위해 모델링과 자기점검 전략이 실행되었다. 연구 결과 아동들의 놀이 기술 및 놀이 관련 사회적 시작행동이 향상되었고 중재가 제거된 후에도 아동들의 놀이 기술이 유지되었다. 참여 아동 중 한 아동의 사회적 시작행동은 중재가 제거 된 후에도 높은 수준으로 유지되었다. 또한 연구 참여 아동 어머니의 중재에 대한 사회적 타당도 평가에서 중재 목적이 의미 있고, 절차가 적절하며, 효과적인 것으로 평가되었다. 이 연구 결과를 바탕으로 실제 및 추후 연구방향에 대해 논의가 이루어졌다.The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a modeling and self-monitoring intervention on the play skills and social initiations of two young children with autism spectrum disorder(ASD). A multiple baseline design across play was employed. The experimental conditions included baseline, modeling and self-monitoring, self-monitoring only, and maintenance. The children were taught the appropriate play skills and social initiations related to the play context using the modeling and self-monitoring intervention, and then they used only self-monitoring after the modeling was removed. The results indicated that the modeling and self-monitoring intervention was effective in increasing the play skills and play-related social initiations of both participants. In addition, the participants maintained the increased play skills after removing the intervention. The social validity assessment data indicated that the intervention was meaningful and effective, and the procedures were acceptable.

The Effectiveness of a Packaged Intervention Including Point-of-View Video Modeling in Teaching Social Initiation Skills to Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Deficits in social communication and interaction have been identified as distinguishing impairments for individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As a pivotal skill, the successful development of social communication and interaction in individuals with ASD is a lifelong objective. Point-of-view video modeling (VM) has the potential to address these deficits. By presenting only what a person might see from his or her viewpoint, it may be more effective than other forms of VM, in limiting irrelevant stimuli and providing a clear frame of reference to facilitate imitation. The current study investigated the use of point-of-view VM in teaching social initiations (e.g., greetings). Using a multiple baseline across participants design, five kindergarten participants were taught greetings using a packaged intervention, which included point-of-view VM, video priming, verbal praise, reinforcement, and prompting. Immediately before and after viewing the entire point-of-view video model, the participants were evaluated on their greetings with a trained, typically developing peer serving as a communication partner. Specifically, the greetings involved participants’ abilities to shift their attention toward the peer who entered the room, maintain attention toward the peer, and engage in an appropriate greeting (e.g., hi, hello). Both generalization and maintenance were tested. Overall, the data suggest point-of-view VM is a promising intervention for increasing greetings. However, both generalization and maintenance were limited. Despite the limitations of the study and variable results, there are a number of implications moving forward for both practitioners and future researchers examining point-of-view modeling.

Script fading for children with autism: Generalization of social initiation skills from school to home.

We used a script-fading package to teach children with autism to initiate social interactions across various activities in the school setting, and we programmed for generalization in the untrained home setting with a sibling. The three participants, ages 8 to 10 years, demonstrated deficits in social initiations with their peers. During baseline, the participants emitted initiations to one another, although this behavior was variable and did not endure over time. With the introduction of the script-fading package, however, social initiations systematically increased. Moreover, the effects of the script-fading package generalized to the untrained home setting with a sibling. This study expands upon previous research by demonstrating the generalization of social initiations from school with peers to the home setting with siblings.

Increasing Social Initiations During Shared Book Reading: An Intervention for Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often delayed in acquiring social initiation skills utilized during common early childhood activities. A multiple probe design was utilized to assess the efficacy of a shared book reading intervention to increase the independent commenting of three young children with ASD. The intervention resulted in participant’s acquisition of social commenting in the form of independent pointing and verbal commenting to gain social attention from an adult. The results suggest that young children with ASD can independently initiate social interactions during shared book reading when these behaviors are systematically taught and reinforced. Implications for practice and directions for future research aimed toward generalization and improving the implementation of shared book reading interventions are discussed.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Traditional Psychosocial and Canine-Assisted Interventions for Children with ADHD

Abstract This study provides findings on the final main outcomes from a randomized controlled trial of psychosocial intervention with and without canine assisted intervention (CAI) for children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Eighty-eight children, ages 7-9 with ADHD, combined subtype were randomly assigned to 12-week intervention groups (CAI or Non-CAI). Outcome measures were collected across multiple domains and time points. Main effects of group were revealed for total ADHD symptoms ( p <.05), inattention ( p =.01) and social skills ( p =.04), indicating that the CAI group fared better than the non-CAI group. A significant interaction of group by time on ratings of problem behaviors ( p =.02) and social initiation ( p =.03), indicated the CAI group demonstrated a modest benefit over the non-CAI group in these domains. This manuscript describes the results and discusses the benefits and limitations of this intervention for children with ADHD.

