Skillstreaming Children and Youth with High-Functioning Autism

Skillstreaming is a social-emotional learning program designed to help children and youth learn positive ways to have their needs met.

This guide employs Skillstreaming’s evidence-based four-part training approach—modeling, role-playing, performance feedback, and generalization—to teach prosocial skills in a small-group context. The book includes a total of 80 skills specifically tailored to the needs of learners with high-functioning autism and related disorders.

The introduction offers a framework for understanding high-functioning autism disorders, defines unique characteristics of this population, and emphasizes the role of individualized coaching and the assistance of supportive peers in helping these learners meet their unique challenges. The remainder of the book presents skills and related materials.

Skill Groups

• Group I: Relationship Skills (Beginning and Advanced)
  Sample skills: Listening Without Interrupting • Staying on Topic • Sharing • Ending a Conversation • Communicating Preferences
• Group II: Social Comprehension
  Sample skills: Reading Others • Giving Information Nonverbally • Respecting Another’s Boundaries • Taking Another’s Perspective
• Group III: Self-Regulation
  Sample skills: Regulating Your Attention • Dealing with Anxiety • No Means No • Dealing with Boredom • Affirming Yourself
• Group IV: Problem Solving
  Sample skills: Determining Private Information • Planning for Stressful Situations • Considering Alternatives • When a Rule Doesn’t Work • Making a Complaint
• Group V: Understanding Emotions
  Sample skills: Knowing Your Feelings • Feeling Different • Showing Affection • Recognizing Another’s Feelings • Understanding Another’s Intentions
• Group VI: School-Related Skills
  Sample skills: Ignoring Distractions • Taking a Break • Following Adult Directions • Organizing Materials • Dealing with Transitions

Each skill includes an outline for group leaders with helpful advice for teaching specific skill steps and a listing of appropriate role-play situations. Two reproducible homework reports are provided for each skill. Appendixes provide skill checklists and other evaluation forms, as well as dialogue from two sample Skillstreaming sessions. A CD with printable forms accompanies the book.

Shown below is episode two of Prosocially Yours, a podcast produced by Research Press. In this episode, host Elizabeth Hess interviews educator and author, Dr. Ellen McGinnis, about the widely acclaimed Skillstreaming program.