Mentor
Kathryn Gerken, School Psychology
Participation year
2014
Project title

The Effectiveness of Using Puppets to Teach Social Communication Skills to Children Who Have Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

In the recent years there has been an increase in the prevalence of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In the last version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the American Psychiatric Association reported that one in one hundred children has been identified with ASD. They established that ASD is characterized by a persistent deficits in social communication and social interactions across multiple contexts. Social communication skills are one of the core features of ASD. The use of puppets with children diagnosed with ASD has been use as a method of intervention and has been demonstrate to be effective. The design of this research is based on a one-to-one intervention, or a single subject research. This study was a baseline single subject study, the child was a girl and five years old. The purpose of this research study was to see if using puppets as a models was useful in decrease the time she wants to see mom during an activity and how she ask for her mom; also the intervention was directed to teach how to ask nicely for what she wants. During baseline phase Charlotte did not stayed too much time without her mom and did not make any interaction with the puppet. After the intervention with the puppet she started to be able to stay without mom in a room, during one session she only ask for mom once or twice time and she started to make more contact with the puppet. The results demonstrate that the puppets are useful to teach social communication skills to children with ASD.

Irmarie Cruz-Lopez
Education
Univ of PR @ Mayaguez