This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Social Stories utilising either photograph or symbol illustrations to address the target behaviours of children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Multiple single-case experiments were conducted utilising an ABA design with 10 participants, all of whom were boys attending mainstream primary schools within a West Midlands Local Authority. The children ranged in age from 5-11 and all of them had a diagnosis and a primary need in relation to ASD. Personalised Social Stories were composed for each of the participants to address a specific target behaviour that had been identified by the child and members of teaching staff. The stories were written by the researcher alongside a member of staff from the Local Authority's Autism Outreach Service and all adhered to the criteria and guidelines for construction outlined by Carol Gray (2004). The format for each of the stories was identical but for the manipulation of the illustrations. The effectiveness of the intervention was monitored using a variety of measures including a Behaviour Log recording the frequency of the target behaviour across each of the experimental phases; the Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1997); and a Teacher / Teaching Assistant Questionnaire that had been designed by the researcher and was based on items contained within the Behaviour Intervention Rating Scale (BIBS) (Elliot & Treuting, 1991). The data obtained from these measures was analysed through the visual inspection of graphical data and the calculation of effect sizes. Discussion is provided about the suitability, reliability and validity of each of the measures and the methods of data analysis. Overall the study provides evidence of the utility and effectiveness of Social Stories for addressing the target behaviours of children with a diagnosis of ASD. Furthermore it offers an original contribution to the existing literature by exploring the impact of different forms of illustration on story efficacy.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:555363 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Williams, Emily Louise |
| Publisher | University of Nottingham |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/13297/ |
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