Use of Say-Do Correspondence Training to Increase Generalization of Social Interaction Skills at Recess for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Research suggests that while social skills groups in school settings can be effective for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), generalization of the skills and behaviors learned in these groups to other settings can be problematic. This study assessed the use of a say-do correspondence intervention to increase generalization at recess of social interactions skills previously learned in a social skills group for students with ASD. The participants were three first graders who had participated in intensive social skills instruction for over a year but who were not generalizing their acquired skills to recess. The say-do correspondence involved the participants identifying before recess who they were going to talk to at recess and then receiving access to reinforcers after recess if they had talked to the student they had identified. A multiple-baseline across participants design was used to assess the impact of the intervention on the number of social exchanges between the child with ASD and other children during recess. Results showed that the number of social exchanges increased for all participants. Implications for practice in public school settings are discussed.