ЕФЕКТИВНІСТЬ ЗАПРОВАДЖЕННЯ ТЕХНОЛОГІЇ РОЗВИТКУ СОЦІАЛЬНОЇ КУЛЬТУРИ СТУДЕНТСЬКОЇ МОЛОДІ ЗАСОБАМИ АНІМАЦІЙНОЇ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ

The article analyzes the essence of the social-pedagogical technology for development of student youth’s social culture by means of animation activities in information society, which becomes topical in terms of education space at higher education institution, student extracurricular activities and within open social space of information age. Topicality is determined by the necessity to find new means for social education of contemporary intellectuals in order to develop social creativity and positive social interaction. The aim is to characterize this technology and to analyze its effectiveness. Research methods are: designing for development of social-pedagogical technology for developing student youth’s social culture by means of animation activities; observation, questionnaires, document analysis and mathematical statistic methods for processing experimental data, quantitive and qualitative analysis of empirical materials and interpretation of acquired results. The study defined that student youth’s social culture is a level of sociality that facilitates increase in effectiveness of social interaction in professional, civic and informational areas, manifests itself in social values, in formation of social qualities and pro-social behavior, which ensures improvement of socioprofessional space, social integration of various social groups and initiation of new interaction models in society. The social-pedagogical technology for development of student youth’s social culture by means of animation activities as a totality of actions aimed at a specific result turned out to be effective, as indicated by mathematical statistics. Pearson’s chi-squared test was used to compare the formation level of student youth’s social culture in experimental and control groups, and the average value comparison method was used to verify the effectiveness of experiment according to Student’s t-test. Further research aim at scientific substantiation and implementation of the technology for development of student youth’s social creativity by means of art.

What’s the influence of social interactions on substance use and treatment initiation? A prospective analysis among substance-using probationers

Introduction: A person's social environment greatly affects the likelihood of substance use, which in turn affects risk for criminal behavior. This study examined how people's social environment early in probation contributed to later substance use and treatment outcome, both of which predict probation success.Methods: Data were analyzed from a randomized controlled trial of substance-using probationers (N = 316). Moderation analyses assessed the relationship between social support near the start of probation and substance use and treatment initiation after 2 and 6 months.Results: Abstinence at 2-months was associated with better baseline measures of support quality (more positive support, fewer negative interactions, and reduced conflict). Similar associations were identified for 6-month abstinence including better baseline quality, more positive support, and less family and peer conflict. There were no significant associations between the baseline social support and treatment initiation at 2-months. However, poorer baseline quality support and more negative interactions predicted increased treatment initiation at 6-months.Conclusions: Social support and the quality of an offender's social network have important implications for substance use and treatment compliance. The criminal justice system emphasizes ways to minimize negative social influences among offenders (i.e., probation conditions that limit contact with other offenders). However, this study suggests that behavior change is a function of not only reducing negative influences but also increasing positive or good quality supports.

The Effect of Cooperative Formative Activities in an Inclusive Setting on Social Interaction of a Young Child with Developmental Delay

본 연구는 사립 유치원 통합 환경에서 또래와의 협동적 조형 활동 중재가 발달지체유아의 사회적 상호작용에 미치는 효과를 알아보고자 하였다. 이를 위해 발달지체유아의 사회적 시작행동과 반응행동의 증가와 중재가 종료된 후에도 중재 효과가 어느 정도 유지되었는지를 측정하였다. 연구 대상은 발달지체 진단을 받은 남아 1명이며, 협동적 조형 활동 프로그램 중재의 효과를 알아보기 위해 ABAB 반전설계(reversal design)를 실시하였다. 본 연구 결과 협동적 조형 활동 중재는 대상 유아의 사회적 시작행동을 증가시켰으며, 중재(B2) 전략이 종결된 후 유지 단계에서도 안정적인 사회적 시작행동을 보였다. 둘째, 협동적 조형 활동 중재를 통해 대상 유아의 사회적 반응행동도 증가되었으며, 셋째, 중재가 종료된 10일 후 대상 유아의 사회적 시작행동과 반응행동은 전반적으로 높은 수준으로 유지되었으며 이러한 결과를 바탕으로 연구의 논의 및 후속 연구에 대해 제언하였다.The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of cooperative formative activities with peers on the social interaction of a child with developmental delay in a private kindergarten inclusive environment. For this purpose, Research problems were made in which the social initiation behaviors and social response behaviors of a child with developmental delay were increased through this intervention, and maintenance was continued after intervention was completed. The subject of this study was a child who was diagnosed with intellectual disability, and ABAB reversal design was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the intervention. The results of this study are as follows. First, cooperative formative activity increased the social initiation behaviors & social response behaviors of the subject. Second, the social initiation behaviors & social response behaviors of the subject were highly maintained after the intervention. Based on these results, discussion & implications for future research were suggested.

