Gathering around the table for game night with friends can be enjoyable entertainment. But for children and teens with autism, playing Apples to Apples can be a dreaded social activity.
“Children and teens with autism often have difficulty with peer-to-peer interactions,” said Terri Mathews, Ph.D., a psychologist and assistant professor with the Munroe-Meyer Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. “The best treatment for this is to provide them with intense social skills training.”
That’s exactly what Dr. Mathews and Lezlee Greguson, Ph.D., a research associate at MMI, are doing on Monday afternoons in the Munroe-Meyer Diagnositc Center on Saddle Creek Road. The program is partially supported by the Munroe-Meyer Guild.
“A few schools may offer social skills training, but it is largely unavailable for most children who need it,” Dr. Mathews said. “We are using a behavioral model that emphasizes meeting specific criteria, such as paying a detailed compliment. The children are given homework and expected to practice what they’ve learned in the group at home.”
While the participants engage in play activities, behavioral therapists documented the amount of times the participants apply their S.C.O.R.E. skills.
S.C.O.R.E. stands for sharing ideas, complimenting others, offering help, recommending changes and exercising self-control.
Participants in the group have all been diagnosed with high-functioning autism, Asperger’s disorder or ADHD. Still, it doesn’t make it any easier for them to be patient with their peers.
That’s why the therapists constantly dole out praise and positive reinforcement for good interactions and exchanges.
During the session, Dr. Mathews transforms the room into a class-like setting and uses role play to demonstrate her lessons about social skills. She then asks the participants to evaluate the exchange and practice role-playing with each other.
The hope is that the participants will improve their verbal as well as nonverbal communication skills, such as eye contact, appropriate voice tone and pleasant facial expression, through practice.
“I think one of the best, most exciting things about the previous group was that they wanted to continue to meet after the eight weeks were over to maintain the relationships they developed,” Dr. Mathews said. “They had found the class to be a safe and comfortable environment where they all felt accepted, which is wonderful for children who might not have any other opportunities for social activities.”
*MMI also runs a support group for siblings of children with autism. The program is sponsored by the Autism Action Partnership and there is no cost for participation. For more information, visit the AAP Web site, www.autismactionpartnership.org or contact Tina Sedersten at 559-5732, tsedersten@unmc.edu; or Brian Feeney at 559-2403, bfeeney@unmc.edu.
The Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation is Nebraska’s federally designated University Center of Excellence for Developmental Disabilities. MMI opened in 1959 as a private therapy center to serve youth with polio. Over the past 50 years, the Institute’s mission has broadened to serve individuals with genetic, developmental and other disabilities across the lifespan. As a part of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, MMI provides interdisciplinary clinical services, state of the art research, advanced education for future professionals and technical assistance to programs across the state. MMI is charged with unlocking the potential of individuals, helping community programs to support persons with diverse disabilities and advocating for the needs of all people with disabilities. For more information, go to MMI’s Web site, www.unmc.edu/mmi.
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $82 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,600 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.