Game-based program helps autistic kids learn social skills
Game-based program helps autistic kids learn social skills
Game-based program helps autistic kids learn social skills
By Brett Henebery
May 26, 2022
Summary
A successful game-based program that teaches social skills to neurodiverse children and teenagers has been secured the University of Melbourne's backing to drive its expansion.
Next Level Collaboration - co-founded by Melbourne Graduate School of Education senior lecturer Dr Matthew Harrison and speech pathologist and researcher Jess Rowlings - piloted its world-leading social capacity building workshops throughout 2021 but will now expand from one to five sites over the coming months, including a new program at the University aimed at tertiary students.
The program's workshops employ evidence-based teaching methods - such as explicit instruction, modelling, and feedback - alongside carefully selected cooperative video games to teach a set of targeted social skills to groups of eight- to 15-year-olds.
Dr Harrison said feedback from parents includes children who are better able to manage their emotions, who feel more confident in their abilities during social interactions, and some are making friends for the first time, which probably explains the program's high retention rate.
"As a result, programs designed to support autistic people with social skills for example were instead set up with an objective of 'fixing' them."
The Dean of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne, Professor Jim Watterston, said Next Level Collaboration is a "Unique example of innovative research merging with entrepreneurial thinking for social impact".
"There are more than 205,000 Australians with a diagnosis of autism, and we know many do struggle with social skills that are needed to lead productive lives," Professor Watterston said
.Reference
Henebery, B. (2022, May 26). Game-based program helps autistic kids learn social skills. Retrieved June 1, 2022, from https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/gamebased-program-helps-autistic-kids-learn-social-skills/280271