Social skills characteristics of students with autism spectrum disorder.

Objectives: This study examines differences in social skills among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In order to investigate these differences, social skills were associated with variables like gender, age, intellectual disability, language development, and school type. Methods: For the purposes of the study a total of 63 students with ASD attending primary and secondary special education units were selected in Northern Greece. A structured questionnaire was filled in by their teachers. Results: The results showed major differences between children with ASD and intellectual disability and those without. Likewise, verbal children obtained higher scores than non-verbal. These higher scores indicate better social skills. Age, gender, and school type differentiated the scores of the groups only in a few factors of the questionnaire. Conclusion: Intellectual disability and language are variables that clearly influence the socialization of children with ASD.

Relationships between gross- and fine motor functions, cognitive abilities, and self-regulatory aspects of students with physical disabilities.

This article reports research on self-regulatory aspects (i.e., goal-setting, self-efficacy and self-evaluation) of secondary and post-secondary students with congenital motor disabilities, who performed a ball-throwing-at-a-target task. Participants were divided into four subgroups presenting distinct combinations of motor and cognitive abilities (i.e., normal cognitive development and mild physical disabilities, normal cognitive development and severe physical disabilities, mild-to-moderate intellectual disability and mild physical disabilities, and mild-to-moderate intellectual disability and severe physical disabilities). Results showed that students presenting mild motor disabilities exhibited a positive self-concept and self-regulation profile, irrespective of their cognitive functioning. Students with considerable motor disabilities, but without cognitive challenges, presented a negative, though realistic self-concept and self-regulation profile. Finally, students with considerable motor disabilities and mild-to-moderate cognitive disabilities showed a positive, though unrealistic, self-regulation profile. The nature of the diverse relationship of motor and cognitive (dis)abilities to specific self-regulatory aspects are discussed, and important instructional implications are mentioned.

Adaptive behavior of primary school students with visual impairments: the impact of educational settings.

This study explored the adaptive behavior of primary school students with visual impairments, as well as the impact of educational setting on their adaptive behavior. Instrumentation included an informal questionnaire and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Participants were 36 primary school students with visual impairments. The educational setting had an effect on Daily Living Skills and Socialization. Students with visual impairments visiting special schools present worse adaptive behavior (higher developmental delay) compared to students visiting mainstream schools. Moreover, the educational level of parents influences the developmental delay on the Communication and Socialization. The higher the educational level of parents the lower the developmental delay.

Profiles of self-concept, goal orientation, and self-regulation in students with physical, intellectual, and multiple disabilities: Implications for instructional support.

The present study explored physical self-concept, goal orientation in sport, and self-regulation in regard to a motor task, in 75 secondary students with physical, intellectual, and multiple disabilities, who were educated in the same special education units. It was found that students with intellectual disabilities generally presented a positive profile in all three psychosocial constructs, whereas students with physical disabilities presented low scores in most measures. Students with multiple disabilities did not differ essentially from students with intellectual disability in regard to physical self-concept and goal orientation; however, they compared unfavorably to them regarding self-regulation. The delineation of a distinct and defendable profile of self-concept, goal orientation, and self-regulation for each disability group allows the formulation of proposals for the implementation of appropriate instructional programs for students belonging to the above mentioned categories.

Adaptive behavior of children and adolescents with visual impairments.

The present study explored the total adaptive behavior of children and adolescents with visual impairments, as well as their adaptive behavior in each of the domains of Communication, Daily Living Skills, and Socialization. Moreover, the predictors of the performance and developmental delay in adaptive behavior were investigated. Instrumentation included an informal questionnaire and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (Survey Form). Forty-six children and adolescents with visual impairments participated. The results reveal the effect of age on total adaptive behavior and on each of the domains of Communication, Daily Living Skills, and Socialization; the older individuals with visual impairments present better performance but also a higher rate of delay in comparison with younger individuals. Moreover, the ability of independent movement is a predictor of performance and developmental delay on the Daily Living Skills and Socialization. The more independent the mobility of individuals with visual impairments is the better the performance and the lower the level of developmental delay. Moreover, the educational level of parents is a predictor of performance and developmental delay on the Communication and Socialization. The higher the educational level of parents the better the performance and the lower the developmental delay.

Can social stories enhance the interpersonal conflict resolution skills of children with LD?

Since many children with learning disabilities (LD) face interpersonal conflict resolution problems, this study examines the efficacy of social stories in helping them choose more appropriate interpersonal conflict resolution strategies. A social story was recorded and played to the 31 children with LD in the experimental group twice a week for a period of 1 month, while the 32 children with LD in the control group did not receive any intervention. The effects of the intervention were systematically examined by means of an interview with the participants, while teachers completed the T-MESSY (Matson, J. L. (1990). Matson Evaluation of Social Skills With Youngsters: Manual. Worthington, OR: International Diagnostic Systems). All children chose mainly avoidance and hostile strategies before the intervention, but children in the experimental group chose predominantly positive strategies both after the intervention and at follow-up in comparison to control children. Furthermore, children with LD who received the intervention were rated by their teachers as engaging in significantly less inappropriate social behaviors after the intervention and at follow-up in comparison to control children. The recorded changes in the choice of interpersonal conflict resolution strategies and the more positive teacher ratings for the experimental group indicate that social stories constitute a powerful intervention for the enhancement of the social competence of children with LD.

Nonverbal social interaction skills of children with learning disabilities.

Many children with learning disabilities (LD) face problems in their nonverbal communication, which constitutes an important component of their social skills. This study explores the frequency of nonverbal initiations and responses of 36 children with LD and 36 children without LD matched for age and gender, who were observed for 40 min during the break. Younger and older children with and without LD did not differ significantly in their nonverbal responses, but there was a statistically significant difference in terms of younger children's nonverbal initiations. Younger children with LD exhibited significantly fewer nonverbal initiations than younger children without LD. Findings are discussed and suggestions are made for further research.