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Evidence-Based Social Communication Interventions for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

Impairments in social communication skills are a core feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and include deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, non-verbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, and developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships. In order to improve outcomes for children with ASD, much research has been focused on developing effective interventions to treat these social communication deficits. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the evidence-based practices found within the intervention literature that specifically targets social communication impairments and provide an overview of these strategies. Four relevant themes regarding evidence-based social communication interventions are considered and discussed: (a) social communication outcomes and practices relevant to different stages of development, (b) practices that both reduce interfering behaviors and improve social communication skills, (c) practices that utilize an eclectic combination of intervention strategies, and (d) considerations for practice and research.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank their colleagues at the University of Texas at Austin for their careful reading and insightful feedback of this work.

Contributions

LW, MK, and KLC wrote the initial draft. CG and MOR revised and reviewed the draft. LW will act as guarantor for this paper.

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Correspondence to Laci Watkins.

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Watkins, L., Kuhn, M., Ledbetter-Cho, K. et al. Evidence-Based Social Communication Interventions for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Indian J Pediatr 84, 68–75 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-015-1938-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-015-1938-5

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