ABSTRACT
This study examines the effectiveness of textual prompts in acquiring social niceties in the workplace for five individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Based on the results of this study, resource- and time-efficiency interventions are discussed. The participants were taught two statements: "Do you have a minute?" and "Thank you for your time." The participants worked in a simulation setting simulating the workplace. When an opportunity for interaction with an actor acting as a supervisor or colleague was provided to the participants, they were required to use social niceties before and after the interaction. During the training, the participants were presented with a textual prompt to use social niceties. As a result, most participants were able to use social niceties compared to the baseline. However, the percentage of correct responses was not stable, and the results did not show that the participants had fully acquired social niceties. A comparison of the results of the previous study with the results of this study indicates that it is difficult to obtain sufficient efficacy from interventions using only the textual prompt.
ABSTRACT
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder typically experience difficulties in finding and continuing to work. To address this issue, researchers have developed various interventions for these individuals to acquire social skills in the workplace. Social niceties such as saying "excuse me" and "thank you for your time" are especially important to continue work. Interventions that combine various procedures have been shown to be effective, but studies have also pointed out the importance of resource and time efficiency. Thus, this study examined the efficacy of performance feedback alone on the acquisition of these two forms ofsocial niceties. As a result, all participants quickly acquired social niceties.
ABSTRACT
Previous research demonstrates the efficacy of behavioral skills training with a textual prompt to establish greetings and conversational skills. This study examined the efficacy of a brief intervention of textual prompts with performance feedback for increasing social niceties of adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder in a simulated workplace. Target social niceties included "Do you have a minute?" when a participant initiated an interaction and "Thank you for your time" when a participant ended the interaction. Results revealed this intervention was effective for 7 of 9 participants. This study expands upon previous studies by showing the efficacy of a resource-efficient training on acquisition and generalization of social niceties by people with autism spectrum disorder.
