Counting on the Aide of Paraprofessionals to Teach Social Skills to Children with ASD

Mazurik-Charles, R. & Stefanou, C. (2010). Using paraprofessionals to teach social skills to children with autism spectrum disorder in the general education classroom. Journal of Instructional Psychology 37(2), 161+. Retrieved from http://www.questia.com/library/1G1-231807636/using-paraprofessionals-to-teach-social-skills-to

            Despite the varied research on who should deliver social skills intervention, what should it entail to where it should take place; the overall consensus on the needs of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder is the lack of social skills may be the most challenging characteristic.  Within this journal article, Mazurik-Charles & Stefanou (2010) discuss the importance of children with ASD having authentic opportunities to practice and learn social skills.  Having peer tutors can aid in developing weak social skills into more appropriate ones, however these classmates act more as helpers and caregivers to the child with ASD rather than becoming friends.

            Studies have shown that children with ASD who are in an inclusive classroom are more socially involved with their peers (Mazurik-Charles & Stefanou, 2010, p. 162).  Yet proximity alone is not enough for children with ASD to achieve their social skill goals.  According to Mazurik-Charles & Stefanou (2010), as previously suggested by Malmgren, Causton-Theoharis & Trezek (2005), “…training paraprofessionals to teach social skills in the classroom can allow for these skills to be taught in the inclusive classroom without disrupting the flow of teaching or removing the child from opportunities for social interactions with peers” (p. 162).  Teaching social skills within the inclusive classroom can also alleviate the issue of transferring learned social skills across settings, which can be problematic for children with ASD.

            To test this theory, a study was conducted with seven students with ASD in general education classrooms by seven trained paraprofessionals.  Six skills were identified using the Social Skills Training: For Children and Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome and Social Communication Problems intervention.  These skills were first introduced to the student by the paraprofessional in the following order: Maintaining Appropriate Physical Distance from Others, How and When to Interrupt, Editing Sensitive Subjects, Recognizing Feelings, Dealing with Making Mistakes, and Trying When Work is Hard (Mazurik-Charles & Stefanou, 2010, p. 163).  Each paraprofessional was trained how to introduce the visual cue, how to help the student complete the social skill by using the visual cue, and how to incorporate both the use of the social skill and the visual cue without disturbing the student’s environment.  The seven paraprofessionals participated in a two hour training session prior to instruction and attended a weekly 30 minute training session to ensure the paraprofessionals understood the technique and were able to practice.  After the implementation began, each paraprofessional was observed by a trainer consistently until it was determined that the intervention was correctly executed.

            After the six week period, the data concluded that trained paraprofessionals can aid children with ASD to learn the appropriate social skills within an inclusive general education classroom through verbal reminders and visual cues.  The measurable gains may be a result of the immediate feedback and praise given by the paraprofessional as social issues occurred in the classroom.  To conclude, significant gains were observed by the classroom teachers in a very short period of time in the areas of social awareness, social cognition, autistic mannerisms, and overall social responsiveness when a trained paraprofessional implemented the above social skills intervention (Mazurik-Charles & Stefanou, 2010, p. 164).

            As I read this article, I thought about a previous student with ASD that I have mentioned before.  I remember the difficulty he had adjusting to the social scene of a regular general education classroom.  He had an aide on occasion, but most of the responsibility fell on the classroom teacher.  Luckily, the classmates were very accepting of him because of his comical nature, artistic capabilities, and many of them grew up with one of his siblings.  Still, there were times in which he felt rejected and frustrated.  If certain conditions were not right, meltdowns occurred which brought him back to square one.  If he had a consistent aide that was able to instruct him on social skills and intervene when necessary, I wonder if his time at our school would have been a more positive one.

            This journal article refers to the hidden curriculum of social norms that children with ASD have difficulty grasping which can lead to rejection and isolation.  This article would be useful for a general education classroom teacher, paraprofessional, special education teacher as well as parents of children with ASD.  It provides an option for educators and parents who feel as if their children with ASD are severely lacking in social skills and can benefit more from a trained professional rather than a classmate buddy.