BYUs Autism Conference Focused on

Title:
Social Skills, Interventions, and Diagnostic
Challenges
Subtitle: Professionals, teachers, parents, and students attended the
conference to learn more about the best practices in autism
Summary:
Tags: BYU, Brigham Young University, MSE, McKay School of Education,
autism, best practices in autism, CPSE, Special Education, Terisa
Gabrielsen, University of Utah, Education, Timpanogos Regional
Hospital, BYU Continuing Education
Links:
Intended audience:
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Peer Edit: Madison 2/6/2017 Peer Edit: Camilla 2/6/2017

Cindy Edit Shauna Edit
Stephanie Edit: 2/9/17

Brigham Young Universitys autism conference, Best Practices in

Autism: Social Skills Interventions and Diagnostic Challenges, focused
on ways to help professionals, educators, and parents practice
successful techniques. Their emphasis was in dealing with social skills
in autistic individuals of all ages, as well as overcoming diagnostic
challenges. Over the course of, January 2728, 2017, Pprofessionals,
teachers, parents, and students attended the two-day event held
January 2728, 2017.

Sponsors of the event included BYU, BYUs David O. McKay School of

Education, Timpanogas Regional Hospital, and BYU Continuing
Education.

The conference featured fourteen 14 presenters, all professionals from

across the state of Utah, who addressed the sessions.

Social Skills for Toddlers and Teenagers (Court Allred, LCSW,

University of Utah; Heather Davis, PhD, University of Utah)
One of the best ways to build the participation and social awareness in
children and adolescents diagnosed with autism is to have them join
and participate in social skill groups. Heather Davis and Court Allred,
from the University of Utah, presented the importance of social skill
groups and the best ways to run them.
Social skill groups help those with autism spectrum disorders improve
not only their social skills, but also their social anxiety on a long-term
spectrum. In the span of eight weeks, Allred and Davis observed in
their social skills group, in the span of eight weeks, noticeable changes
in the children of their social skills group. The children began to seek
each other out during activities and started to build friendships with
one another. They were able to state their name and interests, and
they demonstrated skills they learned from the lessons taught during
the first eight weeks of lessons taught.

When you know why they are doing what they are doing, you start to
understand them [and] better know how to help them stop their
behaviors, Allred said.

One of the main obstacles they discovered through the social skill
groups was the parents. Often, parents are concerned with the
uncertainty of their childs future. Many are also worried about false
misconceptions they have.

Davis explained, Our job is to un-google all the information theyve

googled.

Parents provided feedback after eight weeks with the program, and the
majority were widely pleased with the experience.

He has learned how to make and keep friends at school, one parent
said regarding their sons performance after he participated in the
social skills group.

Another parent commented on their daughters improved behavior,

saying, She is doing so much better [at] talking and interacting with
her peers.

Our main priority is providing clinical support. We just want [these]

kids to grow and be effective, Davis said.

Social Skills for School-Aged Children and Young Adults

(Jubel Morgan, RN, University of Utah)
Getting school-aged children and teens engaged in learning social skills
is hard work. Jubel Morgan discussed ways to make social skills groups
more effective, so that children could look forward to going every time.

Morgan emphasized using five different units to teach a variety of

basic skills. The five units he covered were: understanding social
interactions, communication, how to solve problems, getting to know
others (including making friends and doing things with others), and
emotional and social reciprocity.

Use whatever activity you can to teach whatever concept youre

teaching, Morgan explains. There [are]s tons of ideas. For
conversation, for example, people use UNO cards and they take a turn.
They listen to what somebody said, then the next person in line, has to
stay on topic with what that person said, and has to say something
either about the color of the card or the number, and add to the story.
They learn to pay attention to the subject of the story and [how to] add
to it.

Morgan spends about a month on each unit-such as problem solving

skills-with the kids. At the end of each unit, he takes the kids on an
outing in the community. It gives them the chance to practice whatever
skills they just finished learning. Some cheap activities he has tried
and recommends doing are: bowling, miniature golf, Frisbee golf, or
even simply going to Chilis and ordering off the kids menu.

Parents have shared positive feedback about the impact the groups
have had on their children. Some children have gone from not
communicating with others at all to starting conversations with their
peers at school.

We never knowthe impact that these groups have, Morgan said.

Its hard to measure them and measure the outcome of the group, but
parent input has been wonderful. It has buoyed me up and [kept me]
wanting to [do] the groups.

Managing Behaviors during Evaluations (Tyra Sellers, PhD,

Utah State University)
Certain behaviors can get in the way of conducting an effective
assessment. Tyra Sellers presented information on how to best prepare
and manage problem behaviors during evaluations. Such behaviors
include crying, screaming, or even sulking.

Sellers explained that one of the best ways to avoid problem behaviors
from occurring is to prepare before the appointment by calling the
parent or a caregiver. Receiving as much information as possible helps
with correctly interacting with the child. Some examples of what to ask
for would be about favorite toys, games, songs, or social interaction.
Even knowing how the child communicates, especially if theyre
frustrated, can help the evaluation go smoothly.
These are just things that when youve done it for a long time, youve
dealt with a lot of spit, or youve tried to dislodge a paper clip from
someones mouth, you start to learn, she shares.

When problem behaviors occur during an evaluation, Sellers

recommends three basic strategies. First, evaluate the safety of the
situation. Second, remember to breathe and remain calm. Third,
remain neutral in your response. Avoid reasoning or, negotiating, and
monitor your own reactions.

Pay for the value of the behavior. If youre getting great behavior, give
bigger praise or praise statements. If youre getting cruddier behavior,
then give less so, Sellers suggests. Do not give $100 for nickel
behavior. I try to think about praise, tangibles, and breaks in terms of
currency for the individual. If [theyre] doing something worthy of a
million dollars of my praise, I will happily give it to [them]. But, if
[theyre] doing something that is worth maybe a penny, then I will give
[them] a penny. I pay for the work that is given.

Resources from the conference are available through the McKays

Schools Autism Connect website.