Data Collection

Students with autism spectrum disorder are characterized by different levels of difficulties with social skills, repetitive behaviors, and verbal and nonverbal behaviors (Scattone, 2008). Multiple sources of data were gathered during the research period to provide a clear picture of Nina's transfer of social skills across settings and informed instructional decision-making.

Social Skills Weekly Check-In (Quantitative & Qualitative)

Students with autism do not typically understand the importance of shaking hands, physical contact, and other daily interactions that serve to foster relationships in the school environment and beyond. I used the Google Form (above) to gather student self-assessment data to capture Nina's awareness of her use of each target skill over the course of 8 weeks. This "Social Skills Weekly Check-In" was also sent to Nina's mother to gather her perspective regarding Nina's transfer of social skills to settings outside of school. Each week, they rated how well Nina applied a social skill on a likert scale and indicated specific behaviors that Nina demonstrated in an interaction. For example, did Nina make eye contact or take turns in the conversation? In addition, specific examples of how Nina introduced herself to someone new were noted in a constructed-response question. This data was triangulated with other quantitative and qualitative measures to inform instruction, including reteaching and extension for Nina.