Chapter 14: Assessment and Intervention of Social Participation and Social Skills

Question 1

Applied Behavior Analysis

Answer 1

A didactic approach for children diagnosed with ASD and other mental health conditions to help them perform social behaviors through a reinforcement training technique. ABA supervisors are usually licensed clinical psychologists with training in ABA or behavior analysts and must complete a specialized training program.

Question 2

Anxiety Disorder

Answer 2

Most prevalent among mental health disorders
Start in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood, reach a peak in middle age, and tend to decrease with older age
Problems with social skills and social interactions are often seen

Question 3

Social Anxiety Disorder

Answer 3

• Can develop into in teen years and without treament, tends to follow a chronic unremitting course into adult years
• Also known social phobia and is characterized by a marked and persistent fear and avoidance of social situations in which one fears being negatively evaluated by others or being subjected to embarrassment
• CBT is effective in reducing symptoms and functional impairment and in improving social skills

Question 4

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Answer 4

ADHD includes a combination of persistent problems, such as difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior.

Question 5

Autism spectrum disorders

Answer 5

a neurologic disorder seen most commonly, but not uniquely, in boys. According to the current Diagnostic and statistical manual, fifth edition (DSM-5), the symptoms of ASD cluster in two primary categories of functioning: social interaction and repetitive and restrictive behaviors Symptoms may be evident at a young age and parents often report developmental concerns prior to the age of 3. However, the age of initial diagnosis is highly variable, ranging from 38 to 120 months . With a wide diversity of potential symptoms of ASD and varying levels of severity, each child presents with a unique compilation of strengths and weaknesses

Question 6

Behavior modification

Answer 6

Technique of altering an individual’s reaction to stimuli through positive reinforcement and the extinction of maladaptive behavior. A measurable system of rewards and punishments is established to focus specifically on behavior. The system encourages using positive reinforcement only, thus lessening the emphasis on negative behavior and is another common model used to promote the development of many skills of children with autism spectrum disorders.

Question 7

Cognitive restructuring

Answer 7

technique that has been successfully used to help people change the way they think. When used for stress management, the goal is to replace stress-producing thoughts (cognitive distortions) with more balanced thoughts that do not produce stress.

Question 8

Comic strip conversations

Answer 8

Used to improve social interactions showing what happened this time and what they can do better the next time

Question 9

Conduct Disorder

Answer 9

• Most common mental disorders in children and adolescents with 6.8 % prevalence.
• Children with CD show a persistent pattern of aggressive and antisocial behavior as well as serious violation of rules.
• Children with these diagnoses have deficits in social skills (i.e., verbal and nonverbal behavior) when attempting to resolve social conflicts. Occupational therapy intervention focuses on self-management and problem-solving to address social problems of children with ODD and CD.

Question 10

Emotions Charades

Answer 10

a real life and present aspect to mindreading. It uses role playing situations that involve expressions of emotions and others guess what emotion is being expressed (McAfee, 2002). The activity can be structured in several ways, depending on the ability level of the children.

Question 11

Emotion Regulation

Answer 11

Emotional regulation strategies are mechanisms that children can use to calm down their response to a stressor. For example, deep breathing is an emotional strategy that can change arousal quickly.

Question 12

Executive Function

Answer 12

Set of cognitive processes that are necessary for the cognitive control of behavior: selecting and successfully monitoring behaviors that facilitate the attainment of chosen goals

Question 13

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Answer 13

2-5% of population. Individuals gestationally exposed to alcohol with diagnoses of FASD experience a multitude of socio-behavioral impairments that tend to persist across the lifespan and may even worsen with age. These include impairments in social competence , theory of mind, empathy , social relationships, social problem solving, inappropriate friendliness, and difficulty with peer relationships and socially appropriate interactions.

Question 14

Incredible 5-point scale

Answer 14

Organizes behaviors such as voice volume, friendly behaviors, feelings (e.g., angry, afraid, excited) along a 5-point continuum. The scales can be used to help children better understand the social impact of their behaviors, to regulate their responses, and to calm themselves when they overrespond.

