Social Skills and Play in Children with Autism

Abstract

Social skills refer to the behaviors that allow an individual to interact with others in a mutually reinforcing way and to adapt those behaviors to different situations (Schopler and Mesibov 1986). Individuals with autism often display profound deficits in social behavior (e.g., Kanner 1943; Rimland 1964; Rutter 1978) and one of the defining characteristics of this disorder is an unwillingness or inability to engage in social interactions (American Psychiatric Association 2000). Researchers and practitioners have developed numerous interventions designed to address these deficits. The present chapter reviews social skills deficits commonly demonstrated by children with autism, the importance of improving the social skills of children with autism, and interventions that are commonly used to improve the social skills of children with autism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)