Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T21:41:21.130Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A Pilot Study to Determine the Efficacy of a Social StoryTM Intervention for a Child with Autistic Disorder, Intellectual Disability and Limited Language Skills

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2016

Georgina Reynhout*
Affiliation:
Macquarie University Special Education Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
Mark Carter
Affiliation:
Macquarie University Special Education Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. Macquarie University Special Education Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Social StoriesTM have gained wide acceptance as an intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) yet extant research provides only circumscribed empirical evidence in support of their efficacy. While it is claimed that Social Stories may be appropriate to children with significant levels of intellectual disability and basic language skills, limited research has been conducted with this group. This pilot study employed an ABC design using a Social Story intervention to target looking at a book during group reading time. The participant was a child with autistic disorder who had intellectual disability and limited language skills. The intervention was unsuccessful, highlighting the need to further investigate the role that both language skills and intellectual ability play in moderating response to the intervention.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Australian Association of Special Education 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ali, S., & Frederickson, N. (2006). Investigating the evidence base of Social Stories. Educational Psychology in Practice, 22, 355–377.Google Scholar
Backman, B., & Pilebro, C. (1999). Augmentative communication in dental treatment of a nine-year-old boy with Asperger syndrome. ASDC Journal of Dentistry for Children, 66, 419–420.Google ScholarPubMed
Barry, L., & Burlew, S. (2004). Using social stories to teach choice and play skills to children with autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 19, 45–51.Google Scholar
Brown, L., & Leigh, J. E. (1986). Adaptive Behavior Inventory. Austin, TX: PRO-ED.Google Scholar
Carlson, M., Fanchiang, S., Zemke, R., & Clark, F. (1996). A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of occupational therapy for older persons. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 50, 89–98.Google Scholar
Chapman, L., & Trowbridge, M. (2000). Social stories for reducing fear in the outdoors. Horizons, 11(3), 39–40.Google Scholar
Cleary, R. J., & Casella, G. (1997). An application of Gibbs sampling to estimation in metaanalysis: Accounting for publication bias. Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, 22, 141–154.Google Scholar
Dunn, L. M., & Dunn, L. M. (1997). Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.Google Scholar
Gall, M. D., Gall, J. P., & Borg, W. R. (2003). Educational research: An introduction. Boston MA: Allyn and Bacon.Google Scholar
Gray, C. (2000a). The new social story book (Illustrated edition). Arlington, TX: Future Horizons.Google Scholar
Gray, C. (2000b). Writing social stories with Carol Gray (Videotape and workbook). Arlington, TX: Future Horizons.Google Scholar
Gray, C. (2003). Social Stories 10.0. Jenison Autism Journal, 15(4), 1–21.Google Scholar
Gray, C. (2007). Social Stories. Retrieved April 13, 2007, from http://www.thegraycentre.org.Google Scholar
Gray, C., & Garand, J. D. (1993). Social stories: Improving responses of students with autism with accurate social information. Focus on Autistic Behavior, 8, 1–10.Google Scholar
Hubbard, R., & Armstrong, J. S. (1997). Publication bias against null results. Psychological Reports, 80, 337–338.Google Scholar
Kuoch, H., & Mirenda, P. (2003). Social story interventions for young children with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 18, 219–227.Google Scholar
Kuttler, S., Myles, B. S., & Carlson, J. K. (1998). The use of social stories to reduce precursors to tantrum behavior in a student with autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 13, 176–182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martens, B. K., Witt, J. C., Elliott, S. N., & Darveaux, D. (1985). Teacher judgments concerning the acceptability of school based interventions. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 16, 191–198.Google Scholar
Mastropieri, M. A., Scruggs, T. E., Bakken, J. P., & Whedon, C. (1996). Reading comprehension: A synthesis of research in learning disabilities. In Scruggs, T. E., & Mastropieri, M. S. (Eds.), Advances in learning and behavioral disabilities (vol. 10B, pp. 201–227). New York: Elsevier Science/JAI Press.Google Scholar
Phillips, C. V. (2004). Publication bias in situ. BMC Medical Research Methodology. Retrieved February 24, 2006, from http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2288/4/20.Google Scholar
Puza, B. (2003). Lies, damned lies and statistical traps. The Skeptic, 23, 16–19.Google Scholar
Renfrew, C. E. (1997). The Renfrew Language Scales. Brackley, UK: Speechmark.Google Scholar
Reynhout, G., & Carter, M. (2006). Social stories for children with disabilities. Journal of Autism &Developmental Disorders, 36, 445–469.Google Scholar
Reynhout, G., & Carter, M. (2007). Social StoryTM efficacy with a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder and moderate intellectual disability. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 22(3), 173–182.Google Scholar
Rowe, C. (1999). Do social stories benefit children with autism in mainstream primary schools? Special Education: Forward Trends, 26(1), 12–14.Google Scholar
Rust, J., & Smith, A. (2006). How should the effectiveness of Social Stories to modify the behaviour of children on the autism spectrum be tested? Autism, 10, 125–138.Google Scholar
Sansosti, F., Powell-Smith, K., & Kincaid, D. (2004). A research synthesis of social story interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 19, 194–204.Google Scholar
Schopler, E., Reichler, R. J., & Renner, B. R. (1986). The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) for diagnostic screening and classification of autism. New York: Irvington.Google Scholar
Scruggs, T. E., Mastropieri, M. A., Forness, S. R., & Kavale, K. A. (1988). Early language intervention: A quantitative synthesis of single subject research. Journal of Special Education, 22, 259–283.Google Scholar
Simpson, R. L., & Myles, B. S. (1998). Aggression among children and youth who have Asperger’s syndrome: a different population requiring different strategies. Preventing School Failure, 42, 149–153.Google Scholar
Sterling, T. D., Rosenbaum, W. L., & Weinkam, J. J. (1995). Publication decisions revisited: The effect of the outcome of statistical tests on the decision to publish and vice versa. The American Statistician, 49, 108–112.Google Scholar
Stern, J. M., & Simes, R. J. (1997). Publication bias: Evidence of delayed publication in a cohort study of clinical research projects. British Medical Journal, 315(7109), 640–645.Google Scholar
Torgerson, C. J. (2006). Publication bias: The Achilles’ heel of systematic reviews? British Journal of Educational Studies, 54, 89–102.Google Scholar
Von Brock, M. B., & Elliott, S. N. (1987). Influence and treatment of effective information on the acceptability of classroom interventions. Journal of School Psychology, 25, 131–144.Google Scholar