Enhancing Educator Skills as Social Partners

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Typical children probably do not develop the ability to shift and sustain attentional focus without assistance from those around them (Walden, 1993). Therefore, children with autism spectrum disorders clearly need assistance from caregivers and educators. Learning is dependent upon caregivers’ sensitivity to the child’s attentional and motor abilities. Parents may contribute to the development of social referencing by reliably providing information and affect during interactions (Walden). They attempt to scaffold referential looks by providing unsolicited messages (Walden, Knieps, & Baxter, 1991). Clearly delineated strategies that promote and sustain early gaze following and social referencing that have been validated by research with young children with ASD were not found.

In their review of research, McCollum and Hemmeter (1997) found that those who attempt to interact with individuals who find it difficult to interpret communication acts often use directive styles, including parents of children with disabilities who were found to be more directive than parents of typically developing children during social referencing situations (Walden et al., 1991). A style that is directive and responsive may enhance communication development (Iacono, 2003). Parents of children with autism tend to keep their children on task more than other caregivers (Kasari, Sigman, Mundy, & Yirmiya, 1988). In a study comparing Anglo and Hispanic clinicians, Hispanic clinicians were found to use more varied facial expressions, more eye gaze, and more touch to control behavior, and to give more compliments and directives compared with their Anglo colleagues (Kayser, 1995).

Parents of typical children encourage imitation.

Learning to talk is about becoming a partner in a culture’s dances. Imitation, modeling, prompting, and consequences are each a small part of learning to dance, of learning to perform socially approved steps (words) in culturally determined sequences (utterances, sentences). Practice can then make performance more perfect and fluent. (Hart & Risley, 1999, p. 199)

Research has revealed that parents and educators may not provide sufficient opportunities for communication and social interaction (Keen, Sigafoos, & Woodyatt, 2005) or ask the type of questions that would enable a conversation if the individual is using an AAC system (Koppenhaver, Abraham, & Yoder, 1994). Interactions with individuals who use an AAC system tend to be dominated by the communicative partner. One way to increase participation in social interaction is to teach responses to nonobligatory turns during conversations, such as “cool,” “right on,” and “uh-huh” (Light, Arnold, & Clark, 2003).