Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND SPECIAL EDUCATION, cilt.12, sa.2, ss.215-242, 2023 (ESCI)
Impairments
in social skills are one of the core characteristics of individuals with autism
spectrum disorder. Impairments in social skills in this group of individuals
may not naturally decrease or disappear over time. Rather, they become more
pronounced unless appropriate interventions to promote social competence are
delivered to these individuals. In this study, researchers examined the effects
of remote professional development training through behavioral skills training
and coaching on teachers’ (psychologists') use of Power Card method using a
one-group pre- and post-test design. Moreover, the effects of Power Card method
on teaching social skills – saying “Thank you.” (e.g., thanking upon accessing
the requested item) – to their students with autism spectrum disorder were
investigated using a multiple probe design across participants. Three
psychologists working as a special education teacher and their students with
autism spectrum disorder from a special education school participated in the
study. The researchers evaluated teachers’ performance on script and Power Card
development and implementation using checklists (e.g., Steps for Developing
Scripts and Power Cards). They performed visual analysis to evaluate students’
performance. Remote behavioral skills training and coaching were effective in
the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of teachers’ use of Power Card
procedure, and the Power Card procedure was effective in teaching social skills
to students with autism spectrum disorder. Furthermore, the students maintained
the target skills 2 and 4 weeks after the intervention and generalized them
across different conditions. Teachers had positive opinions regarding (a)
feasibility of the Power Cards, (b) acceptability of remote behavioral skills
training and coaching, and (c) social significance of the target skills for the
students. Limitations (e.g., narrow focus on social skills and collection of
social validity data through participant judgement) and implications for future
research are discussed.