Keeping It Real: Naturalistic Teaching Strategies (NaTS) for Play and Social Skills with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Naturalistic teaching strategies are treatment procedures that employ loosely structured settings, typically in the natural environment, as a means of promoting motivation, functional relationships, and generalization and maintenance for children with autism spectrum disorder. This chapter provides a detailed analysis of what these strategies are, why they work, and how to do them. Moreover, several of these strategies are specifically discussed. The reader is encouraged to use naturalistic teaching strategies as they are amenable to teaching play and social skills.