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Impact of a buddy skills intervention on the social interactions of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Author
Gayatri Nair
Supervisor
Poon, Kenneth K.
Abstract
The current study investigated the efficacy of a buddy skills intervention in promoting the social interaction skills of two primary school students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Specifically, the percentages of intervals of initiations and responses of both target students and their buddies were observed and compared at the baseline and post-intervention phases. The study employed a multiple baseline single case design with three buddy pairs representing different baselines and was replicated across two target students with ASD. Fourteen participants, aged between 9 and 11 years, were selected from a local mainstream primary school. Twelve participants, who took on the role as buddies, participated in an intervention where they were equipped with knowledge on ASD as well as explicit strategies that they could utilise when interacting with the target students. A questionnaire was administered to buddies at baseline and post-intervention to assess the levels of comfort and acceptance in interactions with the target students. The results of the study revealed that the percentages of intervals of initiations and responses of target students increased post-intervention. Similarly, initiations and responses of buddies towards target students increased following intervention. In addition, buddies were found to have improved acceptance towards targets students as demonstrated by the overall means between questionnaires administered at baseline and post-intervention. These findings lend support to the argument that peer-mediation, specifically a brief yet structured buddy skills training intervention, positively impact the social interactions of children with ASD with their typically developing peers. The implications of these results for schools and the limitations of this study are also discussed.
Date Issued
2017
Call Number
BF723.S62 Gay
Date Submitted
2017