attention and areas that where of special interest to the individuals
such as conversations with the opposite sex. The cutting out pictures
to help identify emotions and the use of homework assignments were
also required to help reinforce social skills (Safran, 2001). However,
when the findings of this program where studied it was concluded that
there had been no apparent improvement in the social skills of the
individuals with AS taking part (Safran, 2001).
A more detailed and structured strategy for improving the social
skills of children (and in some cases adults as well) is known as the
SODA Strategy (Bock, 2001).
The idea behind the SODA strategy is to teach individuals with AS how
to modify their thinking policies and to develop a set of rules that
will allow them to successfully navigate new social interactions. In
effect they replace their own inflexible and ineffective social
interaction rules with SODA. They will be taught to select effective
rather than ineffective approaches to thinking. From repeated use of
the SODA strategy, individuals with AS should find that they are
better able to attend to relevant social cue s, that they can process
these cue s with regards to their relevance and meaning and that they
can select an appropriate response during unique social interactions
(Bock, 2001).
SOCIAL STORIES
Social stories and comic strip conversations(Safran, 2001; Rogers &
Mvles, 2001) are two elements of an approach that endeavours to
explain the details of specific social situations and also the
feelings and beliefs of others. This approach is of particular use
with younger children and for individuals with AS who show symptoms of
severe language delay (Safran, 2001). Social stories and comic strip
conversations where designed to address a specific problem area for
individuals with AS, namely the interpretation of social situations
that are predominantly oral and which offer little time for reflective
though (Rogers & Mvles, 2001). Social stories work by providing a
simple and brief narrative to describe a specific social situation in
which the individuals may find themselves (e.g., lunch in the
cafeteria). Contained within this narrative will be any relevant
social cues and responses that may be required for this particular
situation (Rogers & Mvles, 2001). Comic strip conversations work by
pairing visual images with simple sentences. They have been shown to
help individuals with AS in their understanding of social cues in
certain situations. In individuals with AS, this approach has been
very helpful in reducing anxiety, it does this by informing these
individuals in advance about changes in their daily routines (e.g.,
having a substitute teacher), and how to react in these situations
(Safran, 2001).
Use of comic strip conversations is most beneficial when the student
and the teacher work together. When the student relates a problematic
social situation to the teacher, the teacher can then assist the
student in drawing out a comic strip representation of that situation.
The teacher can then help the student to interpret all the social
aspects of that situation in order to promote understanding in the
student and to formulate a correct response(Rogers & Mvles, 2001). The
beauty of the comic strip conversation method lies in its simplicity.
It is not restricted to use by teachers or other learned
professionals. The parents and relatives of individuals with AS can
use this technique for all kinds of social situations that occur
outside of the school environment. More research is required with
regards to the usefulness of social stories and comic strip
conversations however it does appear that these techniques can help
individuals with AS gain a greater understanding of their social world
(Rogers & Mvles, 2001).
STRUCTURED TEACHING
The principle behind structured teaching is the creation of a set of
guidelines focused upon the establishment of certain distinctive
strategies designed to promote learning in individuals with AS
(Safran, 2001). These guidelines should be designed in such a way that
they can be applied on an individual basis. The reason individuals
with AS require these structures is that the academic environment
presents them with numerous social and behavioural situations that
they have exceptional difficulty coping with. These difficulties seem
to arise most prominently when the individuals reach secondary school
(Adreon & Stella, 2001). Structured teaching involves such elements as
the Transition planning meeting, where teachers from the students old
school and the new school meet. This is done to determine what
supports this particular student needs and how to implement these
supports into the new school structure (Adreon & Stella, 2001). This
procedure could also be adapted for an individual s initial entry into
the education system; in this case the meeting would be between the
individuals parents and the new school. Teacher training is another
important element. Teachers should have an understanding of how AS
will effect the student s behaviour and their academic abilities. The
teachers must also be made aware of the changes that they will have to
implement in accordance with what was decided at the transition
meeting. The student should then be made acquainted with both the
school building itself and all of the school personnel that they will
have regular contact with. All three of these steps should be taken
well in advance of the student entering the school (Adreon & Stella,
2001).
All of these processes have one objective in mind, that is to minimise
the difficulties that an individual with AS has in adapting to a new
environment. Problems commonly encountered by individuals with AS in
these situations include trouble socialising with other students and
school personnel, difficulties in communicating their own thoughts and
ideas and in understanding other people s, and a constant need to
adapt to change (Adreon & Stella, 2001).
CONCLUSION
More research is required into all of these methods for increasing the
educational benefits to individuals with AS (in particular into the
benefits of social stories and comic strip conversations). Only by
continuing this research can an effective social behavioural learning
strategy (Bock, 2001) be constructed to enhance the learning
experience for individuals with Asperger Syndrome.
REFRENCES
Adreon, D., & Stella, J. (2001). Transition to middle and high school:
Increasing the success of students with asperger syndrome.
Intervention in School & Clinic, 36(5), 266.
Bock, M. A. (2001). SODA strategy: Enhancing the social interaction
skills of youngsters with asperger syndrome. Intervention in School &
Clinic, 36(5), 272.
Ganz, J. B. (2001). Asperger syndrome social skills games.
Intervention in School & Clinic, 36(5), 308.
Rogers, M. F., & Mvles, B. S. (2001). Using social stories and comic
strip conversations to interpret social situations for an adolescent
with asperger syndrome. Intervention in School & Clinic, 36(5), 310.
Safran, S. P. (2001). Asperger syndrome: The emerging challenge to
special education. Exceptional Children, 67(2), 151.