Effectiveness of a Supports-Based Approach to Peer Interactions of an Autistic Student in the Classroom: A Mixed-Methods Study

Purpose This mixed-methods study examined the effect of a supports-based intervention on the interactions between John, a 9-year-old minimally speaking autistic student with access to a speech-generating augmentative and alternative communication device, and nonautistic peers in the classroom.
Method We used a single-case experimental ABAB design to evaluate the relation between provision of social supports and the frequency of communicative offers between John and one nonautistic peer, Ethan. In addition, we integrated interview data and situated discourse analyses involving a variety of adult and child participants to illustrate the nature of peer interactions both before and during provision of social supports.
Results In summary, visual inspection of the single-case data supported a functional relation of moderate effect size between the provision of social support and an increased frequency of communicative offers between John and Ethan. Results from the discourse analysis suggested that social supports led to the (a) emergence of completed turns across peers, (b) flexible use of multimodal communicative resources, and (c) movement toward egalitarian interactions.
Conclusions This study is one of the first to provide experimental evidence for a supports-based approach to peer interactions involving a minimally verbal autistic student. Clinical implications focus on encouraging flexible multimodality and adopting a strength-based approach that fosters autistic sociality.