Social Initiation Analysis

The Effect of Group Activity on Instances of
Social Initiation in Children with Autism The impairments in socialization, communication, cognition and motor skills are all central features of individuals diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) that affect their ability to function typically in society (Myles, Hagen, Holverstott, Hubbard & Smith 2005). An evident lack of interest with the social environment is a phenomenon of individuals with an ASD that has no known cause. The atypical development of essential social skills as a result of this indifference with the environment can result in social deficits such as initiating interactions, maintaining reciprocity, sharing enjoyment, taking another person’s perspective and inferring
The opportunities for relationships to be made are present in the classroom, the playground and at home with family members, staff and peers with similar social deficits as well as those without deficits, and are often jumpstarted by an individuals ability and willingness to initiate an interaction. Through observation of an individual child in a natural classroom setting, it is evident that specific social processes such as the initiation of conversation do in fact emerge over time, but there is an unusual occurrence in the quantity and quality of certain behaviors. Carter et al. (2005) highlight deficits in the ability to demonstrate selective attention (gaze), play, attachment behaviors, affective development, and peer relations. Along with peer relationships, a child typically develops pro-social skills, which is difficult for a child with an ASD to develop since they do not have the same interest in initiating social interaction. To understand this phenomenon, it is important to acknowledge possible reasoning behind such social withdrawals. Bauminger, Shulman and Agam (2003) suggest that there is lack of association between social interaction and the feelings of loneliness. While individuals with an ASD seem to have a good understanding of what it means to be socially interactive and what it is to feel lonely, they have a difficult time comprehending the relationship between loneliness and social interaction. This is demonstrated in the ratio of instances of initiation and the amount of time engaged in an interaction. An individual might ask a question and then walk away where as a typical developing child would continue to have a conversation (Bauminger, Shulman & Agam