Question 15

Intellectual disability

Answer 15

prevalence of ID internationally for children and adolescents was reported as 0.22% to 1.55% . Up to 75% of individuals with ID demonstrate challenges in social functioning. Deficits become more apparent during adolescence as expectations for social communication increase and class participation becomes more socially mediated. Social skill challenges include delays in effective communication and social interaction, poor social awareness, poor problem solving, and poor theory of mind. Social impairment was found to be the strongest predictor of negative long-term outcomes in a 25-year longitudinal study of adults with severe ID, suggesting the importance of addressing these skills in occupational therapy.

Question 16

Interoception

Answer 16

Ability to perceive and process the internal state of one’s body, including internal visceral and emotional signals such as body tension, tight stomach, rapid breathing, elevated pulse, voice intonation, blushing, smiling, crying, and laughing. Problems with interoception can limit social participation. For example, not being aware of the need to use the toilet might cause accidents or not being aware of one’s voice intonation may communicate the wrong message. Sensory interventions can improve interoception and reduce the potentially unintended consequences of lack of awareness

Question 17

Joint attention

Answer 17

process of sharing one’s experience of observing an object or event by following gaze or pointing gestures. It is critical for social development, language acquisition, and cognitive development. It involves gaining, maintaining and shifting attention. An example would be when a mother points up in the sky and says, “Look at the stars,” and the child demonstrates joint attention by changing his attention to look where she is pointing. Joint attention is a key component of social interaction in humans.

Question 18

Mindreading

Answer 18

addresses the limitation that some children with autism have in theory of mind. The first level of this strategy uses drawings and photos of faces to determine what a person might be feeling. includes understanding expectations of emotional responses based on intent (e.g., statement about what Jimmy wanted, statement about what his mother gave him, and question of how he feels about it) and understanding why someone might have a different perspective from the child (e.g., removing the candy from a candy box, replacing it with crayons, and asking a child who did not witness the switch what is in the box).

Question 19

Mood Disorders

Answer 19

Before adolescence, rates of depression are generally equal across genders, but rates in females are greater during and after adolescence

Question 20

Oppositional Defiant

Answer 20

Prevalence is 12.6%. describes the aggressive behaviors as being disruptive and lacking impulse control, which violate the rights of others and/or bring the individual into conflict with societal norms or authority figures. exhibit a pattern of angry/irritable mood, temper tantrums, and argumentative/defiant behavior, but without severe aggressive or antisocial behavior

Question 21

Peer mediated Intervention

Answer 21

This educational intervention partners typically developing children with children with disabilities to promote behavioral changes in the children with disabilities (Odom & Strain, 1984; Roeyers, 1996). Peer-mediated intervention is based on the following premises:
• Peers can be as good as or even more effective than adults at promoting skills;
• The contexts created by peers are closer to the natural environments where children must function;
• The abundance of peers creates natural opportunities for youth to learn from multiple examples; and
• The natural variability of peers’ methods creates many opportunities for children to learn under “loose” training conditions, which is widely believed to facilitate generalized outcomes
Good for kids with ASD

Question 22

Power Cards

Answer 22

Recognize a child’s special interests/heroes and utilize them to help facilitate appropriate behaviors in social situations and routines. To implement this strategy, the occupational therapist identifies a social situation or behavior that the child needs to handle better. The occupational therapist finds a picture of a favorite hero of the child and puts it on a card. She/he writes a scenario of the hero advocating the correct behavior (e.g. Sponge Bob talking about the appropriate way to act during circle time in the classroom).

Question 23

Privacy Circles

Answer 23

Used to help children identify which topics are appropriate to discuss and which activities are appropriate to do with different people and in various settings. They address a lack of social awareness, and poor knowledge regarding privacy issues that occur in some children with disabilities. The occupational therapist gives the child a template with 8 to 10 concentric circles (like a target).

Question 24

Relationship Development Intervention

Answer 24

Parent-based, cognitive-developmental approach in which primary caregivers of children, adolescents, and young adults with ASD and similar developmental disorders are trained to function as facilitators for their children’s mental development. They provide daily opportunities for successful social interactions in increasingly challenging dynamic systems. RDI is designed to teach parents to play an important role in improving critical emotional, social, and metacognitive abilities through carefully graduated, guided interaction.