Social space and alcohol use initiation among youth in northern Tanzania.

IntroductionAlcohol use is a key risk factor for disease worldwide. Consumption of alcohol is increasing in sub Saharan Africa, where youth are already at high risk of HIV due to its high prevalence in the region. Studies show that youth begin drinking alcohol early; however, there is a need to further explore the initiation of alcohol use in order to design appropriate interventions in this population.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study with youth in Mwanza and Kilimanjaro regions in Tanzania to explore alcohol consumption among youth. Participants were a purposive sample of youth aged 15–24 composed of secondary school and college students, and formal and informal sector employees. We conducted 35 in-depth interviews using a semi-structured guide to understand youth’s personal experiences with alcohol consumption. Two social scientists conducted a multi stage, inductive analysis of the data.FindingsAlcohol consumption was reported to mainly start during adolescence, although in some cases it started as early as at 10 years of age. Young women reported drinking less, and initiated drinking later compared to males. Social space assumed a primary role in alcohol initiation. The social environment and influence of important social actors were key aspects of youth’s social space. Youth reported starting to consume alcohol at home, social events and in stressful environments with key influencers being parents, relatives, peers and intimate partners.ConclusionsOur findings show that the social space (social environment and interactions) plays an important role in influencing youth initial consumption of alcohol. Interventions addressing alcohol initiation among the population need to address the social spaces where initiation takes place and engage the significant actors in these spaces. There is need to further explore underlying societal drinking norms to better understand how they shape social environments and young people’s initiation of alcohol use.

Treatment of social approach processes in adults with social anxiety disorder.

Despite the social impairment associated with social anxiety disorder (SAD), little research has examined the impact of treatment on positive relational functioning. Accordingly, the authors conducted a treatment outcome study to evaluate a cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) regimen augmented by a relational focus (CBT-R) relative to a graduated exposure-applied relaxation (GEAR) regimen and wait list (WL) control. To examine the mechanism(s) that underlies treatment effects, they used structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate two potential mediators, change in judgment biases and in safety behaviors. Treatment-seeking adults who met SAD diagnostic criteria (n = 100; 50% women; mean age = 32.9 years.; 36% ethnic minority) were randomly assigned to CBT-R, GEAR, or WL. CBT-R and GEAR participants received 14 group treatment sessions. Social initiation, relationship satisfaction, and a SAD symptom composite were assessed at pre- and postassessment, and 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Intent-to-treat multilevel modeling analyses indicated that the CBT-R regimen resulted in significantly greater improvement relative to GEAR on relationship satisfaction and SAD symptoms. SEM results revealed that change in safety behaviors partially mediated the superior performance of CBT-R on both variables with confidence intervals set at .90. These findings indicate that CBT-based regimens can improve social approach processes in individuals with SAD and that safety behavior reduction contributes to positive outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record

Instant Social Networking with Startup Time Minimization Based on Mobile Cloud Computing

Mobile communication and handheld devices are currently extremely popular, and provide people with convenient and instant platforms for social networking. However, existing social networking services cannot offer efficient human-machine interfaces or intuitive user experiences. Mobile users must manually input account information and find targets from search results when attempting to add someone to their friend list on social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. Additionally, mobile users may not be able to identify correct targets because some usernames are identical. Typos may occur during the input process due to unfamiliar identifiers, further increasing the total operation time. To encourage social initiation between mobile users, we design an instant social networking framework, called SocialYou, to minimize the startup time based on mobile cloud computing. SocialYou proposes an efficient architecture and innovative human-machine interfaces to alleviate the complexity and difficulty for mobile users using handheld devices. In particular, we implement an Android-based prototype to verify the feasibility and superiority of SocialYou. The experimental results show that SocialYou outperforms the existing methods and saves substantial amounts of operation time for mobile social networking.

