| Social dysfunction and deficits are considered a hallmark symptom of Autism and have been repeatedly described in the literature by researchers and clinicians alike. Treatment and intervention efforts often focus on the language and social dysfunction of autism as these individuals struggle with understanding social information and with learning how to interact with others. In the last decade, researchers have focused on social cognition in order to understand the cognitive skills required for social interaction and have helped to explain the effectiveness of a new approach to teaching social behavior and skills to children with autism using social stories (Gray, 1998).;The current study employed a multiple baseline design across settings and subjects in which the effectiveness of social story interventions was evaluated. One pilot and four subjects between the ages of 5 and 7.11 with a diagnosed Autistic Spectrum Disorder were recruited for the study. Subjects were assessed for identification of behavioral excesses and/or deficits using observational methods and functional assessments.;Individualized social stories were constructed for each subject using the guidelines set by Carol Gray on the use and implementation of social stories. It was hypothesized that the systematic use and implementation of social stories in presenting accurate social information as well as providing appropriate responses to social situations would have a positive effect on the social skills and behavior of individuals with autism.;A visual inspection of the data revealed that results were variable. In 4 of the 5 subjects an improvement of one or more target behaviors was evident from baseline to treatment. Of the 14 behaviors targeted, 7 or 50%, improved. A meaningful change was noted in five of the seven behaviors that improved. Dramatic change was evident in only one subject in which rates of target behaviors had dropped to zero levels and evidence for generalization was obtained. Based on the results of the present study, future areas of investigation, outlining the potential benefits and limitations of social stories were discussed and suggestions for conceptualizing social stories under the umbrella of rule-governed behavior and Applied Behavior Analysis were provided. |