Question 25

Self-Determination

Answer 25

States that satisfaction of the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness promote well-being. This approach supports competency in social situations through providing “just right challenges.” Children apply newly developed social skills in less intimidating peer context(s) with gradually decreasing external support from the occupational therapist. Individual growth and acquisition of skills during sessions is possible because of the connections and friendships made while relating to other group members.

Question 26

Sensory Integration

Answer 26

“the neurological process that organizes sensation from one’s own body and from the environment and makes it possible to use the body effectively within the environment” (p. 11). Children who have difficulty integrating the continuous stream of sensory input and responding appropriately often have difficulty with self-esteem, self-actualization, socialization, and play

Question 27

SOCCSS

Answer 27

Another strategy that addresses children’s theory of mind limitations and social problem-solving by assisting them in identifying problem situations, possible solutions, and possible consequences for each solution, is Situation, Options, Consequences, Choices, Strategies, Simulation. This strategy sequentially organizes social and behavioral concerns for students with social interaction challenges. The procedure involves six steps and would be used after a difficult situation has occurred as a way of examining the options for the next time a similar situation comes up

Question 28

Social Autopsies

Answer 28

were originally developed for children with learning disabilities (LD) (Lavoie, 1994). They can be effective for children with ASD, FASD, LD, anxiety, and mood disorders, because they address incidents related to theory of mind (Baron-Cohen, 1995). Social autopsies provide a nonthreatening way to retroactively examine how a child could have handled a difficult situation. After the situation occurs, the child is asked to describe the event and the possible motivations of others who were involved.

Question 29

Social Cognitive

Answer 29

proposed that children can learn social behaviors by observing others. Groups based on this theory include two phases: acquisition and performance. During acquisition, a child observes the behavior of others and the consequences and remembers the observations. During the performance phase the child may decide to perform the behavior, based on his or her perception of the situation and the consequences. Social cognitive theory is frequently the basis of interventions that work on behavior changes

Question 30

Social Stories

Answer 30

were developed to teach social skills to children with autism. One social skill or issue is addressed in each story. This method helps children understand concepts, overcome fears or preoccupations, establish healthy routines, and develop new social skills. The stories consist of four types of sentences that prepare the children for what they can expect to feel and what they should do in certain situations that are difficult for them. Descriptive, directive, perspective, control or affirmation types of sentences

Question 31

Stress Thermometer

Answer 31

Scales and thermometers can help children and adolescents with ASD, intellectual deficits, anxiety, mood disorders, FASD, and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)/conduct disorder (CD) recognize, quantify, and describe different levels of their emotions and behaviors, which may help them participate in social activities. The scales or thermometers can be introduced to a group or child. They can address group behaviors, such as voice volume or stress level, or individual behaviors, such as obsessions or compulsions.

Question 32

Theory of Mind

Answer 32

also known as mentalizing, is defined as having the awareness that people have their own plans, thoughts, and points of view. It is expected to develop in children around age 4 and has been suggested to contribute to the social difficulties in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), where its development is notably delayed

Question 33

Video Detective

Answer 33

This strategy adds another dimension to mindreading and consists of watching video clips to help the children increase their skills of interpreting nonverbal communication because children with disabilities may have difficulty interpreting nonverbal communication.

Question 34

Weak Central Coherence

Answer 34

It describes the problem as a tendency to process all stimuli in a fragmented fashion, focusing on details rather than integrated and meaningful wholes, which results in a piecemeal and disjointed internal social world. This might account for a preoccupation with parts of things rather than the whole, such as spinning the wheels of a toy car instead of playing with it in the traditional way that a car is used, or with preoccupations with letters or numbers instead of using them for reading words or understanding quantities.

Question 35

Video Modeling

Answer 35

involves an individual watching a video demonstration of a certain behavior and then imitating the behavior of the model. Video self-modeling allows children to observe and model from their own behavior. The use of these interventions for children with ASD have been effective for addressing social-communication skills, functional skills, and behavioral functioning. Results indicate that video modeling promotes skill acquisition and that skills are maintained over time and transferred across persons and settings. Used for intellectual disabilities, behavior and aggression, and ASD