Using common interests to increase socialization between children with autism and their peers

BackgroundThe social deficits associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are considered important targets for intervention due to their influence on long-term outcomes. In the present study, we assessed whether identifying and incorporating common interests of children with ASD and their typically developing peers would result in increases in social engagement and initiations. MethodThree children diagnosed with ASD were paired with three typically developing peers for the study. A separate multiple stimulus without replacement (MSWO) preference assessment was conducted for the child with ASD and the peer during the treatment to match interests. Data were collected on social engagement and initiations. A concurrent multiple probe design across participants was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. ResultsResults showed that the intervention produced rapid increases in social engagement and initiations for all participants, without any direct social skill training. These results were also maintained during the follow-up session. Two out of the three participants showed generalization of skills to the natural environment wherein common interests were not incorporated. ConclusionsOur findings suggest that environmental manipulations in the form of incorporating choices of stimuli can increase socialization and generalization of skills. The treatment was effective at increasing social engagement without any intensive prompting for the participants of the study.

Using Peer-Mediated LEGO® Play Intervention to Improve Social Interactions for Chinese Children with Autism in an Inclusive Setting

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a peer-mediated LEGO® play intervention on improving social skills for children with ASD in an inclusive preschool in China. Three boys with ASD and 13 typically developing children participated in this study. A multiple-probe across participants design was used. The intervention consisted of LEGO® construction activities incorporated with peer-mediated strategies for one child with ASD and two typically developing peers. The intervention sessions were conducted two sessions per week with a total of 28-31 sessions for each participant. Results indicated that all three children with ASD increased their social initiations and responses following the completion of the intervention. Social validity was also obtained.

Impact of Interaction Paradigms on Full-Body Interaction Collocated Experiences for Promoting Social Initiation and Collaboration

This article addresses the design and study of novel interaction settings and systems supporting collocated interaction. More specifically, we aim to analyze the implications of two different interaction approaches, namely first-person and third-person interaction paradigms, and the corresponding theoretical approaches when designing and developing collocated experiences for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). This analysis is supported by the outcomes of several examples of full-body interaction collocated experiences aimed at promoting social initiation and collaboration. Moreover, we present a series of goal-driven guidelines to consider when designing with various interaction paradigms. Finally, we discuss future work to better understand the implications of constructing paradigms for the intuitive use of these full-body interaction systems.

Video self-modeling was effective in promoting social initiations with young children with developmental disabilities1

Buggey, T., Crawford, C., & Rogers, C. L. (2016). Self-modeling to promote social initiations with young children with developmental disabilities. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities. doi: 10.1177/1088357616667591.Source of funding and declaration of interests: No sources of funding or conflicts of interest were reported.

Evaluation of the Impact of Animal Assistive Intervention on Attention, Social Initiation, and Regulation Skills of Children With Disabilities

Abstract Date Presented 3/30/2017 This retrospective data analysis examines the outcomes of an animal-assisted therapy pilot program implemented with school-age children. The program was designed and implemented by the school’s occupational therapy department with the goals of enhancing skills important for social participation. Primary Author and Speaker: Rochelle Mendonca Additional Authors and Speakers: Stephanie Yhost, Susan Santalucia, Siobhan Ideishi Contributing Authors:

Improving Social Initiations of Children with Autism Using Video Self-Modeling with Video Feedback: A Case Study

AbstractThe purpose of this A-B subject research design was to investigate the efficacy of video self-modeling with video feedback using an iPad to promote social initiation skills in a young child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It was hypothesized that the participant would increase social initiations toward peers in an inclusive preschool classroom by viewing a video of himself performing four targeted behaviors. The participant’s paraprofessional and his early childhood special educator implemented the intervention and provided feedback on his performance. Findings of this case study revealed improvements in the four targeted behaviors: approaching, greeting, inviting, and interacting with a peer. As a result of the intervention, the participant demonstrated generalization of target behaviors across settings, peers, items, and activities. In addition, the target behaviors were maintained one month after the intervention was withdrawn. Social validity results from the participant’s parents as well as his paraprofessional and teachers supported efficacy of the intervention.

The Efficacy of a Video Self-Modeling Intervention on Peer Social Initiation Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

Social initiation skills are considered among the most challenging skills to acquire by children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Generalization of social initiations is another related challenging area. Research indicates that when provided with appropriate interventions, children with ASD may enhance social initiation skills and generalize them across settings, people, and materials. This study implemented a multiple probe single subject design across three children with ASD to examine whether a video self-modeling intervention is effective in establishing a mand repertoire and other types of peer social initiations. Generalization and maintenance effects were measured in addition to the social validity of the video self-modeling intervention. While video self-modeling led to substantial improvements in almost all of the target behaviors for one participant, additional strategies were implemented for two other participants. Discussion of findings, study limitations, and future recommendations are addressed as well.