General Considerations for Socialization Interventions
Several approaches have shown promise for improving the social skills, and ultimately the social competence, of students with autism. However, no matter what techniques are chosen to increase social skills, educators are more likely to achieve desired outcomes if certain considerations are observed, many of which relate to contextual factors associated with socialization interventions. A good number of these recommendations revolve around the importance of providing opportunities for practicing social behaviors in actual social contexts that involve peers without disabilities.
Children with autism often exhibit characteristics of social withdrawal at extremely young ages (Osterling & Dawson, 1994; Scott et al., 2000). Given the correlation between socialization, cognition, and communication and the predictive aspects of socialization, the earlier interventions are implemented, the better the outcomes (Chang & Locke, 2016; Dawson et al., 2012). Inclusion in general education environments at a young age helps children with autism better learn social and play behaviors, assuming formal interventions are provided to improve target skills (Camargo et al., 2014; Whalon, Conroy, Martinez, & Werch, 2015). Many early intervention programs (birth to age 3) and early childhood programs (ages 3–5) provide structured opportunities for interaction with peers—typically developing peers or peers who have disabilities but exhibit developmentally appropriate social skills.