3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions

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The effectiveness of computer and video modelled social stories on the non-verbal social skills of children with Asperger's Syndrome.
(2013-08-06) Propheta, Lital
Background: Children with Asperger’s Syndrome have deficits in daily social communication and pragmatic skills of varying degrees. A lack of appropriate use of eye contact during communication is a well-described marker of the social-pragmatic deficit that is characteristic of children with Asperger’s Syndrome. This study investigated the effectiveness of a combined therapy approach including social stories, video-modelling and computers to address the impaired eye contact. Method: Five participants, between the ages of 6-12 years, with a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome took part. A multiple single subject ABAB design was applied for the purpose of this study. Results: There was an overall improvement in eye contact across all five participants. Other pragmatic behaviours were also positively affected. Conclusions: A combined type of intervention may be used effectively to improve the non-verbal social skills, specifically eye contact, in children with Asperger’s Syndrome. Clinical and theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.