Synonyms

Social scripts

Definition

Scripts are written, audio, and/or pictorial examples of phrases or sentences that children with disabilities can use in specific social or academic situations. The individual is explicitly taught the script through modeling, prompting, and reinforcement and then prompted to use the script in the specific situation for which it was developed. Following successful use of the script, a script-fading procedure should be implemented to fade the use of the script over time. Scripts can be used to increase social initiations (e.g., “what do you want to play?”), provide suggestions to improve conversational skills (e.g., “my favorite movie is”), or request assistance (e.g., “help please”).

The use of scripts has improved the communication and social interaction skills that are prevalent in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; Ganz, Kaylor, Bourgeois, & Hadden, 2008). Individuals with ASD benefit from the use of scripts in both academic and nonacademic settings, including home, workplace, and community. Scripts have been shown to be effective with children who have minimal language and reading skills (Krantz & McClannahan, 1998), for nonreaders using an audio taped script and script-fading procedure (Stevenson, Krantz, & McClannahan, 2000), as well as for those with extensive verbal skills, but poor social skills (Krantz & McClannahan, 1993). Social scripts can reduce the stress associated with social interactions and assist the child by helping them understand the perspective of others and by providing them with age-appropriate social language. Including informal language, slang, or child-specific terms in the social script may help the conversational exchange appear more natural (Kamps et al., 2002).

See Also

Social Stories