Creating a Social Communication Module for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Research (Hales, Carroll, Fryar, & Ogden, 2017) shows that those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience poorer physical health and fewer opportunities for social interactions than typically developing peers. As the prevalence of ASD increases, it is essential to consider effective interventions that target multiple skill areas for individuals seeking therapy. Youth ages 9 to 17 with ASD may experience physical health and social communication benefits from the implementation of a social communication curriculum module that could potentially be incorporated with Bingocize®, an online application that incorporates bingo with physical exercise, as well as educational content. Social communication educational units were implemented at the Kelly Autism Program for eight sessions. Units consist of a brief lesson, activities to practice skills, questions to reinforce concepts, and dance moves to address social education and physical activity levels. The expected result of this project was to create a social communication module that could be employed for students with ASD. Progress of each individual’s social communication skills and physical activity were monitored to determine if the module was beneficial. The modules could potentially be adapted to be incorporated into Bingocize® to specialize content for future individuals with special needs. The goal of the project was to target and improve both social communication and physical activity levels using this module