USE OF SOCIAL STORIES IN CLASSROOM TO CHILDREN WITH AUTISM ¹

ABSTRACT

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may present deficits in social behaviors such as language and interpersonal interactions. Interventions that use social stories have shown promising results in teaching socially appropriate behaviors and in reducing socially inappropriate behaviors in the classroom, among other environments. Social stories are personalized from behavioral repertoire of each child and present the contingencies of reinforcement involved in the desired behavior, in the very environment in which the behavior occurs. The aim of this study was to verify the effects of social stories in the learning of appropriate behaviors and in the reduction of inappropriate behaviors of children with ASD in the classroom. The participants were two boys, 6 and 9 years old, diagnosed with ASD, who presented inadequate behaviors in response to social demands in school environment. Target behaviors for each participant were inserted into social stories that showed contingencies of inappropriate behavior and the appropriate alternative response. Before the beginning of the period in which the behaviors occurred more frequently, the stories were read to the children and the frequencies of target behaviors were recorded during class. Appropriate behaviors were encouraged and inappropriate ones were followed by correction procedures. Results indicated an increase in appropriate behaviors and a decrease in inappropriate behaviors for both participants, as well as a decrease in frequency of other inappropriate behaviors not directly addressed in the social stories as an effect of engagement in adequate repertoires of participation in classroom tasks. Therefore, social stories seem to represent a promising strategy in reducing inappropriate behaviors and increasing appropriate ones in the classroom, with short application time and low cost of construction of the materials used.

Keywords:
Social skills; behavior modification; autism