Social skills assessment of children with autism in free-play situations

Angelika Anderson, Dennis W. Moore, Rebecca Godfrey, Claire Fletcher-Flinn

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

76 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Poor social functioning and limited play are characteristic of children with, autism. Increasingly, education for children with autism is provided within mainstream settings, but given their particular difficulties, the adequate provision of educational services in such settings is challenging. This study presents observational data of the play behaviour and social interaction patterns of 10 children with autism in mainstream kindergartens and primary school playgrounds. The target children differed significantly in terms of their play and social interactions from typically developing children in the same settings. The adequacy of the provision of services for children with autism in mainstream provision is discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)369-385
Number of pages17
JournalAutism
Volume8
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2004
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Autism
  • Inclusion
  • Play behaviour
  • Social skills
  • Teacher aides

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