Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) typically struggle with social integration. Social skills training is often found in behavior plans and individualized programs to help individuals access social connections with peers and the community. Though there is a tendency to focus on deficits, the problem may lie in behavioral excesses.
This course followed the lead of recent research in behavior analytic journals to review new solutions to old problems. The target behaviors all pertain to behavioral excesses common to autism that create barriers to social integration. each lesson in the course will address a different problem:
“She is too rigid and cannot tolerate anything outside of her routine.” – Challenges with restrictive behaviors and difficulty adapting to the demand for flexibility in daily life.
“He is stuck in his own head and cannot connect with others.” – Addressing the problem of perseverative speech.
“Self-talk interferes with social dialogues and makes the client seem unapproachable.” – Vocal stereotypy is a behavior excess that may not only make the individual inaccessible to others but to strangers the individual may be someone to actively avoid.
